Who Knew The Internet Is a Powerful Divers Tool

At 6:45 pm yesterday, I posted on Face Book" anyone want to go diving? Tonight? Well within 15 minutes a phone call comes in, and plans are made for a night dive. Dan a club member said he would like to go. So the plan was made to meet at the club and leave for the dive site. On the way I thought why not try Morton's Wharf. A dive earlier in the week proved to produce some fish on the site. Once on site, a detailed dive brief was given on the details of the dive and the wharf, after gearing up and a final check was complete Dan and I headed into the water. The normal entry and descent, everything seemed to be going good, I looked at my computer and the water temperature was 37F. Wow, starting to warm up I thought. Then a large bass swims by, and I think this is going to be good, since my other night dives have produced little fish. Well the fish are back, and are plentiful, which Dan tried his attempt in night photography. We had the pleasure of seeing several large Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, White Suckers, Perch, Catfish, a small Northern Pike, and surprisingly a very very large Silver Muskie. The Muskie wasn't around for long when he realized he wasn't alone. But a thrill no less to spot such a large Muskie in the shallows. We turned the dive and headed back to our entry point. When in 15 feet of water it was noticeable that it was windy and the waves were building at the surface. Exiting took a little patience and good timing, however another excellent dive. With another diver convinced that night diving is a lot of fun, and worth repeating.

Triple Dipping...

The weather must be getting better and the Lake warmer. I got in three dives today. Two with Steve and Marcus, who was finishing off his NAS work in the water at Portsmouth and another in Navy Bay exploring the pier supports at the Lake end of the Bay.

Portsmouth Harbour, first thing, was serene. A light dusting of yellow pollen lay on the inshore surface and the water was almost glassy calm. For the first time ever, I was able to see the nearest wreck segment clearly from the breakwater. I've placed a white line on the outer edge of the concrete sill to mark the wreck's location.

I got into the water in advance of the survey work Marc had to complete to place a baseline on the relevant wreck and lodge some datum points. This was interesting work and poses both buoyancy and accuracy challenges. Just the thing for an early Sunday dive. Once the set-up was complete, there was a chance to visit the anchors and check out some bearings to points of interest. The second dive at Portsmouth was simply to observe the survey activity and recover the artifacts used to set up the location. But, it offered a rare view of a large Bass preparing a spawning circle.

This afternoon's dive was almost as enjoyable. Looking for a location closer to home, and the Club, I dropped into Navy Bay. The initial ambition had been to visit the 'new' wreck near the car parks, but sail training put an end to this. So, the opportunity was taken to check out the old pier structures further South and West, towards Ft Frederick. I answered one question I had posed myself; how many are there? The answer seems to be six, two of which go all the way to shore. All of them were alive with fish, mainly Bass, but also some Bluegills and other small fry.

The best sighting of the day came on the trip back to the jetty. A huge Muskie was spotted busily devouring something on the bottom, totally unconcerned by my approach. In fact, as he finished his meal, he turned towards me and approached to within a few feet, giving me a really good view of a rather broad and intimidating brow.

Water temperatures all day were about 58F (14C) with visibility averaging about 35 feet.