The Rothesay...

Ninja Diver..

Yes, it makes a better picture with your eyes open, Todd..

Just Jim..

Kevin 'can you see the DUI logo?' LeBlanc..

Five of us made the pilgrimage down to the Rothesay, near Prescott, yesterday. A screaming, chilling, South wind made for really poor viz close to shore, but some of the divers managed to stumble across a very handy lead line that has been laid close to shore in lieu of the usual offshore buoy. Others of us used skill and navigational talents to pick up the main line. The greatest surprise of the day was the huge quantity of algae in the water. We usually associate the Winter with the absence of this menace, but yesterday all of us were convinced that we had seen the greatest amounts of green goop ever on this site. Huge mats were rolling around and clogged the line. The current was carrying great gobbets of the stuff past us constantly.

Otherwise, the only remarkable sighting was of several large fish, suspected of being Northern Pike, close to the wreck. Full marks again to Marc-Etienne for diving semi-dry. Underwater pictures may follow. I left my camera behind - anticipating, quite correctly - that the visibility would be poor.

Wonderful dive today on the Rothesay near Prescott. Dianne and I ventured forth on one of the coldest days this year so far (-5C / 23F). The good news was that the Sun was shining brightly and there wasn’t much of a wind. The site provided calm water and visibility - on the wreck - of about 35-40 feet. Slightly less good news was the temperature of the water - 38F (3C).

It wouldn’t be a dive at this time of the year if we didn’t see a Pike. Today’s was a beauty, drifting casually about the stern of the wreck with no concern for our presence. There were also several large Bass around and a Freshwater Drum (Sheepshead).

All in all though, a great dive in pleasant conditions. I guess we’ll just have to get used to the ice that forms instantly on your suit and scuba gear on exit - it may be that way for a while...

This link will take you to a couple of minutes of video taken during the dive.