This could be the last time...

You've dated yourself if you hear the Rolling Stones after you read the title to today's entry. It's appropriate though, because ice is encroaching quite quickly now on the shore dive entry points around the Lake. Todd and I had to crackle our way through a thin crust of light, transparent ice at KPH on entry, and larger areas of thicker ice were visible offshore. Our first choice of site, Portsmouth, where we'd like to have taken advantage of great visibility and the bright sunshine to photograph the wreck fragments, was already ice-locked.

With air temperatures of -11℃ (12℉), we did attract some curious looks from passers-by, some of whom even stopped to ask what we were doing - or should I make that "why?" The answer is that we just wanted to see what was going on underwater. And the answer was - not much. Besides a few stupefied, or half frozen, Gobies, there really wasn't much life around. Perhaps the fact that Todd's computer showed a minimum water temperature of 32℉ (0℃) had something to do with it. To be fair, at depth, the water was warmer; 34℉ (1℃). The time may fast be approaching where those of us with ice diving qualifications will be looking to exercise them. Which reminds me, must make sure the blade on my chainsaw is the right way round this year...

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.

More work on the pipeline...

Four of us defied stormy seas today to conduct further research on the Pump House pipeline. Visibility was surprisingly reasonable - at about 20'; more than sufficient to complete our tasks. Perhaps the greatest challenge was the one faced by one of our number whose mask had to be defrosted after leaving it in a cold garage overnight.

We are now refining our measurements on the pipe and making a specific record of joints and their natures. Simple tasks, but rewarding. It has to be said that there's no joy in fish watching just now. We saw nothing but Gobies today.

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.

Ain't Raining? Still Training...

A series of three days with students culminated this morning with certification of Eric, a student who had (wisely?) elected to postpone his Open Water dives after completing pool training last Winter. Two dips in the Quarry yesterday were quickly followed up today with immersions at KPH and Morton's Wharf. While the fish life was fascinating - and included encounters with large Freshwater Drum in both locations - the visibility was less impressive at about 20 feet. Water temperature of 68F (20C) made up for much though. The topsides weather was outstanding - and here's a top tip - there is abundant shade at Morton's in which to park and get dressed...
Couldn't help but think what a great day our buddies must be having on the two tanker out of Caigers. Really looking forward to this evening's report...

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...