POW gets it done...

Worth mentioning that, early as it is, those of you who may have access to boats - or have started to think about an early charter outing - have a great selection of offshore wrecks accessible now. Some great work by a variety of operators and divers has resulted in about 14 of Kingston's most popular wrecks having their lines raised and marker buoys placed already. They include the ever popular Wolfe Islander, Aloha, Munson and City of Sheboygan. A full list is available on the Preserve Our Wrecks homepage. The work has been a lot of fun for those involved. There's also been some great underwater photography taken. Check out Tom Rutledge's pictures on Ontario Diving.

Sunday Club back in Session...

The arrival of the Spring sunshine this weekend placed the Club on notice that it's time to re-convene the Sunday Club. Accordingly, four of us suited up and sprang into the Lake at RMC's St Lawrence Pier this morning. It was a delight to enjoy a dive in such fine weather. If there was any doubt that the season has truly changed, the passage overhead of a mixed skein of Canada and Snow Geese dispelled it. In the water there was less evidence of change. There were no significant sightings, despite visibility in the order of 30 feet or so. The water temperature remains stubbornly low at about 36F (2C). In response to a request from Chris Haslip, who was unable to dive today, his pet smurf was taken for an outing. Expect to see a lot of this little diver this season.

Sunshine on my shoulders looks so lovely...

And there's a prize for the first person to identify the song from which today's blog title came....

No, not really.

What a beautiful Spring day Dianne, Chris and I had to explore the far reaches of the waters off Kingston Yacht Club. Chris led the dive and elected to go for depth and distance. We headed off NW until our gauges showed 60 feet and then turned for home. Two things stand out about the trip. It was really interesting to note a clear bottom scour caused by the current. A very helpful natural navigation feature. And we sighted a sluggish Spotted Gar on the bottom during the return journey. Water clarity was wonderful - about 40 feet - or maybe better. The temperature remains chilly though at 35F (1C). But, when you emerge in sunshine and air temperatures of 12C (54F) all's well with the World.

The First Goby of Spring...

Well, today's Easter Saturday dive was a really good one. The greatest achievement was making it back into the waters of the Lake again after many weeks thwarted by ice. Dianne, Steve and I entered the basin of the Alexander Henry just after 11 AM today to find startlingly good visibility, but very low temperatures - 34F (1C). We found absolutely everything in place, just as it had been left in January. Same old beercans, truck tires and bottles....

We made a leisurely progress out to the barge, which has been undisturbed by Winter. Only a couple of large Bass were seen - hugging the bottom, a Perch and a single Goby - first of the year. Visibility was in excess of 40 feet and the air temperature was -2C (28F) with blowing snowflakes driven by a chilly westerly wind.

Cold comfort in Gan..

The dip in the mercury definitely impacted on a dive today at the Marina in Gananoque. Dianne, Christopher and I enjoyed about 50 minutes in the water, entering and exiting at the swimming beach, but we all noticed cooler water temperatures. We also deplored the business of de-kitting in blowing sleet. I think we had all hoped that the days of brushing ice out of your hair after a dive were over for 2007.

The strong westerly wind - and perhaps the downflow of rain waters from the last couple of days - produced a mild current. That was sending great plumes of green algae through the water. There were times when it felt a bit like Space Invaders, trying, futilely, to dodge these in the current. There were few fish about - just the odd Perch hiding in the bottom cover of weed and algae.

Visibility was about 15 feet, with a minimum water temperature of 35F (2C). The air temperature - on a day that saw sunshine one minute and snow the next - was just on freezing.

But back in Kingston, there's great news. The ice is gone from all the major bodies of the Lake, including the area around the Alexander Henry. Dive on !

OK - So I missed the Crayfish...

After a late evening look at the usual dive spots on the Lake Ontario shoreline last night, I came to the conclusion that we're still about a week away from shore dives locally. So...... The options were; Gananoque again - bit of a drive, nothing exciting to see - or Brewer's Mills. With my burgeoning love of Crayfish in mind, the solution was simple - head North for Brewer's.

With only one other brave soul for company - did you all think the invitation to come out today was an April Fool's? - I spent about 50 minutes in water that has now reached about 42F (6C). Visibility was around 20-25 feet and there was no current noticeable. My regard for the humble Crayfish was rewarded with multiple sightings. The little blighters obviously like the upward temperature trend as much as we all do.

The only other sighting of note was a medium calibre live pistol round spotted near the exit point. Funny what people throw away.....

Gananoque - Open for diving...

Hurrah! A dive venue that isn't Brewer's Mills at last. Chris and I spent some time finding a decent dive site in Gananoque this morning. I guess he'd tired of driving from his home to Brewer's all the time. Long story short, after checking out the River (too dirty, lots of silt, some current) we finally went in by the Beacon on the Eastern side of the Marina. An easterly wind ensured that the breakwater sheltered us from any drifting ice and we had a good 45 minutes or so to explore the area. An undistinguished muddy bottom, with some weeds, led us to a trench that holds a large bore pipe heading directly South. Following this took us (after a gentle 20 minute swim) to the intake / discharge point - a large, cubic, concrete structure. Maximum depth achieved was only 33 feet.

The water is colder than at Brewer's; we both registered just 35F (2C). Visibility though, in sun-dappled water, was a brilliant 40-50 feet. We disturbed a couple of large Catfish en route, spotted a large, lazy Bass resting by a rock and spooked a Pike. But the highlight, encountered on the way back, was spending time with a shoal of 150-200 baby Perch. These fish, measuring about 3-4", swam just ahead of us in the trench for about 10 minutes. A magic few moments - and perhaps quite unusual. For weather freaks, the air temperature was 6C (43F) - in bright sunshine, but with a cool easterly breeze.

Spring Moods...

The onset of Spring is really evident these days. The thin mist at Brewer's this morning presaged a warm, still day that made diving a delight. Add the joy of watching a young fox run below the canal bank and a group of four Bufflehead Ducks diving on the upper stretch and it doesn't get much better.

Dianne, Jeremie, Chris and I spent between 47 and 64 minutes in the water, which was a comfortable 39F (4C). Air temperatures of 6C (43F) on arrival had risen to 10C (50F) by the time we headed out. The viz was pretty standard at about 15-20 feet - more in places. No significant underwater sightings.

The biggest surprise of the day came when I got home and hung up my drysuit. Retrieving a data logger I keep in my pocket, a crayfish (only small - maybe an inch long) dropped out with it. The little fellow seemed unharmed and I'll take him back to a more appropriate environment later on today...