Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Shipwrecks and Scuba Show Saturday
Just a reminder that I'll be presenting at Shipwrecks and Scuba this Saturday in Huron, OH. I'll be showing the video Gunilda: Superior's Golden Wreck. I'll also have a table in the exhibit area. Go to Bay Area Divers website for information and tickets. Please stop by and say hi.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Is It Fall Already?
Hard to believe fall is here and the dive season is winding down. I've been busy trying to get a few last charters in before the season ends.
Marshall Allan, Paul Wegert and I were able to get out on the Sylvia Anne with Capt. Gary Venet on Saturday (9/20/08). We departed Harbor Beach, MI for a dive on the Minnedosa, the largest sailing vessel built on the Candian side of the lakes. See my post from July 31 for more info on the "Minne." The trip was originally scheduled for Sunday, but Gary called me on Thursday and said 5-6 foot waves were forecast for Sunday. He asked if we could dive Saturday instead, as the weather was supposed to be much better. So, we headed up on Saturday and enjoyed calm, sunny conditions.
I spent the previous weekend in Barcelona, NY diving Lake Erie with Osprey Charters. On Friday evening, we did a night dive on the John J Boland, a 250' steel freighter laying on her side in 130' of water. She's a nice dive, but unfortunately the lake was in a bad mood that night. We were able to dive, but the waves were pretty annoying. On Saturday, we did two dives: the Dean Richmond and the Indiana. The lake conditions were much better than on Friday night. I enjoyed the dives and the cameraderie of fellow divers. Sunday morning the wind was up again and the dive was the Boland. Since I had done the Boland Friday night, I opted for a nice big breakfast and an early trip home.
I'm sorry to say that I think the charter season is about over. It'll be quarry diving until next spring I think. But just because the weather is turning doesn't mean you should forget about diving. If you're interested in doing a course next year, let me know. We can start the book work and perhaps get a quarry dive or two in yet this year. Maybe most importantly, the earlier you sign up for class, the more dates you'll have to choose from.
Marshall Allan, Paul Wegert and I were able to get out on the Sylvia Anne with Capt. Gary Venet on Saturday (9/20/08). We departed Harbor Beach, MI for a dive on the Minnedosa, the largest sailing vessel built on the Candian side of the lakes. See my post from July 31 for more info on the "Minne." The trip was originally scheduled for Sunday, but Gary called me on Thursday and said 5-6 foot waves were forecast for Sunday. He asked if we could dive Saturday instead, as the weather was supposed to be much better. So, we headed up on Saturday and enjoyed calm, sunny conditions.
I spent the previous weekend in Barcelona, NY diving Lake Erie with Osprey Charters. On Friday evening, we did a night dive on the John J Boland, a 250' steel freighter laying on her side in 130' of water. She's a nice dive, but unfortunately the lake was in a bad mood that night. We were able to dive, but the waves were pretty annoying. On Saturday, we did two dives: the Dean Richmond and the Indiana. The lake conditions were much better than on Friday night. I enjoyed the dives and the cameraderie of fellow divers. Sunday morning the wind was up again and the dive was the Boland. Since I had done the Boland Friday night, I opted for a nice big breakfast and an early trip home.
I'm sorry to say that I think the charter season is about over. It'll be quarry diving until next spring I think. But just because the weather is turning doesn't mean you should forget about diving. If you're interested in doing a course next year, let me know. We can start the book work and perhaps get a quarry dive or two in yet this year. Maybe most importantly, the earlier you sign up for class, the more dates you'll have to choose from.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Thousand Islands, August 2008
The biggest dive trip of my summer is now behind me. On Monday, August 4, Marshall and Renee Allan picked me up at 7 a.m. to begin our trek to the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River. The Thousand Islands is a beautiful area, both above and below the water. It's at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake feeds the St. Lawrence River. From a diving perspective, it's one of the most unique areas of the Great Lakes. It offers warm water (72 degrees F this week) with no thermocline! Being a river (albeit a large one), it is fairly immune from wind and rough water, so you never miss a day of diving. Not only do you not get "blown out," but the rides to and from the wrecks are short and calm.
Anyway, after picking up Paul in Plymouth, MI, we crossed the border into Canada and drove east for many miles. The only down side to the 1000 Islands is its distance from my house. Let's fast forward to about 5 pm when we arrived at the motel in Mallorytown Landing, ON. We checked in, unloaded and headed out for dinner at Caiger's Resort, which also happens to be the place where we caught the boat each morning.
Our group consisted of 11 divers including me. I had several certified divers along who just wanted to dive, plus a fair amount of students. Due to the number of students, I had to break them into 2 smaller groups. I dove with one group in the morning and the other group in the afternoon. I worked with Wayne Green of Thousand Island Pleasure Divers who was most cooperative in arranging two trips a day for me to the same dive site.
On Tuesday August 5, we started our trip by diving the Kingshorn, a really nice wreck about 5 minutes from the dock. In fact, you can almost see the mooring buoy on the wreck from the dock! It's a surprisingly nice wreck only about 100 yards off shore in 75'-90' with very little curent and makes a great first dive for those who have never dove the St. Lawrence before. I took the opportunity to present students with some impromptu situations, like out of air drills.
I was finished with both dives by about 3 o'clock, so we headed over to DiveTech for air fills and to browse the amazing inventory of dive toys owner Dan Humble has assembled in his store. For those that have never had the pleasure of visiting Dan's store, remember the scene in Willy Wonka where Gene Wilder (Willy) first opens the door to the chocolate factory and everyone is awestruck by the wondrous sites? Well, DiveTech is like that, only for divers. And Dan doesn't have a chocolate waterfall (yet). After hanging about at DiveTech, it was time to head into Brockville for dinner at Bud's on the Bay. We enjoyed a nice dinner on the patio overlooking the St. Lawrence.
On Wednesday (Aug. 6), we had quite an outing. The plan was to dive the Keystorm, one of the best wrecks in the river. As it's on the American side, and we were departing from Canada, we had to clear US Customs on Heart Island. Rather than go through Customs twice, we put everyone on the boat in the morning and stayed on the wreck for two dives. Our group was also joined by my longtime friend Steve Lewis and his group of divers. Steve is an SDI/TDI instructor trainer and is also International Training's Marketing Director. The Keystorm is one of my favortite wrecks in the area. It's large enough that there's plenty to see and it lies on a shoal, affording you the opportunity to pick your depth. The bow of the ship is in about 30', while the stern is at about 115'. Again, I presented students with the opportunity to practice some skills like manifold drills, lost buddy procedures and lost/malfunctioning deco gas. That last one wasn't a problem I manufactured. The pressure gauge on Penny's deco bottle choose this dive to malfunction. So she and her buddy Bob had a little extra problem to sort out (which they did). In honor of our dives that day, we choose to eat dinner at the Keystorm Pub in Brockville. It's a great place to relax, eat and share a beer or two.
On Thursday, we took a break from wreck diving to do a couple drift dives in the river. Wayne dropped us near shore where we could stand on the bottom to get ourselves sorted out, and then we dropped down and drifted with the current. The two sites we dove weren't as pictureesque as others I've dove in the river, but the dives afforded us the opportunity to get some depth and a little more deco time. At the end of the dive, students deployed lift bags and did deco drifting under the bags. Upon surfacing, Wayne was waiting to pick us up in the boat.
My Advanced Nitrox/Decompression Procedures students were finished on Thursday, but I had 2 Trimix Diver candidates diving Friday. For their dive, we chose the Roy A. Jodrey. The Jodrey is a 640 ft. lake freighter built in 1965. In Nov. 1974, she hit a shoal in the river and sank near the US Coast Guard station on Wellesley Island. She is a unique dive. As she sits in the channel, there is no mooring line to her. Dive boats tuck up near shore and you enter the water in a small cove. Then you drop underwater, swim out to the wall, drop over the edge and descend. If you've done it right, you land on the Jodrey's wheelhouse at about 140', since the wreck lies right up against the wall. There are many levels to dive on the Jodrey. The wheelhouse is shallowest at about 140'. The next deck level is at about 160', the next around 170' and the spar deck is at about 180. The ship also has a pronounced list to starboard, so the port rail is much shallower than the the port side.
The current was minimal when we dove it which was nice for the students' sake, but unfortunately visibility was only fair. Our 20 minute bottom time flew by and then it was time to make our ascent. Since there is no mooring line on the wreck, one ascends up the face of the rock wall. As you ascend, you work your way upstream (into the current) so that you end up back in the cove where the dive boat is waiting.
We had some issues on our dive which I won't go into here. I'll just say "elegant" and "graceful" are not words that would describe our dive that day! But, everyone that got into the water, got out of the water safely, and that's what counts.
That was our last dive of the trip, so it was back to DiveTech to say goodbye and hit the road. It was a long drive and the border crossing could have gone quicker, but I finally fell into my own bed about 1:30 am.
It was a great trip and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year. Thanks to all the trip participants for their cooperation, patience and good humor. Also thanks to Wayne at Thousand Island Pleasure Divers and Dan at DiveTech for their help.
Anyway, after picking up Paul in Plymouth, MI, we crossed the border into Canada and drove east for many miles. The only down side to the 1000 Islands is its distance from my house. Let's fast forward to about 5 pm when we arrived at the motel in Mallorytown Landing, ON. We checked in, unloaded and headed out for dinner at Caiger's Resort, which also happens to be the place where we caught the boat each morning.
Our group consisted of 11 divers including me. I had several certified divers along who just wanted to dive, plus a fair amount of students. Due to the number of students, I had to break them into 2 smaller groups. I dove with one group in the morning and the other group in the afternoon. I worked with Wayne Green of Thousand Island Pleasure Divers who was most cooperative in arranging two trips a day for me to the same dive site.
On Tuesday August 5, we started our trip by diving the Kingshorn, a really nice wreck about 5 minutes from the dock. In fact, you can almost see the mooring buoy on the wreck from the dock! It's a surprisingly nice wreck only about 100 yards off shore in 75'-90' with very little curent and makes a great first dive for those who have never dove the St. Lawrence before. I took the opportunity to present students with some impromptu situations, like out of air drills.
I was finished with both dives by about 3 o'clock, so we headed over to DiveTech for air fills and to browse the amazing inventory of dive toys owner Dan Humble has assembled in his store. For those that have never had the pleasure of visiting Dan's store, remember the scene in Willy Wonka where Gene Wilder (Willy) first opens the door to the chocolate factory and everyone is awestruck by the wondrous sites? Well, DiveTech is like that, only for divers. And Dan doesn't have a chocolate waterfall (yet). After hanging about at DiveTech, it was time to head into Brockville for dinner at Bud's on the Bay. We enjoyed a nice dinner on the patio overlooking the St. Lawrence.
On Wednesday (Aug. 6), we had quite an outing. The plan was to dive the Keystorm, one of the best wrecks in the river. As it's on the American side, and we were departing from Canada, we had to clear US Customs on Heart Island. Rather than go through Customs twice, we put everyone on the boat in the morning and stayed on the wreck for two dives. Our group was also joined by my longtime friend Steve Lewis and his group of divers. Steve is an SDI/TDI instructor trainer and is also International Training's Marketing Director. The Keystorm is one of my favortite wrecks in the area. It's large enough that there's plenty to see and it lies on a shoal, affording you the opportunity to pick your depth. The bow of the ship is in about 30', while the stern is at about 115'. Again, I presented students with the opportunity to practice some skills like manifold drills, lost buddy procedures and lost/malfunctioning deco gas. That last one wasn't a problem I manufactured. The pressure gauge on Penny's deco bottle choose this dive to malfunction. So she and her buddy Bob had a little extra problem to sort out (which they did). In honor of our dives that day, we choose to eat dinner at the Keystorm Pub in Brockville. It's a great place to relax, eat and share a beer or two.
On Thursday, we took a break from wreck diving to do a couple drift dives in the river. Wayne dropped us near shore where we could stand on the bottom to get ourselves sorted out, and then we dropped down and drifted with the current. The two sites we dove weren't as pictureesque as others I've dove in the river, but the dives afforded us the opportunity to get some depth and a little more deco time. At the end of the dive, students deployed lift bags and did deco drifting under the bags. Upon surfacing, Wayne was waiting to pick us up in the boat.
My Advanced Nitrox/Decompression Procedures students were finished on Thursday, but I had 2 Trimix Diver candidates diving Friday. For their dive, we chose the Roy A. Jodrey. The Jodrey is a 640 ft. lake freighter built in 1965. In Nov. 1974, she hit a shoal in the river and sank near the US Coast Guard station on Wellesley Island. She is a unique dive. As she sits in the channel, there is no mooring line to her. Dive boats tuck up near shore and you enter the water in a small cove. Then you drop underwater, swim out to the wall, drop over the edge and descend. If you've done it right, you land on the Jodrey's wheelhouse at about 140', since the wreck lies right up against the wall. There are many levels to dive on the Jodrey. The wheelhouse is shallowest at about 140'. The next deck level is at about 160', the next around 170' and the spar deck is at about 180. The ship also has a pronounced list to starboard, so the port rail is much shallower than the the port side.
The current was minimal when we dove it which was nice for the students' sake, but unfortunately visibility was only fair. Our 20 minute bottom time flew by and then it was time to make our ascent. Since there is no mooring line on the wreck, one ascends up the face of the rock wall. As you ascend, you work your way upstream (into the current) so that you end up back in the cove where the dive boat is waiting.
We had some issues on our dive which I won't go into here. I'll just say "elegant" and "graceful" are not words that would describe our dive that day! But, everyone that got into the water, got out of the water safely, and that's what counts.
That was our last dive of the trip, so it was back to DiveTech to say goodbye and hit the road. It was a long drive and the border crossing could have gone quicker, but I finally fell into my own bed about 1:30 am.
It was a great trip and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year. Thanks to all the trip participants for their cooperation, patience and good humor. Also thanks to Wayne at Thousand Island Pleasure Divers and Dan at DiveTech for their help.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Diving the Minnedosa July 24-25, 2008
It's been a busy summer and I haven't had time to post anything recently. On July 24th, a group of us headed back up to Harbor Beach, MI (seems like my second home) to dive once again with Gary Venet on His awesome boat, the Sylvia Anne (http://www.rectecdivecharters.com/).
Our target wreck was the Minnedosa, the largest sailing ship built on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes. She was about 250' long with four masts. She never really sailed much, being so big that she required a large crew and lots of wind. Plus, lacking maneuverability in port, she had to travel with her own tug. So, it was usually easier (and quicker) just to tow her. In October 1905, she and another barge were in tow of the steamer Westmount. No one knows for sure what happened, but it is surmised that the Minnedosa began to founder and that her captain ordered the towline cut in order to save the other vessels. Today she lies in about 210' of water in Lake Huron, east of Harbor Beach.
Our charter was to leave at 3 pm, but upon arrival, Gary informed us that we would have to cancel. Looking up at the flag standing straight out from the pole convinced us of the merit in that idea. Gary's divemaster, Tom, asked if we would like to visit the Harbor Beach lighthouse, under renovation to turn it into a museum (although it is also still an active light station). We hopped onto his boat and he ran us out to the end of the breakwall for an up close and personal look at the light house. I can't wait to see the interior after the renovation is complete.
By the time we got back from the lighthouse, the wind had died and we decided to give the Minnedosa a try. With little wind, the waves dropped pretty quickly and we were only mildly annoyed with the 2 foot rollers left on the lake. When we arrived at the site, we were treated to the site of an empty lake. No buoy. No mooring line. It seemed we weren't meant to dive that day. But Gary and Tom rigged a new mooring line and dropped it on the wreck. Since everyone else was diving with cameras, my buddy and I volunteered to tie the new mooring in. We dropped in, followed the line to the bottom (just 10 feet off the starboard side of the wreck!) and secured the mooring to the ship. We spent the remainder of our bottom time exploring the stern section of the wreck. The wheel is still there, and quite impressive. There are a number of artifacts on the stern cabin roof for divers to enjoy (and leave in place). We dropped over the stern to check out the massive rudder and elegant curves of the transom and then it was time to head up.
Due to our late start and spending time rigging the new mooring, we didn't get back to the dock until 8 pm. We quickly drove over to the motel to check in and then headed over to Hunter's Bar for dinner (one of only 2 establishments open at that hour in a small town).
Friday morning, July 25 brought beautiful weather. Once again, just some small waves on the lake. We motored out to the wreck and lo and behold, the mooring was still there. This time Steve and I got to spend our entire 25 min. bottom time exploring the wreck. We started by checking out the yawl boat on the lake bottom near the stern of the Minne And worked our way all the way to the bow, where we saw the windlass, both anchors, a boiler for a donkey engine to run the windlass and various other smaller artifacts. We swam 250' back to the stern and the ascent line, enjoying the sights as we went along.
The ride back to the dock was quick, at least it seemed that way to me. That may be because I had a wonderful nap the whole way back in!
It was another great couple days diving Lake Huron and we enjoyed every minute of it. Next week I'll be in The 1000 Islands region diving the St. Lawrence River. I'll try to post throughout the week, depending on how internet connections are up there.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Last Adv. Nitrox/Deco Course of the Summer!
The last Advanced Nitrox/Decompression Procedures course of the summer will begin August 23-24, 2008.
This initial weekend should cover the bulk of the academic study and several dives. Remaining meetings will be scheduled after completion of the weekend's activities.
This course is the entry level technical course in the line-up of TDI courses. Graduates will be proficient divers capable of planning and executing simple staged decompression dives using nitrox and oxygen to optimize decompression obligation. This combination course consists of approximately 8 hours of classroom work, at least three skills dives and at least 3 "working" dives.
Prerequisites: Candidates for this course should have experience diving in the conditions in which the course is to be conducted (e.g. Great Lakes). They should have a fundamental grasp of buoyancy and trim, and be familiar with the gear they will be wearing for the course. An advanced certification from SDI or another recognized agency and basic nitrox certification is required. The majority of candidates for this class wear a backplate, wing and double cylinders, but a single large-volume tank fitted with two first stages is acceptable. For a full equipment list, please ask.
Course fee is $850 per person and includes all textbooks, handouts, cards (upon successful completion of course objectives), and the instructor's time and expenses.
Please e-mail questions to rick@greatlakestechdiving.com.
This initial weekend should cover the bulk of the academic study and several dives. Remaining meetings will be scheduled after completion of the weekend's activities.
This course is the entry level technical course in the line-up of TDI courses. Graduates will be proficient divers capable of planning and executing simple staged decompression dives using nitrox and oxygen to optimize decompression obligation. This combination course consists of approximately 8 hours of classroom work, at least three skills dives and at least 3 "working" dives.
Prerequisites: Candidates for this course should have experience diving in the conditions in which the course is to be conducted (e.g. Great Lakes). They should have a fundamental grasp of buoyancy and trim, and be familiar with the gear they will be wearing for the course. An advanced certification from SDI or another recognized agency and basic nitrox certification is required. The majority of candidates for this class wear a backplate, wing and double cylinders, but a single large-volume tank fitted with two first stages is acceptable. For a full equipment list, please ask.
Course fee is $850 per person and includes all textbooks, handouts, cards (upon successful completion of course objectives), and the instructor's time and expenses.
Please e-mail questions to rick@greatlakestechdiving.com.
Adv. Nitrox/Deco Course July 12-13, 2008
It was back to Gilboa Quarry this past weekend for the initial weekend of an Advanced Nitrox/Decompression Procedures course. I met up with Brian, Ryan and Wally Saturday morning at the quarry. The plan was to do a few hours of academic material followed by our first training dive. We got off to a slow start due to an unexpected downpour just as we were getting ready to begin. We began an informal classroom session in the office until the rain let up. Marshall Allan brought down his nice new 8' X 10' enclosed trailer for us to use as a "portable classroom." We set up chairs and a whiteboard inside and got down to business.
Around noon we took a break for lunch and then reconvened to get ready for our dive. We looked over each other's equipment and configurations and planned our dive. We entered on the deep side of the quarry, swam over to a shallow shelf at about 30' to do some manifold drills and gas sharing. Then we dropped down to the 70' platform to work on deco cylinder handling, gas switches and SMB deployment.
Sunday morning we again met at 9 to do 2 more dives and just a little more classroom work. The first dive was another skill dive with "simulated" deco stops during the ascent. Our last dive of the day was a deep dive, incurring a small deco obligation, with the emphasis on proper execution of the dive rather than more skill repetition.
Other than some rain Saturday morning, the weather was sunny and hot, making for a beautiful weekend. Brian, Ryan and Wally all did well, although everyone knows what to put extra work on. Marshall was kind enough (or cruel enough) to video tape several of the class dives and give the guys DVD's to take home so they can critique themselves. Video is a very valuable teaching tool and I appreciate Marshall bringing his camera and even his DVD duplicator out to the quarry for us.
This course will finish up with dives in the 1000 Islands in a few weeks. The St. Lawrence is one of my favorite dive sites, so look for a report around mid-August.
Around noon we took a break for lunch and then reconvened to get ready for our dive. We looked over each other's equipment and configurations and planned our dive. We entered on the deep side of the quarry, swam over to a shallow shelf at about 30' to do some manifold drills and gas sharing. Then we dropped down to the 70' platform to work on deco cylinder handling, gas switches and SMB deployment.
Sunday morning we again met at 9 to do 2 more dives and just a little more classroom work. The first dive was another skill dive with "simulated" deco stops during the ascent. Our last dive of the day was a deep dive, incurring a small deco obligation, with the emphasis on proper execution of the dive rather than more skill repetition.
Other than some rain Saturday morning, the weather was sunny and hot, making for a beautiful weekend. Brian, Ryan and Wally all did well, although everyone knows what to put extra work on. Marshall was kind enough (or cruel enough) to video tape several of the class dives and give the guys DVD's to take home so they can critique themselves. Video is a very valuable teaching tool and I appreciate Marshall bringing his camera and even his DVD duplicator out to the quarry for us.
This course will finish up with dives in the 1000 Islands in a few weeks. The St. Lawrence is one of my favorite dive sites, so look for a report around mid-August.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Another Great Weekend on Lake Huron
This weekend we were diving Lake Huron once again. I have to admit, diving the wrecks near Harbor Beach, MI from the Sylvia Anne is one of my favorite dive trips. Capt. Gary Venet is top notch (not to mention a helluva nice guy) and his boat is about the best I've ever dove from.
Marshall and Renee Allan, Eric Ward and I arrived Friday afternoon for a trip out to the Glenorchy, a 350' steel freighter that sank due to collision. She's upside down at a depth of 120'. The engine room can be penetrated by those properly trained and equipped, and is really the main reason to dive this wreck. Without penetration, all there is to see is a very large, steel hull.
Saturday and Sunday we dove the Dunderburg, one of the best wooden schooners in the Great Lakes. For the whole story and some outstanding pictures, check out Andy Morrison's website here.
We had excellent weather and visibility all weekend. It was mostly sunny, with nice blue skies and temperatures in the 70's. On the lake, the wind was light and favorable. I don't think we ever had much more than a 1' swell. Visibility averaged 50' or more.
This trip also marked the maiden voyage of Marshall's new dive trailer. He just bought a nice, new 8 x 10 enclosed trailer, allowing us to put four divers in his SUV and all the gear in the trailer. It worked out very well. We had plenty of room to haul everything we needed, plus it gave us a "base" to work out of at the marina to change out tanks etc. Thanks Marshall and Renee.
It was a very enjoyable weekend and everyone had good dives and came home safely.
Marshall and Renee Allan, Eric Ward and I arrived Friday afternoon for a trip out to the Glenorchy, a 350' steel freighter that sank due to collision. She's upside down at a depth of 120'. The engine room can be penetrated by those properly trained and equipped, and is really the main reason to dive this wreck. Without penetration, all there is to see is a very large, steel hull.
Saturday and Sunday we dove the Dunderburg, one of the best wooden schooners in the Great Lakes. For the whole story and some outstanding pictures, check out Andy Morrison's website here.
We had excellent weather and visibility all weekend. It was mostly sunny, with nice blue skies and temperatures in the 70's. On the lake, the wind was light and favorable. I don't think we ever had much more than a 1' swell. Visibility averaged 50' or more.
This trip also marked the maiden voyage of Marshall's new dive trailer. He just bought a nice, new 8 x 10 enclosed trailer, allowing us to put four divers in his SUV and all the gear in the trailer. It worked out very well. We had plenty of room to haul everything we needed, plus it gave us a "base" to work out of at the marina to change out tanks etc. Thanks Marshall and Renee.
It was a very enjoyable weekend and everyone had good dives and came home safely.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Lake Huron Trip Report
This weekend (June 7-8, 2008), I had the pleasure of diving with Capt. Gary Venet aboard the Sylvia Anne. I was working with a couple of Trimix Diver students. The target wrecks for the weekend were the Daniel J. Morrell (bow) and the Governor Smith. We were diving Lake Huron, off the tip of Michigan's "thumb." Our departure port was Harbor Beach, MI.
It was a wild weekend weather-wise and I didn't really think we'd get to dive much. We arrived Friday evening. Just after dinner, strong storms rolled through and I wasn't sure things would calm down by Saturday morning, especially since the Morrell is 26 miles from Harbor Beach. However, Saturday morning brought nice weather and gentle winds. We made it all the way to the wreck site and enjoyed waves of 2 feet or less. The Morrell is a classic Great Lakes steel freighter, about 600 ft. long. In November 1966, she broke in half and sank. The stern half of the vessel, still under power, continued steaming on until it sank some 5 miles from the bow section. The bow section is upright and intact (except for being only half a ship) in about 200'. The main deck is in about 160'. Visibility was good and we enjoyed exploring the shipwreck and visiting the wheelhouse and forward cabin areas.
Saturday night brought more storms. Sunday morning was pretty breezy and I turned my cell phone on early anticipating a call from Gary cancelling the dive. But once again, the weather gods smiled on us and about 8 am, the wind dropped. We headed out to dive the Governor Smith, a 240 foot-long wooden steamer that sank due to a collision with the Uranus in 1906. She lies at a depth of about 180'. Again, we were treated to waves of about 2 feet, which subsided throughout the morning to calm conditions. The wreck is nearly intact with many artifacts strewn about the deck and out into a large debris field around the wreck. The bow is impressive with anchors still in place. At the point of impact, you can see one of Uranus' anchors which broke loose and was left inside the Smith. We all enjoyed the dive and the nice ride back to the harbor.
While we were diving, a thick fog had developed. The trip back was like riding through a bag of cotton. When Gary slowed the boat to a crawl, we wondered what was up. Then, we began to make out rocks dead ahead. We were about 50 feet from the breakwall of Harbor Beach Marina! Gary expertly guided us into the entrance to the marina and back to the dock.
It was a wonderful weekend and we got very lucky. Not only did we get to dive both days, but we got to the wrecks we had targeted. I'm looking forward to returning in 2 weeks to do more diving from Harbor Beach.
It was a wild weekend weather-wise and I didn't really think we'd get to dive much. We arrived Friday evening. Just after dinner, strong storms rolled through and I wasn't sure things would calm down by Saturday morning, especially since the Morrell is 26 miles from Harbor Beach. However, Saturday morning brought nice weather and gentle winds. We made it all the way to the wreck site and enjoyed waves of 2 feet or less. The Morrell is a classic Great Lakes steel freighter, about 600 ft. long. In November 1966, she broke in half and sank. The stern half of the vessel, still under power, continued steaming on until it sank some 5 miles from the bow section. The bow section is upright and intact (except for being only half a ship) in about 200'. The main deck is in about 160'. Visibility was good and we enjoyed exploring the shipwreck and visiting the wheelhouse and forward cabin areas.
Saturday night brought more storms. Sunday morning was pretty breezy and I turned my cell phone on early anticipating a call from Gary cancelling the dive. But once again, the weather gods smiled on us and about 8 am, the wind dropped. We headed out to dive the Governor Smith, a 240 foot-long wooden steamer that sank due to a collision with the Uranus in 1906. She lies at a depth of about 180'. Again, we were treated to waves of about 2 feet, which subsided throughout the morning to calm conditions. The wreck is nearly intact with many artifacts strewn about the deck and out into a large debris field around the wreck. The bow is impressive with anchors still in place. At the point of impact, you can see one of Uranus' anchors which broke loose and was left inside the Smith. We all enjoyed the dive and the nice ride back to the harbor.
While we were diving, a thick fog had developed. The trip back was like riding through a bag of cotton. When Gary slowed the boat to a crawl, we wondered what was up. Then, we began to make out rocks dead ahead. We were about 50 feet from the breakwall of Harbor Beach Marina! Gary expertly guided us into the entrance to the marina and back to the dock.
It was a wonderful weekend and we got very lucky. Not only did we get to dive both days, but we got to the wrecks we had targeted. I'm looking forward to returning in 2 weeks to do more diving from Harbor Beach.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Charter Space Available!
I have two spaces open for the weekend of June 21-22, 2008. We're departing Harbor Beach, MI on the Sylvia Anne, operated by Rec and Tec Dive Charters. Saturday's departure time is 1 p.m. and Sunday's departure time is 8 a.m.
Charter fee is $110 per day and our target wreck is the Dunderburg, one of the most beautiful wooden shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. Depth on the wreck is about 150'. Advanced Nitrox/Decompression Procedures certification required, as well as Great Lakes diving experience.
E-mail me if you're interested.
Charter fee is $110 per day and our target wreck is the Dunderburg, one of the most beautiful wooden shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. Depth on the wreck is about 150'. Advanced Nitrox/Decompression Procedures certification required, as well as Great Lakes diving experience.
E-mail me if you're interested.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Intro to Tech Course, May 31-June 1, 2008
After a weekend off from diving, it was back to the water. This weekend I met Jim and Wally at White Star Quarry near Gibsonburg, OH for Intro to Tech. It was a great weekend and we got lucky with weather. Forecasts earlier in the week called for rain, but it ended up being sunny and warm both days (although we had 20-30 mph winds Saturday).
Both Jim and Wally had some experience diving in drysuits and double tanks prior to class. This isn't a prerequisite for the course in any way. Actually many people who take Intro to Tech are advanced recreational divers who wear single tanks and wetsuits whose goal is to see what technical diving is all about and if it's a path they want to follow. Jim and Wally have already decided to pursue technical diving and took Intro to Tech to help prepare them for the Advanced Nitrox/Decompression Procedures course.
Their prior experience with doubles and drysuits allowed us to spend a minimum of time talking about some of those topics freeing up time for other things. We did our classroom and two dives Saturday and one dive Sunday. We were able to wrap up just after lunch Sunday so they could start their long drive back to Indiana. The dives went well and since this was their first trip to White Star, I got to introduce them to the quarry. On Sunday's dive, we went through the tunnel.
We spent a fair bit of time talking about dive planning, an often overlooked process in recreational diving (in my opinion). After tracking gas consumption over the first two dives, I asked them to predict what their pressure guages would read at the end of Sunday's dive. Before the dive, they each told me what they thought they'd end up with. At the end of the dive, we checked and each was within 100 psi of his prediction.
In the water we worked on buoyancy and trim, manifold shutdown drills, air sharing with a 7' hose, SMB deployment, and a few other manuevers.
On Sunday, I saw Leslie, Randy and others doing some training dives with Scott and Linda from MAST. For more information about the good work MAST is doing to research and document Ohio's underwater historical resources, check out the MAST website.
Both Jim and Wally had some experience diving in drysuits and double tanks prior to class. This isn't a prerequisite for the course in any way. Actually many people who take Intro to Tech are advanced recreational divers who wear single tanks and wetsuits whose goal is to see what technical diving is all about and if it's a path they want to follow. Jim and Wally have already decided to pursue technical diving and took Intro to Tech to help prepare them for the Advanced Nitrox/Decompression Procedures course.
Their prior experience with doubles and drysuits allowed us to spend a minimum of time talking about some of those topics freeing up time for other things. We did our classroom and two dives Saturday and one dive Sunday. We were able to wrap up just after lunch Sunday so they could start their long drive back to Indiana. The dives went well and since this was their first trip to White Star, I got to introduce them to the quarry. On Sunday's dive, we went through the tunnel.
We spent a fair bit of time talking about dive planning, an often overlooked process in recreational diving (in my opinion). After tracking gas consumption over the first two dives, I asked them to predict what their pressure guages would read at the end of Sunday's dive. Before the dive, they each told me what they thought they'd end up with. At the end of the dive, we checked and each was within 100 psi of his prediction.
In the water we worked on buoyancy and trim, manifold shutdown drills, air sharing with a 7' hose, SMB deployment, and a few other manuevers.
On Sunday, I saw Leslie, Randy and others doing some training dives with Scott and Linda from MAST. For more information about the good work MAST is doing to research and document Ohio's underwater historical resources, check out the MAST website.
Monday, May 19, 2008
May 17-18 Trimix Class Report
This past weekend I had the pleasure of conducting the initial phases of the TDI Trimix Diver course with two students; Steve and Eric. Our base of operations was Gilboa Quarry near Findlay, OH. We rented the cottage for the weekend which functioned as our classroom and lodging for the night. Plus, we were just steps from the water, allowing us tremendous scheduling flexibility. We began Saturday morning by checking in, settling in to the cottage and spending a couple hours on academic material. After 2 hours of clasroom, it was time to get in the water. Our first dive was a "shake down" dive of sorts; lots of review of skills like manifold drills, out of gas scenarios, buoyancy control, SMB deployment. After the dive, we took a lunch break, informally discussed some more academic topics and got ready for dive two.
Dive two focused on more team-building, situational awareness, handling two deco bottles, SMB deployment and drift deco. Following the dive, we relaxed a bit, spent some time talking about dive planning, contingency planning and a few other topics of interest. We were invited to join Mike and Jodi, the quarry owners for dinner, and enjoyed a great meal of lasagna, salad, rolls and pecan pie and brownies for dessert.
After such a wonderful meal, we all felt like a nap, but pushed on, talking about deco theory and how to construct a decompression schedule. By late evening, we were finished and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the quarry. This was the first time any of us had stayed overnight at the quarry and we were all amazed at the difference. During the day, the quarry is crowded with divers and can be, well, a zoo. At night, it's quite peaceful and relaxing.
We got an early start Sunday morning. We prepared for a morning dive and splashed at 8:30 am. This was planned to be a nice long, deep dive. We spent about 30 minutes at 120'. Steve and Eric did a great job, even when I presented unexpected scenarios to them. By the time we completed our deco and surfaced, the dock was crowded with divers just beginning their day. Luckily, we had planned only one dive for Sunday, so we were able to escape the fray.
We concluded the day with a discussion of the dive, some general discussion of the entire weekend, and some planning for our future meetings.
Thanks to Steve and Eric for an enjoyable weekend and to Mike, Jodi, Whitney and the rest of the Gilboa staff for their hospitality.
Dive two focused on more team-building, situational awareness, handling two deco bottles, SMB deployment and drift deco. Following the dive, we relaxed a bit, spent some time talking about dive planning, contingency planning and a few other topics of interest. We were invited to join Mike and Jodi, the quarry owners for dinner, and enjoyed a great meal of lasagna, salad, rolls and pecan pie and brownies for dessert.
After such a wonderful meal, we all felt like a nap, but pushed on, talking about deco theory and how to construct a decompression schedule. By late evening, we were finished and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the quarry. This was the first time any of us had stayed overnight at the quarry and we were all amazed at the difference. During the day, the quarry is crowded with divers and can be, well, a zoo. At night, it's quite peaceful and relaxing.
We got an early start Sunday morning. We prepared for a morning dive and splashed at 8:30 am. This was planned to be a nice long, deep dive. We spent about 30 minutes at 120'. Steve and Eric did a great job, even when I presented unexpected scenarios to them. By the time we completed our deco and surfaced, the dock was crowded with divers just beginning their day. Luckily, we had planned only one dive for Sunday, so we were able to escape the fray.
We concluded the day with a discussion of the dive, some general discussion of the entire weekend, and some planning for our future meetings.
Thanks to Steve and Eric for an enjoyable weekend and to Mike, Jodi, Whitney and the rest of the Gilboa staff for their hospitality.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
June Advanced Nitrox/Deco Course Enrolling Now
I'll be starting a TDI Advanced Nitrox, Decompression Procedures course at Gilboa Quarry in northwest Ohio on the weekend of June 28 and 29, 2008. This initial weekend at Gilboa should cover the bulk of the academic study and at least two skills dives. Remaining meetings will be scheduled after completion of the weekend's activities.
This course is the entry level technical course in the line-up of TDI courses. Graduates will be proficient divers capable of planning and executing simple staged decompression dives using nitrox and oxygen to optimize decompression obligation.
The course consists of: classroom sessions, skill dives conducted in the quarry, and "graduation" dives conducted in the Great Lakes. This combination course consists of approximately 8-10 hours of classroom work, at least three skills dives and at least 3 "working" dives.
Prerequisites
Candidates for this course should have experience diving in the conditions in which the course is to be conducted (e.g. Great Lakes). They should have a fundamental grasp of buoyancy and trim, and be familiar with the gear they will be wearing for the course. An advanced certification from SDI or another recognized agency and basic nitrox certification is required. The majority of candidates for this class wear a backplate, wing and double cylinders, but a single large-volume tank fitted with two first stages is acceptable. For a full equipment list, please ask.
Course fee is $850 per person and includes all textbooks, handouts, cards (upon successful completion of course objectives), and the instructor's time and expenses.
Please e-mail questions to rick@greatlakestechdiving.com.
This course is the entry level technical course in the line-up of TDI courses. Graduates will be proficient divers capable of planning and executing simple staged decompression dives using nitrox and oxygen to optimize decompression obligation.
The course consists of: classroom sessions, skill dives conducted in the quarry, and "graduation" dives conducted in the Great Lakes. This combination course consists of approximately 8-10 hours of classroom work, at least three skills dives and at least 3 "working" dives.
Prerequisites
Candidates for this course should have experience diving in the conditions in which the course is to be conducted (e.g. Great Lakes). They should have a fundamental grasp of buoyancy and trim, and be familiar with the gear they will be wearing for the course. An advanced certification from SDI or another recognized agency and basic nitrox certification is required. The majority of candidates for this class wear a backplate, wing and double cylinders, but a single large-volume tank fitted with two first stages is acceptable. For a full equipment list, please ask.
Course fee is $850 per person and includes all textbooks, handouts, cards (upon successful completion of course objectives), and the instructor's time and expenses.
Please e-mail questions to rick@greatlakestechdiving.com.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Intro to Tech Course, Gilboa Quarry, 4/19-20/2008
I taught a TDI Intro to Tech course yesterday and today at Gilboa Quarry near Findlay, OH. Two students were eager enough to sign up for a course this early in the season and it provided a great opportunity for them (and me) to get back in the water and practice up on some skills.
Intro to Tech is a weekend-long course designed to introduce the curious diver to the more advanced world of technical diving. Technical diving is loosely defined as scuba diving that takes place beyond the scope of "normal" sport scuba diving. Dives requiring staged decompression stops, mixed gas diving, diving in an overhead environment or dives deeper than 130' are all technical dives. Dives of this nature require very specialized equipment, techniques, procedures and planning. In the Intro to Tech course, I explain why tech diving is different than "recreational" diving and we explore some different types of equipment and learn about dive planning.
I met up with Randy and Bob Saturday morning at the quarry and we retired to "the apartment" to do our classroom work. The apartment is one of the lodging facilities available for rent at the quarry. We settled down around the kitchen table and spent the next several hours talking about diving in general and technical diving in particular. After our classroom work, we relaxed on the front deck and enjoyed our lunch in the sunshine. After lunch, we headed to the water for a shake down dive to get used to each other as a dive team and put into practice some of the pre-dive planning and dive protoccols we had talked about. The dive went well despite a chilly water temp of 42 degrees. We exited the water, had a dive debriefing and called it a day about 5.
Randy, Bob and I met this morning at the quarry for 2 more dives. Their team communication and buoyancy skills were better than on Saturday's dive. We did some other skills, like dealing with an out of air situation and deploying a surface marker buoy (SMB) before taking a break to get out and warm up. We spent much of our last dive just swimming and working on buoyancy and maintaining horizontal trim in the water. At the end of the dive, Randy deployed his SMB and we did an ascent using his line.
It was a great weekend and I had fun diving with Randy and Bob. Hopefully they had a good time and learned a thing or two along the way.
Intro to Tech is a weekend-long course designed to introduce the curious diver to the more advanced world of technical diving. Technical diving is loosely defined as scuba diving that takes place beyond the scope of "normal" sport scuba diving. Dives requiring staged decompression stops, mixed gas diving, diving in an overhead environment or dives deeper than 130' are all technical dives. Dives of this nature require very specialized equipment, techniques, procedures and planning. In the Intro to Tech course, I explain why tech diving is different than "recreational" diving and we explore some different types of equipment and learn about dive planning.
I met up with Randy and Bob Saturday morning at the quarry and we retired to "the apartment" to do our classroom work. The apartment is one of the lodging facilities available for rent at the quarry. We settled down around the kitchen table and spent the next several hours talking about diving in general and technical diving in particular. After our classroom work, we relaxed on the front deck and enjoyed our lunch in the sunshine. After lunch, we headed to the water for a shake down dive to get used to each other as a dive team and put into practice some of the pre-dive planning and dive protoccols we had talked about. The dive went well despite a chilly water temp of 42 degrees. We exited the water, had a dive debriefing and called it a day about 5.
Randy, Bob and I met this morning at the quarry for 2 more dives. Their team communication and buoyancy skills were better than on Saturday's dive. We did some other skills, like dealing with an out of air situation and deploying a surface marker buoy (SMB) before taking a break to get out and warm up. We spent much of our last dive just swimming and working on buoyancy and maintaining horizontal trim in the water. At the end of the dive, Randy deployed his SMB and we did an ascent using his line.
It was a great weekend and I had fun diving with Randy and Bob. Hopefully they had a good time and learned a thing or two along the way.
Monday, April 14, 2008
White Star Quarry 4/13/08
It seemed like a good idea at the time. I've been anxious to get back into the water and get this dive season going. I did a brief dive at White Star Quarry 3/31 and decided to go back Sunday April 13. I was going to dive with my friends and frequent dive partners Marshall and Renee Allan. Besides just shaking the dust off out dive gear, Renee was trying out some new dive gear (new doubles, backplate and wings). I was field testing a Pinnacle Evolution drysuit. Despite the fact that it's the middle of April, Sunday morning brought us a rain/snow mix with a temp of 35 degrees F. There were a handful of divers at the quarry and quite a few fishermen. Visibility was only marginal; about 20 feet. Water temp was 42 degrees F. We had a nice 45 minute dive. Everything went well, but I could sure tell that I haven't been diving a lot lately and need a few more practice dives to get back in the groove. I was nice and toasty until we got out and I changed back into street clothes after the dive. I'm looking forward to more diving, and hopefully warmer weather. Here's more info about White Star Quarry in case you're not familiar with it.
Winter Summary
Not surprisingly, I don't do much diving or teaching over the winter. These non-diving months are spent presenting at shows, planning trips and courses for the upcoming dive season and doing equipment maintenance.
This winter, I attended and had a booth at Shipwrecks and Scuba in Sandusky, OH back in November. I also presented at Our World Underwater in Chicago in February. My dive buddy Marshall Allan presented our video of the Gunilda while I presented a program about Great Lakes wreck diving called, "Great Lakes Wreck Diving: What's Your Next Step." The Gunilda video is a documentary Marshall I produced to tell the story of the sinking of the luxury yacht Gunilda which sank in Lake Superior in 1911. The yacht was owned by William Harkness, a millionaire whose family made their fortune investing in Standard Oil. As you can see from the picture above, she is a beautiful ship. She lies upright and very intact in 260'. My presentation about Great Lakes wreck diving discussed the various options available for those who dive (or want to dive) wrecks in the Great Lakes. We discussed types of wrecks in the lakes, deep diving, penetration diving, and mixed gas diving.
The rest of the late winter/early spring was spent organizing courses and trips. Quite a lot of time and effort goes into planning these little excursions. So far this season, I'm planning two weekend trips to Harbor Beach, MI in Michigan's "thumb", a 5 day trip to Presque Isle, MI (between Alpena and Rogers City), and a 4 day trip to the 1000 Island region of the St. Lawrence River. And those are only the "major" trips. I'll add many weekends at local quarries and several more Great Lakes weekends before all is said and done. So I've spent many hours coordinating divers' schedules with charter boat captains', making motel reservations, arranging for tank fills and dealing with a whole host of other details that go into planning dive trips.
So after a long winter, I'm ready to do some diving. Now if we can only get winter to end and spring to begin!
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog! I'm going to give this a try this dive season and see how it works. People are always asking me where I'm diving, how the trip went, what's up with courses and all sorts of other things. I'll attempt to post information about those topics, plus anything else I think may be of interest to divers, particularily Great Lakes wreck divers.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)