A Century Not Out...

A century not out is typically a cricketing expression, but in this case it refers to the fact that Jeffy made his hundredth dive today. He enjoyed the unique occasion on the KPH wreck, where visibility and conditions - a small thermocline notwithstanding (at about 45 feet) - were excellent. Temperatures above the thermocline were in the 60s, below it about 50℉ (10℃) . The post dive celebration continued at the Portsmouth Tavern, where all good groups go to relax. Jeffy is pictured close to the bow, approaching the forward hatch and just inside the large bitts that lie on either side of the forward quarters of the wreck. This little-visited gem also boasts a massive rudder, three-bladed prop and a pair of enormous boilers. A bilge pump and other fittings also remain to attract the attention of divers. Congratulations Jeffy - start in on the next hundred soon...!

Stacked Hulls Line in good shape...

The weather's just too good these days to pass up diving. Today, it presented an opportunity to make a check dive on the line out to the Stacked Hulls. It's become such a straightforward trip with the new route that there's no wasted effort in locating or following the guideline. But, caution should be exercised. This is still an each way trip of about 1000 feet. If you're going to attempt it - and have any time to spend on the wrecks, which deserve it, then make sure your air consumption is modest, if you're diving a single 80 cu ft cylinder. The line was in good shape. The weeds are all dying back and the interference and drag they had been causing is all but past. For the record, the water temperature was 50℉ (10℃). With a bit of wind playing across the Lake and generating a slight swell, the visibility was down on the weekend, but still reasonable at about 25-30 feet.

Closed until further notice....?

Anyone harbouring ambitions to shore dive Lake Ontario is likely to be disappointed for the next little while. The picture was taken during a quick survey of popular sites this morning. This leaves determined divers with the choice of ice diving (if appropriately trained and where the conditions permit - perhaps Brule Rd) or visiting sites on the Rideau, such as Brewer's Mills, which is open.

Portsmouth Refresher...

Made a circuit of the sights of Portsmouth Harbour this morning with Kevin Leblanc and James Fischer. This worked out well, as Kevin has not been to this site before. We worked our way around the wreck fragments before heading for the pipe and out to the anchors and the STOP sign. It's worth noting that the left hand line to the anchors is largely missing. It's still possible to take the right hand route to the newer anchor. The other interesting observation this morning was the almost total absence of fish life. I don't think that I even spotted gobies. Viz was down on recent days, probably thanks to the Sou'Wester that's been blowing over the last couple of days. Water temperature 35F (2C) and the air temperature a mild 1C (34F) in calm conditions. The 30 minute dive was just about enough for all of us as hands started to chill. Kevin shot many excellent photographs and some video. A couple of examples precede this post.

Caution - photo ace at work..

Seizing the opportunity of an Underwater Photography Adventure today, as part of his Advanced Open Water certification, Malcolm delighted in capturing some superb images at his first attempt. The one above really shows off the character of our resident Gobies - and it's a great picture. It's all too easy to forget that we have some great subjects in our local waters, until a talented photographer shows up the opportunities.

Well done, Malcolm - just one more dive to go to full Advanced Certification...

NAS Course ends well..

Students on the weekend's Nautical Archaeology Course all completed the syllabus successfully. One or two, who encountered administrative challenges - or suffered equipment problems - will finalise written reports shortly to gain their certification. Erika (pictured), who instructed throughout the Course, managed not just to impart the required knowledge to the dozen students, but also to communicate the enthusiasm for the discipline that marks her own involvement. Her dedication to delivery of the key messages was exemplary.

Today's activities were entirely practical - in open water - using a real wreck site. Everyone completed at least two dives, cataloguing, referencing, sketching and triangulating key features. The in-water work was all recorded in detailed plans and field notes.

A selection of photographs taken over the weekend is accessible on the Club's Flickr site.

Training Day..

Today's dive schedule was shaped around an opportunity to complete the certification dives for one of our RMC members, Ryan. His Summer plans don't start for a week or so and the weather was perfect for some diving. In all, we managed three of the four dives. The first two took place at Portsmouth - always a good venue for introducing students to Open Water. Besides the usual pleasure of showing someone the anchors, wrecks and STOP sign for the first time, a large Carp's appearance made for a memorable couple of outings.

The third dive - after a disappointment over access to the Marine Museum (another topic) - was at the KPH. This one also went well. Tomorrow, we head for the quarry.

Water temperature, 43F (6C). Visibility about 40 feet, despite clouds of loose algae and carpets of the stuff on the shallow bottom areas. Some sections of the lines are almost completely hidden.

Another Student heads for Certification...

Chelsey enjoyed the sunshine and the underwater sights of Portsmouth Harbour today as she progressed through Open Water Dives 1 and 2 towards Open Water Certification. Conditions couldn't have been better, though visibility - at about 25-30 feet - could have given us better views of the various attractions.

The water temperature was 43F (6C). This isn't exactly tropical, but it's a slight improvement on recent days. An air temperature of 17C (53F) should see Lake waters warming up slowly.

Highlight of today's dive was an encounter with a large Trout. Uncommon in these waters, this was a real bonus. However, the wrecks, anchors and STOP sign proved interesting to a diver who had not seen any of them before.

Topsides, it was a treat to see the St Lawrence II heading out into the Lake. It can only be assumed that she has a busy season ahead.

Five Newly Certified Divers...

It's always a delight to see new divers join the throng. Today, another five were certified. Congratulations certainly go to Clarissa, Laura, Theresa, Jayasimha and Walter on strong performance in cold conditions. I wonder when the Club last saw wetsuited divers qualify in Open Water as early as mid May...

Dives were completed at the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital shore site and Portsmouth Harbour. Both proved suitable for training, but the conditions at the former site were chilly - at 41F (6C). It was a delightful surprise to find that strong sunshine and shallow water permitted the final dive to take place in water that had reached 45F (7C).

I'm sure that all the Club's members join me in wishing the new divers well in their future dive adventures.

Many thanks are owed to Geoff and Chris Columbus, whose help made a considerable difference to managing this Open Water weekend.

Spring has sprung...?

The Sun may have been shining - intermittently - but the wind was a chilly Nor'easter that didn't help the 7 Open Water students using Portsmouth Harbour for their certification dives. Adam and I shared the instructional honours - and Geoff proved to be a very helpful assistant, taking on some skill checks. The support of an experienced instructor is always really welcome.

Everyone coped very well with conditions that are still far from summery. The water remains stubbornly cold at about 42F (6C). And perversely, after weeks of excellent visibility, the Nor'easter had stirred the bottom up, reducing the viz to less than 30 feet in most places. Nevertheless, everyone managed to visit the anchors and see the wreck fragments that are a feature of the Portsmouth site.

The prize for the brightest smile today goes to Clarissa (pictured). But everyone finished the session in good spirits and can be proud of work well done.

Pottering at Portsmouth..

The brilliant sunshine today was more than tempting enough to draw Dianne, Jim and I to the water at Portsmouth Harbour. We set ourselves the task of measuring the pipe and lines that run out to the twin anchors. Then, Jim practiced some bag deployment drills. The remainder of a dive approaching one hour in duration was spent looking for Crayfish and other wild life. Our researches were rewarded, close to the breakwater wall, with a very close sighting of a large Northern Pike, which seemed intrigued by us. It was probably also very interested in the shoal of small Perch in the same area.

Water temperature, 41F (5C) and the air temperature about 14C (57F). Visibility was exceptional - certainly in excess of 50 feet.

Double Dipping...

Now that the warmer weather is here - two-dive days (and more) may become the norm. Today was a good example. I started out with Jim, Nancy and Malcolm at Portsmouth Harbour, where I wanted to get some pics and video of the wrecks inshore. Then, after a quick break, it was into Navy Bay with Dianne and Chris.

Both dives were really enjoyable. The water is now up to 41F (5C) quite consistently, making prolonged dives quite bearable. The bright sunshine in the shallows is a joy - and visibility, this early in the season, is routinely 50 feet or more. The large shoals of Perch were very much in evidence in Navy Bay - threatened somewhat by a lurking Pike. There is also a lot of the spawn shown in the second pic around. Can anyone positively identify it, please?

Five minutes of video showing the wreck fragments by Portsmouth Harbour can be seen here, and a three-minute video clip of the sunken structures at RMC's Navy Bay can be accessed here.

Chris turns 100 in Alexandria Bay..

There are dives that stand out for any individual. The one that Chris completed this afternoon in Alexandria Bay, his 100th, would be memorable by any measure. It took place after another, earlier in the day, in Portsmouth Harbour. That one had reached the dramatic depth of just 12 feet, as we 'surveyed' the wreck fragments close to the wall. Despite brilliant sunshine, and great visibility (by some judgements, in excess of 60 feet) it was a dive - and a site - that were very familiar.

However, topping off tanks and heading over the border to Alexandria Bay, changed perspectives completely. With the same wonderful sunshine beating down on us, we geared up and set off to visit the wreck of the Islander in the shadow of the striking and unusual edifice that is Boldt Castle. Add to the mix the regular passage of large Lakers and the whole effect was magical.

The dive itself went very well. The Islander, lying on the sloping side of the entry beach, has fragments scattered down its length from 15 feet to more than 70. The largest section, though, is in about 55 feet of water. The crowning glory being the largely intact bow piece, pointing West. A host of very large Bass were immediately evident and the sunlight played on the old timbers. An expedition to explore a mysterious line heading roughly South was curtailed when common sense came into play at 80 feet.

Water temperature - 40F (4C) - Air temperature, with a cooling Northerly breeze - 17C (63F). Visibility on the wreck - about 35 feet, but much more in places, particularly in the shallower stretches of the slope.

Congratulations on your first Century Chris. Dan will be very proud tonight...

Stacked Hulls in the Sunshine..

Calm conditions and brilliant sunshine made for a great opportunity to hit the Stacked Hulls today. Dianne, Chris and I made a gentle transit - taking about 55 minutes for the round trip. The visibility was in the order of 25-30 feet (more in the shallows). The most curious element of the dive was finding the Hulls full of what appears to be some sort of algae / fungus growth. This grey-green, light material has the appearance of 'cotton wool balls' or bubbles. It is more than a couple of feet deep in places and clearly associated with the wreck. Whether the association has something to do with the shelter the Hulls provide - or the consumption of the Hulls by the material - is unclear.

There was little other life evident - though a couple of large, pale Bass were spotted close to the Hulls - and we saw a Crayfish in the shallows near the pipe.

Water temperature was 39F (4C) and the air temperature about 12C (54F) - with a cool Southerly wind.

AFTERNOTE: It was suggested by someone who is knowledgeable about Kingston's waters this afternoon that the unusual agglomeration at the Hulls could have been Fish Roe. Comments on this would be welcomed. It was certainly a strange sight.

Portsmouth Pottering..

Dominique, Kevin, Malcolm and I made a brief expedition down to Portsmouth Harbour today, exulting initially in bright sunshine, but recognising reality later as the clouds rolled in again. The water was delightfully clear, with visibility in the order of 40 feet. But, it remains quite chilly at 35F (2C). There was little life in the water. We saw nothing noteworthy. Summer is clearly on the way though. There were several small fishing boats getting check-out runs from the inner harbour.

The warpaint on Malcolm is a sign of over-exuberant application of talc to a neck seal. We rather liked it. Every dive needs a lighter moment...

Portsmouth ...

Portsmouth worked well today as the venue for an Underwater Navigation dive to kick off the Advanced Open Water syllabus for Dianne. Her skills were impressive. The visibility of some 40-50 feet really helped, allowing the legs on the triangular and rectangular navigation swims to be significantly larger than usual.

Chris was a great help, providing another set of experienced eyes in the water and towing the dive float. It's a great sign of approaching Summer that the Coastguard vessel, Cape Hearne, has returned to the harbour. The only negative in any of the diving recently continues to be the chilly, in-water temperature. Today's minimum was shown as 32F (0C). The air temperature of 4C (39F) wasn't anything to write home about, but the Sun was shining brightly, if intermittently.

What a difference a day makes...

The results of a strong Sou'Westerly wind last night were very evident today at Portsmouth Harbour. Jeremie is indicating the thickness of the ice floes that had been forced into the bay overnight. This is the same spot that was completely ice free yesterday, giving us a great opportunity to get into the water for a last dive in January. It had been the intention to make today's dive the first in February - but it was not to be...

Westerly wind works for us...

Yesterday, I would have expected to be forced out of the water by ice for a while. Today, thanks to a brisk Westerly wind, forecast to reach gale force this evening, the ice at Portsmouth had all been broken up and blown away from the entry point, giving Dianne, Jeremie and I perfect diving conditions. The Sun was shining and the air temperature was just below freezing at -3C (28F). In the water, there was very little life. One Bass was seen sheltering under the wreck close to shore and something else shot off at one stage during the dive, which took us out to and around the STOP sign. The neatest experience of 2007 so far was observing the 7/8 of some large, isolated, broken ice chunks around us in the water. The only way to describe them is as mini icebergs. The surface water, predictably, was registering 32F (0C) - but slightly deeper - it remained the anticipated 35F (2C). Visibility, slightly upset by the surge brought on by the wind, was only about 25 feet.

The ice is encroaching steadily...

I did a little circuit of popular Kingston shore sites this morning and can report the following:

Deadman's Bay is completely iced in, with snow cover on the surface.

There is a small amount of open water around the pier at RMC, but access would be challenging - and egress even more so, perhaps..

The Alexander Henry basin is thinly iced, but sufficient to make entry and exit impossible - ditto the adjacent bay.

The Yacht Club beach is thinly iced - but enough to thwart divers, I believe.

Portsmouth has open stretches, with an abundance of ducks making the most of them. Entry would be possible. The ice that's present is only about a 1/4" thick.

The same detail applies to KPH, where limited entry options give way to thin ice cover - that could be broken through, or broken up, if necessary

Sunshine Rocks !!!

It was a beautiful day in the neighbourhood, Sun streaming down, wind from the North and the water at Portsmouth flat calm. Perfect diving conditions, if you set aside an air temperature of -8C (18F), things couldn't have been any better. The viz in the water was probably better than 40 feet and the sunshine highlighted the wrecks near the entry point. Only a few Gobies seem to be active just now, although the silhouette of a Pike was spotted near the Anchors. Despite careful scrutiny, no Crayfish were found lurking near the pipe or amongst the rocks. For the record, the water temperature was 34F (1C) and the inner harbour - frozen yesterday - was free of ice today. Go figure!