Fair but freezing...

Bright skies and freezing temperatures aren't the ideal accompaniment to a dive, but today that's just the way it was at the Gananoque Marina. The plan had been to visit the waters of the Canoe Club, but cursory inspection revealed the opaque results of waters recently in spate. Plan B took us to the Marina for the first time in many months. The result was a journey of exploration lasting some 50 minutes and resulting in just one interesting discovery; a relatively new aluminum ladder about 15' long. Its weight and the distance back to shore overcame the immediate temptation to recover it.

Besides the ladder, the viz of about 15-20' permitted sightings of some shoals of small fry, occasional Catfish and a couple of startled Pike. The minimum temperature recorded in the water was 39℉ (4℃). Topsides, a brisk wind and an air temperature of -2℃ (28℉) created the conditions for my drysuit to show the first post-dive ice formation this end of the year. Ah, don't you just love Winter diving! I should perhaps mention the other unusual sighting - our own Adam, who doesn't get wet often enough these days.

Club recognized for Community Contribution...

Members will be pleased, I hope, to know that Gananoque Canoe Club has recognized the Dolphins' efforts this year to retrieve sunken kayaks with the Commodore's Award for Community Support. This reflects well on our whole membership, demonstrating our interest in engagement with other sporting groups and the public as a whole. Every time we answer a question about our diving and what it entails, we're promoting both the sport and the Canadian Forces ethic of service. Might not seem that way, but that's a fact. Everybody should give themselves a small pat on the back this morning...

Chasing 50...

As the colder weather approaches, one of our members is chasing her 50th dive. Ashley is looking for opportunities to hit that magic figure before the season ends. Now that we're aware of the challenge, we're doing our best to support the effort. Today, the chance arose to introduce her to the waters of the Gananoque River. Limited in depth, this site has much to commend it in terms of things to see. It's also an easy entry and exit compared to many. An expedition to the Stacked Hulls is on the agenda. Watch this space for the announcement of the 50th - soon...

Back to Gan...

Another expedition to the Canoe Club 'lake' in Gananoque. The most interesting feature today was the fairly marked drop in water temperature over the last week or so. The minimum noted today was 57℉ (14℃). This is down about 10℉. Otherwise, the nose cone of a kayak was recovered to close the books on one lost from the Club and a few lonely Bluegills were amused by the passage of a pair of divers through their territory.

Diving the discards...

Today's dive was a return to the Gan River for a spot of gentle exploration. Entry was once again from the Canoe Club's docks. This time though, in the spirit of adventure, a right turn was taken to investigate the area to the North. It was immediately interesting to note that there are many rock ledges and outcrops around - all evidently granite. The waterway narrows towards the bridge on Machar Drive. As you would expect, the river bottom is littered with the debris of human civilization. We counted at least 4 bicycles, two parking meters (one complete with mounting post), dozens of bottles of all ages, two traffic cones and various other items. Add to that some very large, old, dark-coloured Bass and it was an entertaining experience. Perhaps the highlight for me was the moment when my buddy, preoccupied with some task or other, looked up to find a big old Bass just inches from her mask, staring intently at her. I am now quite clear about a diver's ability to recoil physically from something under water. The final section of the dive followed the gentle current downstream to the deepest section - about 39 feet with your wrist buried... Here there was less to see, but the enjoyment was just as great. Visibility in the 30 foot range was good - and the temperature showed a cooler than expected 63℉ (17℃).

Second Kayak raised for Gan Canoe Club...

Following up on Monday's first successful trip to Gananoque to find and recover sunken kayaks, today's expedition continued the movement. It took just 20 minutes of focused search to discover the second missing kayak in 32 feet of water. It was then an easy exercise to lift it and take it to shore. The picture shows one of the Canoe Club staff inspecting and commencing the clean-up of the craft.

Lost and Found ...

Today was, finally, good deed day. I had promised the Canoe Club in Gananoque some time ago that I would get across and see if I could locate and raise a kayak that they had lost earlier in the year. Well, today was the day. It was a fascinating exercise. Those of you who have done Search and Recovery will understand the need to define a clear aim, identify an appropriate search pattern and execute it faithfully.

Well, the good news is that, having done all that, Dianne and I spent 70 minutes in the water - and found and raised the two-man kayak concerned. It's a great feeling when it all works out. That keeps up our 100% record of recoveries on request.

For those who are interested, the Gan River gets down to 36 feet in the middle of the stretch by the Canoe Club and viz was a very reasonable 15 to 20 feet. Water temperature 70F (21C). The bottom is largely weed free, though there are occasional deadheads and other timber debris to watch out for. It's typical river mud most of the way, but a hard, granite shelf is present on the West side.

Cold comfort in Gan..

The dip in the mercury definitely impacted on a dive today at the Marina in Gananoque. Dianne, Christopher and I enjoyed about 50 minutes in the water, entering and exiting at the swimming beach, but we all noticed cooler water temperatures. We also deplored the business of de-kitting in blowing sleet. I think we had all hoped that the days of brushing ice out of your hair after a dive were over for 2007.

The strong westerly wind - and perhaps the downflow of rain waters from the last couple of days - produced a mild current. That was sending great plumes of green algae through the water. There were times when it felt a bit like Space Invaders, trying, futilely, to dodge these in the current. There were few fish about - just the odd Perch hiding in the bottom cover of weed and algae.

Visibility was about 15 feet, with a minimum water temperature of 35F (2C). The air temperature - on a day that saw sunshine one minute and snow the next - was just on freezing.

But back in Kingston, there's great news. The ice is gone from all the major bodies of the Lake, including the area around the Alexander Henry. Dive on !

Eight is Great..!

It's not even April - and today we put 8 divers in the water at Gananoque. Dianne, Malcolm, Chris, Olivier, Marc-Etienne, Donovan, Dominique and I all enjoyed brilliant sunshine and chilly waters to complete an enjoyable dive. Although no one reported any exciting sightings, Malcolm completed his Open Water Dive 2 and everyone had fun.

For those who love the stats. Air temperature 10C (50F), water temperature 35F (2C) and the visibility was about 25-30 feet. With enthusiasm like this in the Club - the forthcoming Summer season should be a record breaker.

More pics to follow, but I'm off to see Sharkwater.....

Gananoque - Open for diving...

Hurrah! A dive venue that isn't Brewer's Mills at last. Chris and I spent some time finding a decent dive site in Gananoque this morning. I guess he'd tired of driving from his home to Brewer's all the time. Long story short, after checking out the River (too dirty, lots of silt, some current) we finally went in by the Beacon on the Eastern side of the Marina. An easterly wind ensured that the breakwater sheltered us from any drifting ice and we had a good 45 minutes or so to explore the area. An undistinguished muddy bottom, with some weeds, led us to a trench that holds a large bore pipe heading directly South. Following this took us (after a gentle 20 minute swim) to the intake / discharge point - a large, cubic, concrete structure. Maximum depth achieved was only 33 feet.

The water is colder than at Brewer's; we both registered just 35F (2C). Visibility though, in sun-dappled water, was a brilliant 40-50 feet. We disturbed a couple of large Catfish en route, spotted a large, lazy Bass resting by a rock and spooked a Pike. But the highlight, encountered on the way back, was spending time with a shoal of 150-200 baby Perch. These fish, measuring about 3-4", swam just ahead of us in the trench for about 10 minutes. A magic few moments - and perhaps quite unusual. For weather freaks, the air temperature was 6C (43F) - in bright sunshine, but with a cool easterly breeze.