Sunday Morning Dive

Enjoying a dive at the highway 15 quarry today four of us want for a little dip. The water temperature was 45f/7C. One of the divers dove wet today and we stayed down for a little over 40 minutes. We took our time exploring and looking for anything new in the quarry. An empty turtle shell was spotted as well as kids’ scooter. The visibility was in the range of 40 feet. It was a nice time visiting the overturned car and to see the gnomes.

Finning to the KGH wreck

This morning two of us went for a little swim to the KGH wreck. We got in the water just before the rain started. We took our time following the line out the wreck. This was the first time this year that we had been out to the wreck. We saw a few bigger fish just at the end of our field of vision. Our whole trip under water took about 45 mins. The vis on our dive was in the range of 20 feet. The temperature was 39F/4C. It was interesting to note that my buddy on the dive was amazed that there were still wooden wrecks in decent condition and that they do not get to see wrecks like this in CFB Gagetown.

Fish and things...

The opportunity was seized today to go and investigate Brule Road after the Winter. There's always the chance up there of another abandoned car or some other example of the disposable society. Kevin, Jim and I enjoyed about 40 minutes in the 45℉ (7℃) water without discovering anything obviously new.


However, we did appreciate an encounter with the large Carp that is sometimes seen. It seemed interested to see us, but kept a wary distance. The other unusual sighting is illustrated below. One of the many Bass in the waters had attempted to push its body under the silt and weed, apparently lying in a form of trench of its own making. We speculated that this may be a spawning behaviour. That being the case, we didn't disturb the fish. Visibility was about 30 feet - typical of the quarry. Divers using the site should be aware that several bottles have been broken on the beach at the normal entry area. Caution is advised...

Stacking the dives...

James and Kevin took the opportunity offered by calm waters to check out the line to the Stacked Hulls today. Despite bright sunshine, a bitter northerly made conditions cold in 4℃ air temperatures - just a little warmer than the water. The line is almost wholly intact. A section near shore will need some attention and the divers cleared a heap of accumulated weed from the outer sections, but the site is good to go. Don't forget, if you plan to attempt this dive, to check out the guide on the POW Kingston website and to keep close track of your air. If you're lucky, you'll encounter the unusual Long-Nosed Gar that Kevin and James did. It was resting on the bottom. There were several large Small-Mouth Bass on the wrecks themselves.

Thanks for performing a valuable check-out service James and Kevin...

Easter Egg Hunt at the Highway 15 Quarry..

Bright sunshine and a cold north wind fought one another for control today as several divers enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt (underwater) organized by Kelly, Dan and Chris - to all of whom many thanks for their work. The conditions in the quarry - 45℉ (7℃) and about 40 feet of visibility made for a fun swim in depths up to 37 feet (11m). It was great to see divers from Canadian Sport Divers in Belleville along for the dive. A selection of prizes rewarded the lucky participants - although some eggs went undiscovered...

The intention of the organizers is to add a variety of items to the bottom to make the site more attractive to divers. There's also a plan to introduce a toilet. Information about the facility and arrangements to dive it can be found on the blog set up to publicize the quarry. Kevin's excellent picture shows Jim enjoying a 'ride' on one of many abandoned bicycles to be found in the quarry. The second picture is of a 'cat' placed by the organizers for divers' amusement.

Pre-Dive Season Cleanup Begins....

One aspect of being a safe diver is knowing when to call a dive.... Mike, Dianne and I had planned to dive the Murney Tower Wreck to check out the serviceability of the line out to the wreck yesterday. Unfortunately, strong southerly winds were churning up the lake quite ferociously. We regrettably took a raincheck, postponed our dive plans and went for a coffee instead. Today's excellent weather conditions provided us with an excellent opportunity to see if the winter weather had been kind to the line out to the wreck. Some misplaced gear added a chuckle to our expedition, and provided us additional time to enjoy the surface weather Mother Nature had bestowed upon us.... A gentle 12-minute swim out to the wreck allowed us to inspect the line from shore. We found the line to be intact, with only slight debris and silt covering it in a few spots. A swim around the wreck, and it was time to turn around. We cleaned up the line all the way to shore, and ensured that the shore line remains highly visible. Total dive time, 38 minutes with a maximum depth of 61 feet... Water temperature ?... A frigid 36 degrees F...

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 visit to the Highway 15 Quarry

Today, we got two dives in at the quarry on highway 15. In total we spent just over one hour in the water. The water temperature had not changed from last week and the visibility was the same too. Our goal was to prepare for tomorrow's Easter Dive and to add some underwater decoration. With our tasks completed we just continued to enjoy the quarry.

Highway 15 Quarry

This morning granted an opportunity to go diving at the highway 15 quarry (Cruickshank). This was my first time in this quarry although I have wanted to dive in it for some time. The water looked very inviting. After seeing another diver who stopped by out of curiosity we headed into the water. Following the gentle slope into the water we quickly found ourselves at the 30 foot mark. It was surprising how clear the water was; considering all the rain and wind we have had. The visibility throughout the dive ranged around the 40 foot mark. The max depth that we hit was 37 feet and the coldest that my computer registered was a warm 43F (6C). We took our time swimming around and spent about 70 minutes under water enjoying everything we could. As expected there are tires in the quarry as well as bikes and a car. The bottom was mostly rock and gravel with some sections that have a little silt. There were no fish but three live frogs were seen. It was an enjoyable dive that had no effects of the wind. I can just say I look forward to diving in here again and hope to see everyone out on Saturday for the Easter dive.

Dippin' in Deadman...

So, five of us took the opportunity offered by the only recently departed ice to brave the still cold waters of Deadman Bay this morning. After the recent heavy rains and high winds, it was no great surprise to find the visibility poor for this time of year - at about 20'. The water temperature, probably only in the shallow confines of the Bay was relatively warm at somewhere around 36℉ (2℃). Highlights of the dive - sightings of a turtle and a salamander, both looking slightly stunned.