Diving the Islander

Great trip today to Alexandria Bay to dive the wreck of the Islander. The water clarity was exceptional and it's still not too chilly at about 50℉ (10℃). As always on this site, there were lots of Crayfish, including this monster. There has been some damage done to the dinner table set-up, but we restored one piece to create the ensemble shown.

Alexandria Bay - a new dinner location ?

We made a quick pilgrimage to the States today to dive the Islander Wreck in Alexandria Bay. But this favoured site offers a lot more. A short swim out to the East takes you to the massive chains that hold a floating restaurant in place. Beneath the restaurant, at 60', there's another dining venue, with a couple of tables, many chairs and lots of silverware and crockery.

Another interesting underwater object to visit is about half way back, on a plateau above the ledge. Here, a large tree has lodged (firmly ?) in the silt and now plays host to a large number of fish. It's well worth a look see. Water temperature today - a balmy 73℉ (23℃). Visibility ranged from about 20 - 40'.

Over the Bridge and not so far away...

Kevin, Josée, Gaétan and I made the exhausting (Not!) journey to Alexandria Bay this morning to dive the wreck of the Islander. Conditions were excellent, though the water temperature's the same as in Canadian waters. Strange that ...

For the first time, taking advantage of local advice, we ventured North to discover the dining chairs, tables and silverware in 60 feet of water below A Bay's Floating Restaurant.

This is a great wreck to do - and you can be back in Kingston (depending on lines at the Border) within three hours.

Triple Treasure...

At the invitation of a good friend, I was able to make three dives downriver today. The first was the always excellent Keystorm, on which the pictures were taken. The second the America and the third a type of wall / drift dive on a site called Devil's Oven near Alexandria Bay. The conditions on the wrecks were perfect with 70℉ (21℃) water and decent visibility in as low a current as I can recall for the St Lawrence. We were also lucky enough to avoid the hordes of divers that often descend (literally) on these popular sites. It was a special treat to see many large Pickerel busy on the hull of the America.

Day trip to the Islander...

A long-planned expedition to Alexandria Bay and the wreck of the Islander unfolded successfully today. Five of us, Dianne, Nancy, Theresa, Chris and I made our way over the bridges and enjoyed about 50 minutes in the 60 feet or so of water that surrounds the wreck. Visibility was moderately disappointing at about 25 feet, with a lot of drifting particulates. But the water temperature was peachy - 56F (13C) at 60 feet.

There was an interesting opportunity to watch a Tech 1 course working on the wreck - stage bottles, lines and reels very much in evidence.

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...

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.