Stacked....

Tonight presented the first opportunity to check the line laid last week, in the dark, from a boat, between the Stacked Hulls and the shore near the Psychiatric Hospital. The delightful outcome was a 75 minute dive that began by picking up the cross line leading to the main one in less than a minute. Look out for details of the location very shortly. But be aware, this dive is not for the inexperienced or those who are a bit heavier on their air...

The swim out to the wreck took 20 minutes - the same as the testing run last week. One curious observation - since the line has been in the water only about 5 days - was the huge amount of weed that has drifted into it and accumulated on it. Perhaps not so surprising given the high winds and big seas experienced over the preceding 24 hours. Out on the two wrecks (are there more ?) the fish life was abundant, a mix of Perch and Bass. There was plenty of time to have a look around the whole site before heading back to shore - clearing some of the weed on the way to reduce strain on the line.

The low temperature on the wreck was 68°F (20°C) and the visibility about 30 feet.

Lucky Seven...

This evening's charter went directly to the wreck of the Cornwall. This is a point worth making, because so often we get blown off the intended target and diverted to the Wolfe Islander. Conditions were near perfect for the seven divers along for the ride, with just a gentle wind, practically no waves and good visibility. Most of the party had not visited the wreck before and this always makes for a good experience. The wheels on the wreck were starkly evident close to the descent line. They and the massive boilers are really signature equipments for the site. Another really neat feature to spot is the the line of small portholes that can be seen on the Port side forward. There wasn't a lot of variety in the marine life on show. Shoals of Gobies were flitting around whenever divers approached, but just a handful of fairly small Bass were also present. The knack this evening was to find the thermocline (at about 58 feet) and hover just above the top of the boilers in the 'warm' while enjoying a view of the wreck from above. For the record, the bottom temperature was 52℉ (11℃) and the visibility about 50 feet.

Second Kayak raised for Gan Canoe Club...

Following up on Monday's first successful trip to Gananoque to find and recover sunken kayaks, today's expedition continued the movement. It took just 20 minutes of focused search to discover the second missing kayak in 32 feet of water. It was then an easy exercise to lift it and take it to shore. The picture shows one of the Canoe Club staff inspecting and commencing the clean-up of the craft.

Stress Relief on the Munson...

So, tonight it was a run to the Munson to blow off some of the work day blues for Kevin. Going off the Collins Bay Pier, the trip is less than 10 minutes and just 2 miles running distance. The weather was clement, with the wind out of the North West and the Lake surface was showing just small waves. Mind you, when our dive flag fell in the water and had to be retrieved, it showed a pretty fair wind-driven surface current to be present.

The dive was everything you expect of the Munson. A dark descent into a cold environment that only slowly reveals the details of the wreck. Lights were an absolute must. After passing the thermocline at about 60 feet, the temperature dropped quite significantly, but not as low as recent experiences would have suggested. The minimum temperature was 52℉ (11℃). Visibility - though hard to judge beyond the range of our lights - was probably about 40 feet. One unpleasantness was moving through a 'soupy' layer of green gunky algae in the first 40 feet of the dive or so.

But, as a way to blow off the day's cares, this was a classic...

Lost and Found ...

Today was, finally, good deed day. I had promised the Canoe Club in Gananoque some time ago that I would get across and see if I could locate and raise a kayak that they had lost earlier in the year. Well, today was the day. It was a fascinating exercise. Those of you who have done Search and Recovery will understand the need to define a clear aim, identify an appropriate search pattern and execute it faithfully.

Well, the good news is that, having done all that, Dianne and I spent 70 minutes in the water - and found and raised the two-man kayak concerned. It's a great feeling when it all works out. That keeps up our 100% record of recoveries on request.

For those who are interested, the Gan River gets down to 36 feet in the middle of the stretch by the Canoe Club and viz was a very reasonable 15 to 20 feet. Water temperature 70F (21C). The bottom is largely weed free, though there are occasional deadheads and other timber debris to watch out for. It's typical river mud most of the way, but a hard, granite shelf is present on the West side.

Leisure Show and the Stacked Hulls - all in a diver's day..

Today started with representation of the Club at the Base Fall Leisure Show. This seemed to draw a decent attendance and Dianne and I were certainly kept busy answering the questions of many visitors to our stand. It seems likely that we'll pick up about half a dozen new members who are already certified - and likely as many or more people who want to take training.

This evening there was a golden opportunity to hit the Stacked Hulls from a boat and take a really leisurely tour of this interesting site. The fish life was incredible, literally dozens of Perch and Bass. We were out there, once again, beyond the onset of darkness. It's a magical experience to enjoy a dive on a calm lake with the lights of the City on the skyline and the various navigation beacons twinkling out on the darkness of the water. Difficulty in getting divers to join us made it impossible to fulfill an ambition to run a line ashore from the site, but we'll get that done very soon. These wrecks are deserving of more visits. Thanks to Adam for making his fine dive boat available - and to Tom and the team aboard Seadeucer, who gave us numbers that put us right on the wrecks in short order...

Blown off course - we're at the quarry again...

Given the impact of the tail end of Hurricane Gustav on the lakeshore, it was more prudent today to head for Brule Road. The picture of Kevin LeBlanc was taken by an AOW student completing their Underwater Photography Adventure. Pretty good results in murky water. The quarry was warm and sunny - with the rippling surface causing no significant disturbance below. Bluegills and Bass were around in large numbers - and very approachable. Great training - even if it wasn't raining...

Aloha !

This evening's charter went out in fairly heavy seas - heading for the Aloha and the Effie Mae. Despite a certain amount of apprehension, the decision was taken to enter the water on the site, avoiding another trip to the Wolfe Islander. As it turned out, and as our trusty skipper (Steve) had suggested, the conditions improved during the dive and exits were much less exciting than they might have been. Eleven divers made the trip, which enjoyed reasonable visibility of about 40 feet at depth and water temperatures in the high 60s F (High teens C).

Great new pics of the KGH Wreck..

Tom Rutledge dived on the KGH wreck yesterday and got some excellent shots of the location. They can be seen on his Flickr site. For anyone who hasn't made it out there yet, they give a great idea of what to expect.

Getting to know you... Pics on the 'KGH' wreck

Can't believe it...! It's a holiday weekend and the weather's beautiful. Five of us made our stately way out to the 'KGH' wreck this morning under a flat calm lake bathed in brilliant sunshine. It was a first trip for some - others of us were intent on documenting the wreck a little better with still and video coverage. There are some shots on Flickr that will allow you to judge whether or not we are succeeding. Some great video taken by Kevin LeBlanc can be reached on You Tube by clicking here.

If you haven't been out to take advantage of this new shore dive opportunity yet, what's holding you back ? Go get wet !