Its like Safari diving out there!

It seems like the last few dives have been just like the old Mutual of Omaha wildlife shows of the 70s. The weeds are like forests and the bottom can be full of algae. The plus side of this is the life in the lake is never as good as it is now. One of our intrepid divers mentioned its like swiming in a fish bowl. The highlight for me was last night at the Museum where kristie and myself ran into a catfish attempting to dine on a poor lake shad. I managed to get a couple of shots of it and you can see where the bite marks were on it. It wasn't swiming too well and I figure he didnt make it far but than that's life in the wild! I wont deny the visibility is not the greatest but with a keen eye you can see walleye, sheepshead, and more if your carefull. Water temps have fluctuated between 75-65F down to 20 feet, however at 100 feet its 55F. Visibility in all areas has been grim but feasible with approximately 15 feet at the 20 foot depth and between 20 to 40 at 60 or more depth. Did I mention weeds? This afternoon Mike Jack and myself treated ourselves to a bit of old school bushwhacking navigation for a 78 minute dive to see but the Regent and the Charlotte in one swim on an alluminum 80 no less.
One last thing the Dolphins are now on Facebook, look for CFB Kingston Dolphin Scuba club and if you like, hit 'Like Us'! Less talk more pics I say:
1. Gaétan at the Wharf in the Haze, 2. The AAA guns of Mortons Wharf, 3. Marc-Etienne looking to snap a rather large bass.

4. Mike Bushwhacking at deadmans bay, 5 and 6. The shad that Escapes death by the hands of a catfish. You can see the bite marks on the shad.

Yours in Fun Safe diving
Matt C

Too busy diving =P

Thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it!
Its been a hectic couple of weeks of intense underwater time so far, and I expect it to get even better. For those of us who have the gear for colder waters this is the best Vis I've ever seen for around here. Water temps have hovered around 40-45F though so Dry suits are really the only way to go, unless your Marc-etteine who dives semi dry.
Pretty much all of the Exec has managed to sneak in a dive during this unusual weather. Visits to KGH, the Marine Museum, Howe Island, Nicholsons Point, Navy and Deadmans Bays, and the Stacked Hulls are just a small selection of great dives we have got in so far! Every day has had some fantastic visibility, todays trip to KGH was at least 50 feet, and yesterdays was more.

If you can sneak a dive in nows the time for sure!

Pics: Gaétan and the Turtle, a Mud Puppy Salamander at the MM, Pike with food in its sights at the MM!

Kristie Mckay just sneaking in for her 1st swim with her newly fixed dry suit at the MM, the Cora Post, and G spotting the turtle just off to right of the picture in the distance in Deadmans Bay.

I usualy like to leave a little note for the serious side: problems on a dive, it doesnt really matter what they are, as long as you can exit the water safely and joke about it later its all good times. Hoses come loose, bouyancy can be mistaken, folks can run out of air, tanks slide out of the strap, masks can get cracked, hell I've seen or experienced a hockey sock of events under water over the course of my dive career that didnt go as planned, and in every case as long as you can keep your cool, remember your training and can get help from a buddy it will work out just fine. If you have to call a dive becuase things arnt going right theres no shame, better that then a small problem turning into a huge accident! Now a good buddy check before you go in can sort out most of those issues but occasionaly stuff happens under water and you just gotta deal with it. The second big thing is get back in the water as soon as you can safely with a good buddy you trust to conquer that monkey on your back if it shows its head.
Its times like that when I remember my old bosses motto - Fun Safe diving. If you can keep it like that you cant go wrong!

Matt the knife guy

Double dipping in the Lake

Today I had the pleasure of Diving with Sébastien and we got two dives in at Deadmans Bay and the Domino Theatre. Each dive was roughly 40 mins in 39f/4c of water. The vis was not to great in the range of 20 ft. Highlights of the first dive were turtles in Deadmans Bay with the odd catfish and perch. It was a pleasant surprise to see life returning to the lake. On our second dive at Domino theatre we only saw some gobies. We were able to see a few canteens and tin plates. I big mention does need to go to Sébastien who dove today in a wet suit.

History Hunters...

Armed with a copy of the report on wrecks of the War of 1812 prepared recently by Parks Canada's Marine Archaeologist, Jonathan Moore, four of us explored Deadman Bay this morning, visiting the more northern site, often referred to as HMS Psyche.

The wreck showed up well in the intermittent sunshine - visibility was about 35 feet. Better news lay in the fact that the water temperature is now registering 45F (7C). Besides the wreck, the biggest attraction today was the numerous Painted Turtles (some really quite large) seen on the swim out and back.

A few pictures showing views of the wreck are on the Club's Flickr Site.

I was pleased to provide some assistance before and after the dive to members of the CFB Kingston Yacht Club. I recovered an expensive pair of prescription Oakley sunglasses and re-attached a mooring buoy to make it more useful to the Club.

Dead reckoning with the Deadman..

Three of us returned today to Deadman Bay with twin aims. The first was to satisfy a request from the CFB Yacht Club for work on a mooring in mid channel; the second to make another pilgrimage to the beautiful wreck that lies just South of the Marina. We didn't reckon on being approached by another couple of sailors, who, before the season has started in earnest, had already lost items over the side of the docks. Long story short - we retrieved a fancy knife clip and a $600 GPS set from the bottom.

The mooring work was fun - especially when we discovered, on the first attempt, that the pin on the clevis provided wouldn't fit through the links of the new chain. An added ingredient in an entertaining mix was using a lift bag to take out said chain - and to bring back the old one for inspection and disposal. Useful exercise.

Once we had completed the work for the day, it was time to play. We meandered down to the wreck site - with brilliant sunshine streaming through the shallow water. Huge shoals of Perch were spotted and the water is full of what we believed to be Frog Spawn. Great strands cling to the few standing weeds every couple of feet in the shallows.

Total time in the water - a new personal best for this year - 1 hour 27 minutes. It must be getting warmer. The thermometer suggested 41F (5C) at the coldest point, but much of the water was warmer. Visibility was at least 50 feet - and probably better. Air temperature, despite a chilly Northerly breeze, 17C (63F).

Deadman ? - not quite...

Dianne, Malcolm and I made a trip into Deadman Bay today to find and explore the wreck usually known as the HMS Psyche. This proved to be a minor challenge in viz that was only about 15 feet, but we succeeded. Measurements were taken for the record; Length overall 156 feet, Beam couldn't be accurately assessed - she's too broken up. The Keel timber was 15" deep by 12" wide and the ribs 12". She lies pointing down the Bay at 230 Magnetic.

A huge Pike was spotted on the journey back down to exit at the CFB Marina and Malcolm spotted a Turtle close to the wreck. Around the Marina, there were also large shoals of Perch (literally dozens of fish).

Preparing to exit at 71 minutes - Dianne and I were prevailed upon to assist with a mooring task for the Sailing Club. This proved moderately interesting - especially fingertip searching for a Clevis I dropped at one stage. Total time for all the elements of the dive - 1 hour 49 minutes. It's clear the water is warmer. We recorded 42F (6C). Of course, it takes the chill off when you're hauling chains around too...

Sunday Club - Wrecksploration..

The Sunday Club is alive and well. This morning, Steve, Jeffy, Dominique and I made a small expedition to Deadman's Bay to enjoy one of the closer wreck sites there. But our day started with the provision of assistance to the Yacht Club. A committee member took advantage of our presence to have us fix some moorings for them.

Once we headed off to the wreck, we enjoyed excellent conditions. The Sun was streaming down through the water and painting vivid patterns on the old timbers. All the Zebra Mussels were soaking up the sunshine, siphons fully extended in filter mode. We all spent about 40 minutes on the wreck - good going for the two wet-suited divers. Lowest water temperature recorded - 40F (4C). A distinct improvement on last weekend, but not enough to make for routinely comfortable immersion. The air temperature was 10C (50F). Visibility on the site - about 40 feet, but a little murky. That was probably attributable to the steady South wind ruffling the shallow waters of the area. Some pics have been posted on the Flickr site.

Little bit of history repeating....

The image included with this post depicts naval action during the British Raid on Oswego in May 1814. It's apt because the vessels portrayed include the Prince Regent, the probable remains of which Chris and I visited this morning in Deadman's Bay. She lies just 5 minutes gentle swim from shore in 15' of water. On a calm, bright day - such as today - seeing her keel and ribs laid out with the sunlight dancing on them is magical. Given viz of some 40' - enough to see across her width - we had a good visit, giving the dive a purpose by recording some basic statistics. For those who are interested, here they are: The vessel's length is 130', Beam 42', Keel timber width 13", Rib timber width 11" and height of bow side planking 18". She lies bow southward pointing 225 Deg Mag. A jug marks a position 100' south of the stern and is attached to the centreline - at the keel. Maximum depth on the wreck is just 15' and her uppermost remains are a mere 6' below the surface. This makes her an ideal subject for a visit by canoe or kayak - launching from the CF Marina.

Other notes from today's dive - the water temp registered at 37F (3C) and the air temperature was a delightful 20C (68F). This is a must-do dive for novices - particularly while the weeds are somewhat suppressed after the Winter.