Warm water ice diving...?

Five of us made our way to Brule Road today to put into practice what we learned last week on the ice diving course. Dianne graciously acted as senior tender and - crucially - brought along the chainsaw. Jim, Rob, Matt and myself did the heavy lifting and ventured into the not so icy depths.

By now, reading the title and reaching the last phrase, you're asking yourself - 'What.. ?' Well the answer is that we discovered the water temperature, for whatever reason, to be a balmy 40F (4C). Little enough you might think. But all the divers regarded the water as distinctly warmer than we've been diving recently in the Lake or the Seaway.

For the record - we all got in at least one dive of 30 minutes or more. All ice diving precautions were fully observed and the experience was highly enjoyable. It helps a lot when it's sunny topsides and the air temperature's just below freezing at -3C (28F). Visibility was in the order of 60 feet or more. This helped us take a good look at a new arrival in the lake - a rather new looking Hyundai Santa Fe (now upside down, with licence plates still attached). The things you see diving !

Crowded House..

I guess it's one of those things that happens when almost all the water we love is covered in ice. Divers congregate on any accessible stretch. Today, Dianne and I were gearing up at Upper Brewer's when Steve and Wayne drove up to join us. They were able to give us more info on the site and some useful orientation tips. The water was pretty clear, with viz at about 20-25 feet. Temperatures remain at about 33F (1C), but the good news today was that the air temperature was 2C (36F). It felt almost balmy...

We watched several crayfish scuttling around in the bowl below the bridge and a couple of unidentified probable larvae. The highlight sighting was the remains of an old flintlock rifle, which Steve showed us underwater.

So, how cold was it. . ?

Dianne and I had a decent dive at Upper Brewer's Mills this afternoon. The Sun was shining brightly and there was practically no wind. The water was clear, with viz of something like 20-30 feet and the current was manageable. We got just under 30 minutes in, exploring the depression South of the bridge after an expedition upstream.

But there was no concealing the air temperature of about -11C (12F). The picture shows my frozen suit standing up, almost unsupported, just minutes after exiting the water.

Ice is intense - but oh, so worthwhile...

The picture of Adam chasing bubbles under 14" of ice gives you a feel for the attractions of ice diving. A long weekend - and a huge amount of supporting effort from many members of the Club - resulted by Sunday afternoon in Jim, Stephen (a new member) and myself gaining our coveted Ice Diver certifications. Many lessons were learned - and some new ground was broken with research into the location and rescue of lost divers. Expect to hear and see more on that theme in due course.

Many of our members and friends took a lot of pictures over the weekend. Adam is collecting and collating the results. If you have pictures that he's not already expecting to receive, please do pass him copies. Quite a bit of video was taken of the training too. That will be edited and made accessible to members before long.

Ice Dive Course is really cool....

The first day of this year's ice diving course went really well. Success owes a great deal to our Chief Instructor, without whose direction it could never have happened. But a really strong contribution was made by a host of Club volunteers - and members' parents in some cases. Their work to prepare the site, feed the team and undertake the surface tasks that are a key to safety was invaluable - and substantial.

It was good to be visited by Jay Westman, the Saturday anchor for CKWS TV's NEWSwatch programme. His piece on the event, which aired at 6pm the same evening, was well balanced and very well edited. A contribution of underwater footage shot on scene by Adam definitely enriched the broadcast.

Many members were taking photographs, that will doubtless appear in due course. Watch this space!

Underwater exploration with a difference...

Adam and I returned to the ice at Navy Bay today to deploy an underwater camera through the ice in search of interesting artifacts. The compact device - with a sensor no larger than a can of beans - comes with a monochrome viewer, built-in electronic compass and lighting aids covering both visible and infra-red spectra.

Our search was successful and the fruits of our labours will be apparent to those who venture onto or into Navy Bay over this coming weekend's Ice Diving Course. News of that will be posted daily for those who cannot attend, but maintain an interest...

Snow Sculpture in Navy Bay

During final safety checks of the ice thickness on Navy Bay today before the course this weekend, the beauty of some of the drift snow formations was noticed. The accompanying pic shows just one that caught my eye.

For those coming along on the weekend - you will be reassured to hear that several test holes produced ice thicknesses - in all cases - of about 14" (36cm).

Time spent in reconnaissance....

Adam and I spent a profitable half hour or so this morning checking out the ice in Navy Bay. This was an essential safety measure before the ice diving course runs this coming weekend. A test bore revealed that the ice - even out in the middle of the Bay - is about 13" (33cm) thick.

One really pleasing discovery was the presence of large tracts of very clear ice. The bottom (about 20 feet (6m) down) could be very clearly seen. We were even able to read labels on debris and make out dead fish.

A likely site for the weekend's training was selected and recorded. Now all we have to worry about is the snow that is forecast to fall in the interim...

By the way - for those who might have been wavering about a decision - there are still a couple of places available on the course. Enquiries or applications should be addressed directly to Adam.

The Big Freeze...

Jeremie and I headed for Rockport today on the understanding that there was a small area of open water that might allow us to dive. The area proved to be very small - sufficient only for ice divers to use for entry, and exit, I guess...

We retired to Dive-Tech to complain about the conditions only to receive the encouraging news that there may not be any open water available for several weeks. The prediction is that the first area to open up will be the dock at Prescott. We will see. In the meantime, I will monitor the local Kingston sites for any signs of open water.

I guess the bottom line is that I encourage anyone who isn't committed yet to sign up for the ice diving course over the weekend 16-18 February. This might be the best way to get wet in the near future. Unless, of course, you have some spare air miles...

Come on in - the water's lovely...

Don't let the sunshine and blue skies fool you... It was a cold day in A-Bay, with a Westerly wind cutting through the divers, who didn't appreciate the air temperature of -11C (12F). Adam, Matt and Mike had made the pilgrimage over the border to visit the site of the 'Islander'.

Removal of sufficient ice (about 3" thick) to effect entry was quite straightforward, despite the attraction the hole seemed to have for the ice picks (ask Adam about that one..) Viz was excellent and there was no appreciable current, although out in the main channel the ice being carried downstream at a fair rate was steadily pecking at the shore.

The whole day would have been disastrous if it hadn't been for the outstanding services of the staff at Jreck's Subs, who provided not only sustenance, but shelter.

Character Building 101

Ok, this might seem to some to be a bit masochistic; but we would prefer to consider it was character building!!! In fact it was a great dive. You simply have to ignore the 25 km / hr winds creating a wind chill of -17 oC and blowing snow.
Good vis, good company and great hot chocolate after.

Brrrr illiant!

It took us three stops today to find some open water that wasn't going to require commando skills for entry and exit, but we finally found a viable site at the Kingston Yacht Club.

Bright sunshine made the gearing up a little more tolerable in a brisk, cold Westerly wind. The dive itself was made very special by a close and personal sighting of an implacable Spotted Gar, which allowed itself to be scrupulously inspected for several minutes in mid water. Otherwise, it was distinctly different to observe the ice shelves at the margins of our open water and push aside scattered chunks to exit.

Dianne, Jim and I spent about 30 minutes in the 33F (1C) water, reaching a maximum of 40 feet. The air temperature was -7C (19F) - with a vicious wind chill. All three of us are very grateful to Kingston Yacht Club, where we were graciously permitted to thaw out and de-kit. It would have been no fun at all in the fast-blowing snow outside....

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...