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.

Scuba Swap Meet in Etobicoke..

It may be of interest to our members and readers that the Ontario Underwater Explorers are once again holding a Scuba Swap Meet in Etobicoke on Saturday, April 17th. Full details downloadable by clicking here.

Walking to work..

This afternoon's dive commenced with a short walk down the boat launch ramp next to St Lawrence Pier on RMC. Then, Todd, Kevin, Matt and I made a tour of the timber structures to the West and circled home. Not much else to say, except that many photographs were taken, but this one seemed to sum up the aiim of the expedition - to visit the timbers and check them out. Kevin is the pictured subject...

Underwater Camera Work...

Todd

Marc-Etienne

Kevin

Now that the Lake is open for business, the pace of diving is definitely picking up. This morning, in an effort to improve on the manual flash technique, I was one of four divers playing at Morton's Wharf. The other three are pictured...

Once again, good conditions - less the water temperature - and a distinct lack of marine life.

Three Wise Men ... ?

Wise or not, they all enjoyed the opportunity to get wet this evening to christen Kevin's new DUI Drysuit. That's the handsome-looking grey topped one. Great to see divers in the water - and greater still to see the looks of sheer disbelief on the faces of passers-by as the divers emerge from the still frigid waters...

Getting the hang of this camera...?

Tonight was an on-request outing triggered by Rob Bradley. Todd, myself and James were happy to oblige and take a night expedition out to the KGH wreck. It presented the opportunity for me to play around with my external flash again - and the results are not too bad. Wildlife was sparse. Mudpuppies around the rocks and Bass on the wreck itself - including some big fellas around the stern, hiding in the timbers. A good dive and a chance to clean off the line a bit.

So the water's cold, but the Sun is shining...

Matt and I seized the opportunity today to get a dive in on Morton's Wharf. Driven by a strong southerly wind, the waves were quite inconvenient, and they contributed to a certain amount of disturbance underwater close to shore. We had a good dive, both with cameras. I was experimenting with an external strobe again - not entirely successfully as the shots show. Little marine life to be seen and the water's no warmer than it was yesterday.

Dive tally taking off...

Now that the ice has largely disappeared, and the Lake is bathed in Spring sunshine, there's really no excuse for not diving. Well, one maybe; the water temperature is still stubbornly stuck at 35℉ (2℃). Kevin and I didn't allow that to deter us from a dive at KPH. Entry was a breeze, though the water level is very low. As an illustration, a large, level area that you usually stand on, at waist depth, to take off fins, was now in water that just reached the lower calf. The dive, out to the STOP sign and then in an arc East and North, was a gentle one. No significant signs of life were seen, though Crayfish or Mudpuppy trails were evident in the silt.

Pool's Open...

The change in the weather recently, and particularly the high temperatures, have combined to open the Lake for business. Last night, Marc-Etienne, Todd and I took a trip to the KGH wreck to prove the line and check out conditions. With an air temperature of 11℃ (52℉), you might have hoped for some warming of the water. Clearly though, whatever the recent sunshine has done to the ice, it hasn't substantially changed the water temperature. We recorded just 35℉ (2℃) during our dive. On the plus side, the visibility is great. Marine life was noticeably scarce. The only fish to be seen in the shallows and on the swim out to the wreck were dead ones. On the wreck itself, there were many Bass lurking around. They seemed quite surprised to have their evening interrupted by divers. I guess there haven't been many out there in recent weeks. A lone Crayfish was spotted by Todd during the safety stop on our return.

For Marc-Etienne, as the picture shows, this was also an opportunity to try out his new Poseidon Besea Backpack style BC.

Club supports International Women's Day

Responding to an invitation from the Base's Diversity Action Group, the Club provided a presence at an afternoon of talks and discussions on the status of women in the Canadian Forces. Our display highlighted the activities of our female members and Kim and Dianne were on hand to talk to interested individuals. There was a great deal of interest, which included a visit from the Base Commander, himself a diver.

Scuba Olympics...

The Scuba Olympics went well this morning, with a good turnout and an enthusiastic response to the excellent organisation done by Jesse. There's a brief video available for viewing here, but the audio may be delayed by copyright issues. Just keep checking back, if sound is critical.

Well done to all the participants, thank you to Jesse and his assistants - and don't forget to turn out for the Open Pool night on Monday, March 15th...