DOGs on the prowl..

Here's a link to a few minutes of video fun on the KGH wreck yesterday. If you have friends who wonder why you dive - and what you see, show them this...

Two more divers complete Open Water work..

The picture by Todd shows Mike leading students, Dale, Glenn and Ben out along the pipeline at Portsmouth that leads to the famous anchors. Glenn and Dale went on today to complete the last of their Open Water dives for certification. Their final dive was on the KGH Wreck. This is a tribute to their skills and confidence in the water. Each completed this relatively challenging dive for inexperienced new divers with a broad smile and a strong sense of personal satisfaction. Water temps, by the way, 55℉ (13℃) above the 32' thermocline - 46℉ (8℃). Visibility in the deeper waters was very good, but decidedly limited around shallow .sites like Morton's Wharf.

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

A dive on the Ole KGH Wreck

Now that the pool is open, some of us are taking quite the advantage of it. Photography was the aim of to day, except for one of us, who wanted to make this a, "test to see if my reg's are good (Matt) dive". Well after a brief return to shore to see Matt wave us off. Gaetan, Jim and myself set out to the KGH. The line out is in good shape, after a 12 min swim at a decent pace the wreck comes into view with the vis to be around 45 ft. Today she had a school of Bass visiting her besides us divers. After pictures were taken and a swim around the wreck we made our wayback to shore.

It was a great dive, with the fish coming back into the wrecks and structure the water is warming up another degree. 37 F was the temp today, and after 53 min, it was time to come out of the water and go for our traditional coffee.

Getting the hang of this camera...?

Tonight was an on-request outing triggered by Rob Bradley. Todd, myself and James were happy to oblige and take a night expedition out to the KGH wreck. It presented the opportunity for me to play around with my external flash again - and the results are not too bad. Wildlife was sparse. Mudpuppies around the rocks and Bass on the wreck itself - including some big fellas around the stern, hiding in the timbers. A good dive and a chance to clean off the line a bit.

Pool's Open...

The change in the weather recently, and particularly the high temperatures, have combined to open the Lake for business. Last night, Marc-Etienne, Todd and I took a trip to the KGH wreck to prove the line and check out conditions. With an air temperature of 11℃ (52℉), you might have hoped for some warming of the water. Clearly though, whatever the recent sunshine has done to the ice, it hasn't substantially changed the water temperature. We recorded just 35℉ (2℃) during our dive. On the plus side, the visibility is great. Marine life was noticeably scarce. The only fish to be seen in the shallows and on the swim out to the wreck were dead ones. On the wreck itself, there were many Bass lurking around. They seemed quite surprised to have their evening interrupted by divers. I guess there haven't been many out there in recent weeks. A lone Crayfish was spotted by Todd during the safety stop on our return.

For Marc-Etienne, as the picture shows, this was also an opportunity to try out his new Poseidon Besea Backpack style BC.

Todd goes to the DOGs...

So, Todd took delivery of his new DUI TLS 350 drysuit yesterday. It's a miracle he didn't insist on a night dive to christen it ! Anyhoo, this morning we made our way to KGH to hit the wreck offshore. Well, you couldn't put the first dive on a new drysuit in 12 feet of water now, could you ? The dive worked out really well. The suit performed flawlessly and the only adjustment necessary is going to be just a touch more weight. The outstanding package offered by James at NTD included full underwear set, pockets, reinforcements and other accessories, including hood and thermal socks. His special deals are going to be in force until early next year, so speak to the folks in Collins Bay soon, if you're interested in upgrading. Video of Todd going to the DOGs (DUI Owners' Group) is shown below. BTW - water temp was 37℉ (3℃) - and we had no difficulty managing 47 minutes underwater.

The line is intact and we cleaned it up. If you're going to dive the wreck, you should note that, about 2/3s of the way out something has caught the line and displaced it eastward. It still reaches the wreck, but arcs around to it now rather than making a straight line.

Jack Frost nipping at your heels!

Jack frost nipping at your heels!

Testing testing .. 1....2.... 3.... Is this thing working?
Ok so its been forever and a day since I got the urge to put fingers to keyboard.
Just becuase its winter doesnt mean you can't dive! You just have to be prepared.. for things like frozen masks and freeflowing regulators. Fortunatly none of that happened.
Mike Todd and I all decided to get some quality time in the drink today.

No video today file size is to large unfortunatly, However its on my face book.

Mike had a couple of freinds up from Belleville to add to the fun. However underweighting was a problem and they had to cut the dive short. Funny that nearly happend to me, as i like to rotate the gear I wear to varying degrees of warm as the season gets colder.
I took the oppurtunity to test out a new ikelite camera rig based on the canon SD780 IS. Ironically the camera was the cheapest part of the whole damn thing. The flash diffuser was n/s right off the bat so the particulate on my pictures were a bit fuzzy from the crap in the drink. Overall its a success and I look forward to more time with this system.
Conditions were good with great vis till we got to the wreck. waters were calm, and no current to notice. The water temp is dropping, as Mike mentioned todays was somewhere around 44F.

As allways dive with a knife!

Post Dive Chills.. no way !

It was fun diving with Paul this afternoon, a friend from the Sport Divers in Belleville, but I was mildly concerned at his decision to dive wet.. Well, that was before I saw how he deals with the après dive cool-down period. I had been slightly curious about the large propane canister he was carrying in the back of his van, but all became clear when he was stripping down his gear.

Administration aside, this was a fun dive. The recent rains had left more than a little bit of residue in the water, cutting excellent visibility before the storms back to about 15' now. Nevertheless, we spent a very pleasant dive of about 30 minutes making our way out to, around and back from the wreck off KGH. The water temperature is down to 45℉ (7℃). I guess the snow yesterday didn't help things too much.

Other highlights on the dive; many large Bass on the stern of the wreck and a number of large shoals of small gobies.

Dusky dive for dynamic divers..

It's tough trying to fit diving into a hectic lifestyle. But Kevin, Gaetan, Josée and I managed to find a niche in our busy diaries to take a dip off Murney Tower tonight. Meeting at 4 pm these days is a guarantee of a dusk / night dive - and that's just fine. The water offered excellent visibility all the way out to the wreck, with a very light current running westward. You could see it working when you lifted sections of the line to clean it and the detached weed drifted slowly away. The temperature remains at 48℉ (7℃). Altogether we spent about 42 minutes underwater. Not bad for three wet-suited divers. I don't need to tell you who was diving dry, do I ?

Night Diving Fun at KGH

Todd and I geared up just after 7 pm this evening to check out the line to the KGH Wreck. The good news is that the line is intact and in good shape. Accumulations of weed and other debris at the outer end were removed on the homeward journey. And this good deed provided the perfect excuse to spend about 45 minutes in the water visiting the wreck and its many large Bass. Visibility was in excess of 30 feet and the water temperature remains at 50℉ (10℃). This increasingly contrasts with colder air temperatures on shore. Tonight, when we exited, the air temperature was -2℃.

Stop the Presses! Leo Actually Dives!

Pics or it never happened, I always say:
Hard Core, that's the only way to describe it.
Here we have living proof that our club president actually dives. Not just wet, but sleeveless and hoodless. Not too shabby, I must say. Puts tough into a whole new category. We rib Leo all the time about his "dive time" but with pre-deployment training and the duties of family, it's not that easy to sneak in a dive here and there like the rest of us commandos of Lake Ontario. He gets time when on vacation to venture into warm waters down south, but we all know that doesn't count. You dive here or no where!

Now, how did we get a dive Friday during the working day you ask? Well, blame Gaetan and our newest club member, Eric McPhee. They took some time to arrange a Discover Scuba for a few folks from his unit - 2EW. In the wee hours of the morning (6:30 am) the club gathered a couple of our regular prime instructors (Adam and Chico) and some spare labour (myself, Mike Musgrave, Gaetan, and Leo) to run 20 some folks through a cavalcade of scuba skills. Though it took some effort to remind Adam that he was on a clock and to keep within the timings, a great time was had by all. We hope they come out for the basic courses we plan on running throughout the winter. No, we won't torture them with check-out dives in the snow, though it's always tempting...we will wait till the New Year for those, when the ice melts and the water only looks warm. Muhahahahaha!

However, that's not the best part! After lunch, 6 of us Kevin, Gaetan, Jim, Eric, Leo and myself (it's almost a mini quorum, thank god I forgot paper to write on) snuck off to get a refresher dive in for Eric as its been a few years since he last dove. The target: KGH wreck off Murney tower. You can imagine the surprise when I see our own Club Pres Leo in attendance. A quick rehearsal of skills with Eric, a view of a foot-long bass, and we re-geared for the long swim out to the barge. Apparently, this was also Leo's first trip to this wreck. I will admit that I thought he was nuts (OK completely insane, really) to dive without a hood when you hit that 50 foot thermocline but he toughed it out. 59 feet for 37 minutes was the profile, and he did the whole thing. Viz wasn't much to comment on, the algae holds true till 40 feet now, but opens when the water's colder. Not much life to see this time around either. However, the barge has had a major cleaning of mussels and you can clearly see the wood in many spots. It has also taken some damage as one of the support beams has fallen down in the middle of the wreck. Sponge coral is visible all over as well. On the rear of the boat some of it has sprouted tentacles. Eric and I saw one Drum in the shallows on our 3 min safety stop, but it was fleeting at best.

3 notes for this dive

1. Apparently I am IT, thanks Steve C....watch out divers as the game is afoot. Though I was slow on the watch. Steve marked the it sign Aug 22 and I have dove this site 3 times since and never noticed the it sign had names on it. Thanks to Kevin I get it... great =P if you see a IT sign take a good look at it and see if you see your name. No touch backs though. Good hunting folks, as this can appear on any commonly dove shore dive.

2. Lets hear it for sneakers on the dive. When you can't find your rock boots, you can always dive in your shoes, just ask Jim. Nuff Said!

3. No Pie Charts or Bar graphs here folks. There is no way I can top that - save shots of Leo, the Water Tiger. This very rare water creature is even more elusive then the wet-suited Mikeosaurus Rex! Like Marc-Etienne says, "it's not a dive unless you have your camera", and today my camera and I are back in good standing; for this week at least....

I leave you with more proof that Leo actually dives....I still can't believe it.

As always - keep blowing bubbles!

13 - Lucky for some..

So, thirteen of us made our way this morning to Murney Tower and the wreck that lies offshore. Particularly good to see Sylvain (pictured) who rarely escapes his other duties these days to sneak in a dive. Conditions were pretty good - with viz in the shallows rather restricted, but improving below the thermocline (51 feet) to better than 30 feet or more. Scott and Kim are seen in the video gently approaching the wreck. Many thanks to those who have encouraged all of us to get going again on Sunday mornings. Just great to see so many divers out at one time. Sights worth seeing today; a large Carp in the shallows, with some Bass buddies - and a shoal of small fry amongst the weeds on top of the shelf.

Water conditions - surface calm, barely ruffled - and the temperatures about 64℉ (18℃) above the thermocline and 53℉ (12℃) below.

Every Cloud...

There are probably times when a dive just isn't meant to be. Today may have been one of them. After a bit of a hiccough over the catering arrangements, all seemed well, at 7 am, as divers assembled at Portsmouth for a day out on the Lake, with three deep dives ahead of them. However, a call from the Captain of our vessel, at just after 7 am, dashed hopes of that. A broken transmission wasn't going to be repaired quickly, and that left a decision about another dive option to be made. The upshot for most (someone had a better offer..) was a trip along the waterfront to burn some air on a visit to the KGH Wreck. Fifteen of us finally entered the water, in a staggered fashion, and enjoyed a dive in calm, but overcast conditions. The picture shows Sylvain, on one of his first dives this year, clearly enjoying the experience. There will likely be other blog submissions and pictures telling more of the story.

Highlights - Bass spawning on the top of the shallow shelf, and a Lake surface that allowed those ashore to follow the progress of divers by their surface bubbles - all the way to the wreck and back. Ashley is once again to be congratulated and thanked for contributing a delicious selection of cookies. The divers should be thanked for their patience with the mechanical problem and with the resultant change of plans. Che Sera...!

For the record - visibility - poor at about 15-20 feet and water temperature just 52℉ (11℃).

Call me Green Lantern...

Kevin has recently acquired a new canister light - a Green Force model with a 10 W HID head. That simply demanded a night dive to try it out. So, he, Bernie and myself made our way to Murney Tower last night to dive the KGH wreck. Entry was made just as the Sun was going down in near perfect conditions. By the time we reached the wreck it was dark, and the light was really showing its quality. It produced a tight, white beam, highlighting features of the vessel really well. It also showed up a number of sleepy Bass resting amongst the old timbers. On the way back, several Mud Puppies were evident. This was a fun dive in water temperatures of about 48℉ (7℃). We spent nearly an hour underwater without getting excessively chilled. The return journey provided an opportunity to clean off the line, which remains easy to find and to follow.

KGH Wreck guideline intact and in great shape...

The first dive of the 2009 season was made on the wreck at Murney tower today. To the delight of the divers, the guideline is perfectly intact and in great shape. There were a few lazy Bass on the wreck, but they took little interest in us. A couple of small Perch were also seen towards the shallows. The visibility was about 30 feet and the water temperature 37℉ (2℃). The whole dive was a blast - especially after being frustrated yesterday by high seas and strong, southerly winds...

Another day, another dive...

So, another year, another dive under the weightbelt...

Today was a little special. It marked my first thousand dives since certification. It was an elegant coincidence to have it fall on New Year's Day and I'm very grateful to those who shared the waters of Lake Ontario with me on a very cold, if pleasantly sunny day. The venue wasn't really important, but for the record, we visited the wreck off Murney Tower.

Special thanks are due to my buddy, Dianne, who not only braved the frigid waters once again, but also provided a wonderful cake and some mulled wine with which to celebrate the occasion.

Surf's Up...

When you have your heart set on a dive sometimes it just doesn't matter what the weather's doing. Jim had a yen to dive the KGH wreck this morning, so despite heavy seas and a really strong wind, off we went. As we'd expected, besides driving a very gentle current along, conditions below the surface, after yet another surf entry, were surprisingly good. It was a more than worthwhile trip, because the line was getting quite dirty, and right out on the last 100' or so, it was actually silted over, which might have confused a diver unfamiliar with the site.

Visibility, while only about 20' in the shallows, improved significantly to something like 40-50' at the wreck. The water seemed warmer than of late at about 36℉ (2℃). Several large, lazy Bass were present amongst the timbers of the wreck - and they seemed curious about their visitors - or perhaps just hungry.

Our exit was quite exciting. A squall was passing through just as we arrived back on shore. It's distinctly different to be bodysurfed about 6' at a time as you approach your exit, which was conducted on hands and knees..! Ah, the joys of Winter diving.

The Gloves are off... No ! on...

I promised myself on the last dive - on the wrecks in the harbour - that it would be the last wet glove diving of 2008, and I kept the promise to myself today. When three of us made our way out, yet again, to the wreck off Murney Tower, I was in dry gloves. Not that they make the slightest bit of difference to the persistent, minor leak I've been suffering from, and cannot trace and cure, in my drysuit. Oh well, who wants to be completely comfortable?

The dive was a good one, with excellent visibility - about 50' horizontally on the wreck, and the surface waves perfectly clearly visible 60' above. There were again large numbers of lazy Bass around the site. Kevin played with them - and amused himself photographing little Gobies too. He was wearing his new Aqualung Drysuit, which is a great garment, with excellent features and, so far as one can tell, first-class construction and finish. Thank you Gaetan for the great shore-side shot above..

There was evidence of a slight thermocline at about 50', with water that had been steadily 45℉ (7℃) dropping suddenly to 43℉ (6℃) on my gauge at least.

Nine at Ten...

Nine Club members made the trip this afternoon to the wreck off Murney Tower in 10℃ water (50℉). On the second day of a really beautiful weekend, on Kevin's initiative, the group met at the Club to satisfy equipment and air needs, then hit the site. It was particularly good to see a new diver from the most recent basic course getting his feet (and everything else) wet. Well done, Jesse. The visibility on the wreck was the best I have seen - probably 40' or better - and of course made me instantly regret not taking a camera out with me. At either end, bow and stern, the whole structure was visible. So too were many large Smallmouth Bass, which appear to have taken up residence on the wreck. Hunger seems to be stimulating their curiosity and they were very happy to approach the divers. It was good to see that the guidelines are still in place. The opportunity was taken to clean them off a bit and to remove weedy debris from the main line.