US Thanksgiving Holiday Diving Goodness!

29 11 2012

Friday, November 23rd, 2012 ~

After arriving in the wee hours of the morning, our guests Tim F. and Eric P. had a bit of a rest, then we were up and at ’em, for some Quarry Diving Goodness! Steve was under the weather, so we had to leave him behind, and headed up to the Quebec side.

We also met Kevin L. up there, who was joining us for the day! It was a very grey day, but I brought my camera anyway, to see what kind of shots I could get. Without strobes, I knew that any shots below 40′ would be dull and grainy.

After our gear and bubble checks, I took advantage of the light in the shallows…

Eric P.

Tim F.

Kevin L.

We made our way out to the plane, where there was a new box of goodies…

We played around with the toys for a while (yes, we cleaned up after ourselves, and returned all toys to the box), and then found an extremity…

“Nice to meet you…”

You know… You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose!

We then made our way to the boat, where we took turns swimming through…

Then, down for a visit to the sub, and back up…

Of course, we had to go and visit Morry (the resident shark) for a few pictures.

Bottom Time: 49 mins.
Max. Depth: 61′
Water Temp.: 48F

A great way to start the weekend!

We packed up, and went for a yummy dinner, at Boston Pizza!

Saturday, November 24th, 2012 ~

Today, we were back at the quarry, but added more friends, plus scooters! I decided to leave the UW camera at home, since the sun was hiding. At least I have some surface shots.

We haven’t seen THIS guy in a while!

A pic of the quarry…

Tim, flushing up to be the Michelin Man!

We geared up, and took the guys on a tour of the quarry. We were able to zip around the entire area, as well as drop down to see the cars. The water was pretty chilly down there, and I could actually hear the crispness of my exhaling bubbles… Yeah, yeah… Probably narc’d, right? 🙂 I swear, I can hear how cold my bubbles are!

Of course, we had a bit of Shenaniganry, before making our way back in.

Bottom Time: 50 mins.
Max. Depth: 105′
Water Temp.: 44F (below thermocline)

We dropped our gear off at home, then went out for some Viet Cuisine!

Sunday, Novemer 25th, 2012 ~

Timmy’s for breakfast, and then it was down to the Rivaaaaaaa! The sunshine was very welcoming!

Our group grew even more today, and we had decided on going to visit the old Chevy truck.

I think Oren is glad to be back!

There was also a bit of Gangnam Style going on…

Caught ya, Bob!

Steve jumped in for a glove leak test…

JB, about to gear up!

Discussing the plan of attack…

We teamed up in pairs, even though we were going to stick together. It is easier to keep track of one buddy, instead of 5. Poor Tim was stuck with me. 😛

We headed over to the Gaskin, took our bearing on the trigger, and headed towards the truck. Since the water is cooling off a bit quickly, we opted to stay on the trigger a bit longer, instead of drifting more. Once we thought we were getting close, we let up off of the trigger, spread out, and kept our eyes peeled. Tim and I were on the North side of the brigade, and I had a feeling that we were in the “right” spot, for the truck.

Sure enough, I saw a shadow, as we drifted along. I signaled to Tim, then signaled over to the other guys.. It’s here! It’s here!

w00t! Happy Dances, all around! We took turns checking it out, then made our way back to shore. We saw a fairly large pike, on the way back, and the visibility wasn’t all that great, but it was much better than it has been, lately.

Very much fun was had!

Bottom Time: 1 hour, 4 minutes
Max. Depth: 98′
Water Temp.: 46F

Of course, there was fun dive discussion, before everyone went on their travels home. It was really great to have such a great day of fun, and it was nice to have new visitors!

Y’all come back now, ya hear! 😛


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Categories : Twenty 12

Park It

12 11 2012

Sunday, November 11th, 2012 ~

After paying our respects for Remembrance Day, we ventured down to Centeen Park, to see how the visibility was doing, in the channel. We packed the 26s, since the water is chilling, and longer river dives will have to wait until late spring, now.

When we arrived, we saw hundreds of geese, taking over the waterfront. Since the city had removed the fake foxes and “police tape,” the geese had returned to the lawn. We were dodging goose “bombs,” everywhere we stepped.

A small section of geese…

James, John B., and Eric B. met us for some channel surfing. The sun was shining, which was really nice, and we had a surprise day of 20C, outside! What a beautiful day to dive!

We brought our gear down, and once we geared up and got in the water, it was definitely a bit chilly on our faces. It doesn’t take long to acclimate your face to the water, but that initial face dunk is definitely “refreshing.” We finished our gear checks, verified stage bottles, and were off. The visibility was definitely improving, but still had a bit of a milky glow to it.

We made our way to the park bench, and before carrying on with our plan, James and John decided to drop down into the channel. There was a bit of leakage going on, so they cut it a bit shorter. We carried on for another 7 minutes, then also dropped down. The visibility was fantastic! We saw a few neat bottles, and were in an area of silty dirt river bed. We did not see many fish on this dive, with the exception of a few unlucky ones, with a white “fuzz” wrapped around them.

As we drifted along, we came up to a spot where there were some giant boulders, as well as a small, rocky area, that was very interesting. There were a few items strewn about, including some large round tins. They were almost like giant paint cans. I didn’t touch them, as those kinds of items usually fall apart, if you do.

We spent a little time at depth, but made our way towards the wreck of the Gaskin before too long. The water temps are starting to drop, and our drifts are starting to get a bit shorter! Once there, we didn’t stick around very long, but headed back to the entry.

I really enjoy these dives. Even though we use the same entry when we are here, we always have different places to go and see, dependent on where we drop into the channel. I also enjoy the variance of the currents, and how they are never the same. That, and I have good buddies to play with!

The entry, also showing how low the water levels are, right now. The water is usually over at least the bottom step.

Bottom Time: 1 hour, 14 mins.
Max. Depth: 107′
Water Temp.: 48 F
Visibility: 20′ to 70′ in the channel

Once we got out, we did have some chatter, of course.

We also picked up our gear…

As we brought the gear up, the geese were also changing what side of the park to be on. They were quite leery of us, and would freeze, if we walked near them. I thought it was pretty funny when their procession halted, as I was about to walk through. They waited until I was done, then carried on, to the rest of the gaggle…

After packing up, we headed over to the pub for some Indian food and salad (well, that’s what I had). I have a feeling that there aren’t many river dives left in this season! Soon, we will be quarry-bound!


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Categories : Twenty 12