D.O.G.s or Huskies..?

The weather's definitely getting colder - and the water temperature in the Lake too. But, that's when the viz starts to clear and the diving crowd starts to thin out. This morning - to celebrate Todd's 300th dive appropriately - three of us ventured forth to Howe Island to plumb the 'hidden' depths of the South Channel. Despite the lower water levels of this time of year, before the bottom started rising back to Wolfe Island in mid channel, we achieved 119'. It was a cool dive on at least two levels. First of all, the water temperature was down to 43℉ (6℃) at the bottom and, secondly, it just an excellent, relaxed experience. Congratulations, Todd, on your 300th lifetime dive.

Well done Paul ! Now an Advanced Diver..

Congratulations this Labour Day to Paul, who completed his Advanced Open Water syllabus with a Deep Adventure at Fairfield Park and a Digital Photography Adventure at the Kingston Oasis. He was totally at ease with both experiences, as he has been throughout the course. Now he's free to spend more time out diving with Rick - and other members..

Munson Reputation Restored..

Today provided the opportunity to restore the reputation of the Munson as a benevolent, exciting dive site. With two good friends from Virginia, Celia and Gavin, Dianne and I made the trip with Gaétan and Jack. Despite blustery conditions topsides - and the dire reports of last week's dive, we had a great experience. The line took us straight past the tallest pylon onto the main deck. Visibility was good enough to see the whole wreck from any position and only the gentlest of currents crossed the deck. Behind the dredge, near the bucket, a large shoal of Lake Shad was criss-crossing the bottom. Bottom temp 48℉ (8℃). The thermocline lay at about 60', the same depth as we'd observed it to lie on the KGH wreck earlier in the day.

A venture to the Kinghorn

Well this past Sunday saw members of the executive venture to the Kinghorn in Rockport. A dive that was in the longing for a photo opportunity. With very little convincing the plan was put into motion, and we were on our way. Kevin, Josee, Jim, Gaetan and myself made it to the docks in Rockport. Point to note here, this time of year don't expect to get in the water and dive this wreck from shore. As we learned there is no, swimming, snorkeling, or scuba during the summer season. So we opted to do a survey of a keel of one of the dive boats, well once in the water, we managed to navigate and squeak by the docks to the line leading out to the wreck. After a leisurely swim we were on the wreck. Vis was better than 50 ft, and with a bottom temp. of 57 F you couldn't ask for much more. Jim decided to venture into the Kinghorn, where I took advantage of the light for some good photo's. Kevin, Josee, and Gaetan took a detailed look as they swam around wreck, keeping a watchful eye out for the sturgeon that had been reported in the area. We ended the dive with a total time under water of 51 minutes. The Dive was one that was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and will be repeated in late fall.

It must be mentioned here, that this dive must be looked at, as an advanced level dive. Sling bottles, and double's set ups, should be heavily considered for this site. Due to boat traffic it should almost be looked at, as an over head environment. As well, keep a watchful eye on your no decompression limits. Other than that, another awesome dive. The pictures say it all...

Deep Delights..

This evening saw the opportunity to complete Josée's Deep Adventure on the wonderful Munson wreck. Conditions couldn't have been better. The Lake was calm, there was barely any current perceptible on the wreck, and visibility was great. Josée had no difficulty coping with the dive or the tasks involved in assessing for nitrogen narcosis. All in all, it was a really good experience for the five divers who enjoyed the trip.

Jim found it the perfect opportunity to test the new Dive Rite LED canister light he has acquired, and it passed with flying colours. The other broad smile in evidence belonged to Gaétan, who can't stop himself getting excited about the transformation he has enjoyed in moving to drysuit diving with his Signature Series DUI suit.

Although several of us believed that we saw 50℉ (10℃) on the bottom, the computer doesn't lie, and mine actually recorded a minimum of 46℉ (8℃).

Congratulations to Todd, who now does it deeper...

Todd is pictured before he completed the final dive for his PADI Deep Specialty. This puts him just one specialty away from achieving 'the Black Belt of Scuba Diving' - his Master Scuba Diver Certification.

This Munsons for the ladies in the house!

Wednsday night boat dives really are the best cure for a work day you would rather forget! This dive was no change from the norm, in that some of the memories I will not forget for some time no matter how much I drink after my dive. It wasn't all cheesy news and despite the usual algae cloud/pea soup from 0-30 feet this wreck is also one of the best in the Kingston area to enjoy.

Firstly the dive info, the Munson is a 90 foot long barge in approximatly 108 feet of water. It's one of those rare wrecks that is usualy a night dive during the day. Usualy this is because of the Algae that runs almost all summer long. Bring a good light you will need it. The boat is a multi level platform with lots of wide open space to swim though and tons of cool baubles and trinkets spread out all over the place. Remember this is a deep dive that is dark and does have penetration available, consider your training when you dive this. Plan your dive and dive your plan and if something goes wrong don't push your limits. The boat sank years ago it's not going anywhere, so you can allways dive it again later. At this time of year the boat is actualy deeper than recorded and might throw your plan a wrench if you're on nitrox. This really is one of the best dives in town for such a simple wreck. Folks like NTD have some very well prepared high quality photos online to plan your dive around.

For 4 of the 6 divers this was our first trip to this boat and it was worth all the hype. Big thanks to our 2 experienced divers who took us on the tour. I look forward to diving it again soon. I want to give our RMC members a big shout out as their participation in our club events is really noticeable this year. We hope they spread the word around. Good to see you guys out so much!

Lastly I would be remiss if I did not point out how the weather network was in our favor tonight as we almost caught some sun. We finaly were able to get on the water when its warm, calm and dry up top, however... some of us had too much fun. For this I give you our VP and resident chippendales diving representation :

Enjoy ladies.
For the rest of us, cya in the water folks!

Dive 'n Dine - again...

It takes energy to keep a dive club going - and Ashley's idea of getting together for a dive and then enjoying a late season, informal barbecue at Nicholson's Point was an excellent example of the way to go. Although only a few people managed to get out, it was very clear that they thoroughly enjoyed the experience of soaking up Autumn sunshine at the water's edge after a decent dive outing. The dive also presented the opportunity for Mario to complete his Deep Adventure on the way to completing Advanced Open Water certification. His dive was flawless. Once again, it's evident that the water is turning colder. This should be no surprise given the cold nights we're 'enjoying'. The low temperature, below a 70' thermocline, was somewhere around 53℉ (12℃). The visibility though, at the greater depths, is in excess of 40 feet now.

Twofer downriver...

Some of my friends from my days in Virginia came North this weekend to conduct some technical dives on the Roy Jodrey, an intimidating deep wreck in the St Lawrence. However, today, they contented themselves with a shake-out two-tank expedition with Wayne Green's Thousand Island Pleasure Diving operation. That provided the opportunity to join them. The two wrecks chosen - for convenience from Brockville - were the Muscallonge (sitting in about 100 feet) and the Gaskin (about 65 feet to the bottom). Both wrecks were great to see, and it was my first dive on the Muskie. Sitting in a narrower part of the River, she enjoys a brisk current, which makes getting into the wreck's shadow a high priority. Moving on to the Gaskin, where the River is much wider, the current was less of an issue and the fish life was spectacular. Making the swim-through, from the stern forwards, a shoal of Bass and Perch was encountered in a calm, back eddy of the wreck. Larger, very bold fish were relishing the current and the foodstuffs it carries to them all over the deck and around the lower, protected sections. Visibility was pretty good (I'd heard some stories of poor viz in the River this year, but they proved to be false). I'd estimate it to be in the 60 foot range. The temperature - top to bottom - was 70°F (21°C).

Bonus Charter...

It's not every day that a charter captain calls you at ten to eight in the morning and offers you a trip, so when they do, it's generally a good idea to gear up and get going. That's what happened today and, when I got to the boat, who should I find smiling and enjoying life but Rob Bradley. Another familiar face was Gary Gillan, whose company I last enjoyed on a Club charter out of Duck's Diving in 2006. The two-tank outing took in the Frontenac and the Geo T. Davie. Great dive sites and seen in pretty good conditions. Viz on the Frontenac was better than on the Davie; about 50 feet compared to 30 or so. Water temperatures were very similar- somewhere around the 48°F mark (9°C).

Keystorm big hit again.

10 of us made the trek down to Caiger's where we got on one of the boats owned by Thousand Island Pleasure Divers. We had great weather and we couldn't have asked for better. Some of us came back with a little more colour than when we left. The Keystorm was the big draw today. I think I counted about 7 boats on the wreck at one point today. On our first dive there were a lot of divers in the water at the same time. At one point I stopped and looked up and there were about 15 divers above me. It would have made an amazing picture with the sun shinning through the water above the divers. Alas I left my camera on the boat. Isn't that always the case. My buddy and I went down as far as the mast and looked in some of the small holes at the bass that were hiding in the wreck. We then made our way back up to the wheel house and had a look around there. By this point it was time to turn the dive and head back to the shoal. At our safety stop we had a chance to check out the small Gobbies as they fed on the zebra mussels. There were a few small bass as well.

After a one hour plus surface interval we had our second dive on the Keystorm but the other boats had pretty much moved on so we could get a good look at the wreck this time. The silt had settled down and you could see inside the wreck. We spent about 36 minutes in the water and the water temp was 73 degrees.

I would like to say thanks to Jim our boat captain for a great day out on the water and we hope to dive with you again soon.

Wolfe Islander II

This week the Dolphins had Captain Steve (Limestone) take them out to the Wolfe Islander II because the winds were high. The weather was warm and the water much warmer than previous dives. The visibility was not very good but that was expected with the storms that went through recently. We went down the bow line to the bottom and circled the boat clockwise. When we came back around the far side of the boat we came up over the side to the car deck. We had a look in the hatch and then moved on to the motorcycle. The ten speed was beside the motorcycle and the bowling ball wasn't very from from that . We then went and had a look at the winch on the front. After a short time here we followed the line back to the stern and had a look inside the doors and windows. We spend about 5 minutes here and then turned the dive. After getting changed we shared a few stories and a couple of laughs on the way back to shore. As always we then went to Tim Horton's to debrief and have a much needed coffee.

A dive into Cottage Country...

Today provided the opportunity to make a dive in Cottage Country, specifically in Desert Lake near Verona. This beautiful lake, surrounded for the most part by tall granite walls, has a maximum depth of 220 feet. The section we dived touched 86 feet - and produced a rather chilly minimum temperature of 41°F (5°C). The good news is that the thermocline lay at 19 feet - and most of the interesting scenery was above that level. It was particularly pleasing to encounter a number of small, curious Lake Trout in the shallows.

Sunday Club in Full Session...

The fine weather seemed to spawn substantial interest in diving today. No less than 10 divers made it into the water at the Cora Post off Howe Island. Visibility was reasonable - at about 30 feet, but the water temperature is no less chilly than a week ago - at 36F (2C). Air temperatures around 6C (43F) didn't entirely compensate for any chilling effect. Worth noting that the line out to the wreck has lost its upper section and you need to hunt at about 22 feet to pick up the remaining piece.

Deep and Meaningful...

This weekend - blessed with excellent weather, if a little cold - provided the perfect opportunity to complete a Deep Diver specialty course for Kevin. It was accomplished with a final dive - to 94 feet - and the bottom of the Channel south of Howe Island directly below the light tower. This third dive in a series (Kevin's earlier Deep Adventure for Advanced certification was credited towards the specialty) included examination of light loss at depth and the imposition of a compulsory, 8-minute safety stop after simulating a No Decompression violation. A minute of this stop was spent breathing from an alternate air source.

The whole excursion was really enjoyable and made the more so by the sighting of a large and lazy Northern Pike on both the outbound and return journeys. Kevin later went on to lead a visiting friend, Claude, to the Cora Post.

Smooth, like a Comet

Not infrequently, our booked charters have to be rerouted to the Wolfe Islander because of weather. Tonight we made a radical break from tradition, using the glassy smooth surface as an excuse to redirect our scheduled dive from the KPH to the more distant and historically elusive Comet (1848-1861). If "seasoned" is what you call an experienced diver, is "unflavoured" a reasonable way to describe a newbie? In any case, our expedition showed the diversity of our club well, with divers young and older, with varying levels of experience. The water was comfortable at about 17 degrees, with a visible and palpable thermocline about five feet off the eighty foot bottom. The Comet features 22-foot paddle wheels and a few intact stacks remain to peer into. Gobies were the only fish I saw.

Divers:  Steve C  Steve L  Phil  Robert  Lee  Billy  Jenny  Chris C  Narisa  Jeffy  Scott  Kim

The Thin Red Line..

A gentle dive at Nicholson's Point today, where a red, nylon line leads off from about the 35' mark to deeper waters. The three of us making the dive followed this down to around 80' for want of anything interesting to observe. One interesting phenomenon noticed though was a very clear silt layer over the cooler, deeper water. This hung like a dirty grey pall over the bottom. As always, the striking contrast between sunlit spells and the shadow periods was very evident. The Gobies were everywhere in the shallow, rock-strewn portions of this site - and completely unperturbed by divers' presence.

Perhaps the most entertaining element of this dive was watching a young Springer Spaniel bitch retrieving a tennis ball from the water with all the enthusiasm only a 'teenager' can muster for pointless exercise...

Water temperature at depth - 48F (9C), with visibility, at best, about 40'.

Twofer Monday...

Not satisfied with a Navigation qualifying dive this morning, boredom set in this afternoon so a boat trip was made early evening to crank in a Deep dive on the Munson. This proved to be a great decision. The Lake was almost glass calm and the visibility below the thermocline was great - certainly in excess of 50'. It compared very favourably to the morning's experience at Portsmouth, where viz was something like 20' at best.

There was quite a temperature difference too. Portsmouth - in 30' of water this morning - was 61F (16C) The deck of the Munson was registering 43F (6C) tonight.

Wrecked - and loving it...

Bit of a bonus today - a two-tank charter with Limestone at relatively short notice. You take these opportunities on trust, having no idea what the weather will do or where you might end up The four Club members who seized this chance to get out to the distant wrecks couldn't have been luckier though. We actually dove two of the best wrecks accessible from Kingston; the Marsh (depth 85') and the Davie (depth 98'). The Lake was quite calm - and the Sun shining brightly - for both dives. If any down side could be detected, it might have been the minor shock of encountering 40F (4C) bottom temperatures at each location. They certainly made it much more pleasant to spend the safety stops in near 50F (10C) water.

Both sites provided good visibility - the Marsh about 50 feet and the Davie probably 35-40. The two ships share some characteristics. Each is largely intact and each has its wheel very clearly in place. There are also prominent winches - and much sailing tackle on the Marsh.

If we have another charter during the 2007 season that fulfills its promise of excitement and superb access as well as this one, we will be doing very well.

Charter Season off to a great start..

Nine members of the Club made it out to Rockport tonight for a season-opening, if unscheduled, dive with Wayne Green's Thousand Island Pleasure Diving operation. Conditions couldn't have been better, with bright sunshine, a slight, cooling breeze and an almost calm River. A slight current was running over the Kinghorn, but this was no deterrent to early season explorers, who searched every inch of the old girl. One important new discovery is the plaque on the Starboard bow - positioned only the day before - and commemorating the life of Doug Smeaton, who died tragically while visiting the wreck earlier this year.

The water was delightfully warm - at 47F (8C). Visibility was about 35-40 feet - and the promised beer and pizza at Caigers afterwards were everything we had been led to expect...