Recovery Job...

A flying friend of mine mentioned last week that one of his buddies had put a snowmobile through the ice of a frozen lake. He was looking for the loan of a wetsuit to make a shallow dip to put a line on the machine and bring it out. I seized the opportunity to offer more comprehensive dive services and we made a trip up to the location, near Arnprior, today.

The machine had gone in close to shore, in what turned out to be about 6 feet of water. Although the ice may have been thinner at the time of the incident, it was about 6-8 inches today. We made a typical triangular entry hole - right over the sled - and I dove to secure a rigid towbar to the skis and align the vehicle for a pull to shore.

I think that I can claim to have completed the first ice dive of this season. Albeit it only involved 15 minutes immersion in 6 feet of water. This maintains my 100% record of success in locating and recovering equipments for their owners. This was one of the easier examples...

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.

Anchor Aweigh...

A dive today from the Winter Dock on Wolfe Island proved to be a profitable one. Dianne, Chris and I had spent some time prospecting potential shore dives before accepting the harsh reality that we were going to dive a familiar one. But all was not lost. During a gentle and enjoyable dive, we discovered three different anchors fouled in the various pipes and cables that lead away from the Dock. (Not a bad haul in a 'No Anchor' area..!).

A short surface break to retrieve a lift bag enabled me to recover the 20lb Danforth Anchor (the other two were Mushroom, Sand Anchors - their turn will come in due course).

Conditions in the water continue to improve. The temperature today was 45F (7C). Air temperature a little too chilly at 11C (52F), but the Sun was shining brightly. The ferry trip each way was a joy, if you stayed out of the wind. Visibility in the water, about 40 feet.