In his element...

Some dives are just more gentle and relaxing than others. Today's dive, with Gaétan, was one of those special ones. We didn't see anything remarkable, though there was an encounter with a large Carp. We didn't do anything special, though we did repair the line out to the barge at the Marine Museum. But, we did enjoy a really slow, 'smell the roses' kind of experience that all of us relish from time to time. Two fairly capable divers, comfortable in each other's company, always aware of each other's position and totally chilled - for 65 minutes. Too cool!

The ambition had been to get some decent shots of the iron latticework under the pier at the entry point, but low viz pretty much put paid to that, so the dive passed quietly with a few hero shots, a tour of the barge and a look at the logs. The only complaint might be that it's too darn hot getting into your drysuit before the dive. If that's the only issue - I can live with it - roll on the Winter though. Can't wait to get our visibility back.

BTW - pay close attention to the picture above. This may be a rare sighting of a hoodless Gaétan...

Visit to the Cedar Island Wreck...

The opportunity arose today to make a late season expedition onto the Lake. Although the traffic to the wind farm project continues to be very busy, and the Wolfe Islander is in near constant motion, otherwise there's not much boating going on. That made conditions pretty good to visit one of the wrecks lying close to Cedar Island. These are infrequently dived on and it was my first visit to this particular one. I took the camera down in hopes of getting some record-quality shots, but the visibility of about 20 feet precluded that. Nevertheless, I got some decent pictures, one of which accompanies this entry. The wreck is not enormous - and it's hard to gauge what it might be. But, there are clues. It has the very blunt bow of a possible cargo barge - and a length, in all probability, to match. There is a rudder post present - and it's not large. The frames are not substantial - leading to a suspicion that the vessel was no warship. But, there are some vertical posts that defy attribution, unless, perhaps, they supported an upper deck...

Anyhoo... the answer lies with a more detailed examination another day. Today, the temperature was 57℉ (14℃).

Checking out the Marine Museum Barge...

This evening presented a great opportunity to get wet with Kevin and Gaetan at West St. Conditions were great and we entered the water just beside Ahoy Rentals. Kevin was keen to practice navigation and led a faultless dive across to the corner of the pier and on to the barge, where we completed a circuit before reversing our course for an exit at West St Ramp. Conditions in the water were good, though the viz could have been better. It was about 20 feet over most of the range. There weren't many exciting sightings, though a large Sheepshead was spotted near the logs on the return journey and a Pike was cruising the shallows on the ramp; something that is entirely typical of this area. There were also a lot of Bluegills on and around the car below the ramp. Water temperature was a balmy 70°F (21°C).

I Declare this Lake Open...

Yesterday, on a visit to Portsmouth, there was substantial ice cover all along the shore. But today, after strong overnight winds, the situation was completely changed. A visit to RMC's St Lawrence Pier revealed the Southern side to be completely free of ice. Examination of the West St Ramp also showed the ice to have disappeared offshore. Of course, caution is essential during this period, when drifting ice, propelled by the prevailing winds, can catch an unwary diver out by cutting off his exit point. Today produced perfect conditions for making a first foray back into the Lake though. Entry at West St started a 30 minute expedition out to the Barge and back. Visibility was limited to about 20' - and occasionally less. The only signs of life were the occasional tracks made by the mudpuppies in the silt. Water temperature, unsurprisingly, was only 34F (1C). Bright sunshine and a temperature of 2C (36F) ashore made the preparations relatively straightforward.

Short sighted..?

Today's calm, clear conditions created the opportunity to take a swim out to the Marine Museum Barge from West St. The experience was slightly degraded by appalling visibility in the order of only 8-10'. It can only be assumed that the high winds and heavy seas of yesterday were to blame.

Given the conditions, it was quite pleasing to spot a couple of Bass in and around the wreck. The water temperature showed a slightly surprising 35F (2C) and landside, in weak sunshine, the mercury indicated just the same numbers.

Barging Ahead...

This morning's task was to determine the ease of access afforded to the barge usually reached from the Marine Museum now that entry from the West Wharf is closed to divers. The good news is that it's quite easy to get to the barge using the Pumphouse Museum Car Park as a starting point. The accompanying pic shows the solution adopted today, getting in - carefully - at Ahoy Rentals little inlet. Entry can be just as easily achieved from the ramp in the bay (it's just a bit of a walk with kit on) or the West St Ramp (which is just a bit of an extra swim..!). It's also quite straightforward to enter by walking cautiously down the breakwater.

The swim to the line, which should pass the corner of the logs (very shortly after starting out), is a gentle 8 minutes worth on an Easterly heading. This brought us onto the line from the Wharf's SE corner just past its startpoint. The return journey is easily effected by coming back to the corner and taking a heading of 290 Mag to get to the logs. From the logs to the breakwater is due West just a few metres. Then, for ease of use (and to see the car at the bottom of the West St Ramp, you can follow the breakwater edge along to exit. Be aware - if viz is really poor and you're uncertain whether you're at the Ramp, there's a large diameter pipe (about 1m) just East of the Ramp entry emerging from the breakwater.

Viz today was pretty poor at about 25 feet, but swimming right over the top of a large Northern Pike when heading up the exit ramp was my high point. He then paraded around the shallows there for everyone to see. Water temp - 55F (13C) out at 40 feet.

Cora Post ...

Thwarted by a strong Sou'wester from taking a boat out to one of the more interesting offshore wrecks this morning, Dianne, Theresa and I made a minor expedition to Howe Island for a dive on the Cora Post. Conditions there were fairly good. A moderate sea was little trouble, though it did send a light, downstream current through the shallows at the entry point; and clouds of green algae. Nevertheless, visibility was reasonable - at about 35 feet. The temperature gradient of the water was really apparent. Surface waters were showing 54F (12C), but the water at 60 feet was only 48F (9C). Mind you, this is a welcome change from a week or two ago.

There were no significant sightings during the dive. Gobies rule might be the cry...

Perhaps the most memorable event was being held back for 30 minutes at the Ferry, while they waited for an ambulance to arrive from somewhere in the Island's interior. The insult came when, loading it finally, they took the Ferry away without boarding any of us. In all, we spend about an hour in the intermittent sunshine speculating on the situation of the casualty - and other things. Oh well, that's life...

Marine Museum - again..

What a delight to indulge in a third dive today with familiar buddies; Dianne, Tracey and Jim. After a morning spent, really rewardingly, with my students, it was wonderful to jump in the water at the Marine Museum and just swim and shoot some pics.

Despite pretty murky conditions, caused by a strong Sou'wester, the opportunities for photography were not completely shot. I got some fair pictures of my companions - both en route to - and around - the barge.

Three dives in a day - it must really be getting warmer...... at last.!