2009 In A Nutshell…

11 01 2010

The year was another fun-filled and adventure packed one, as far as diving goodness goes.

We started off the year with our annual New Year’s Dive, then with many friends visiting for ice diving. Our ice diving party in January was a cold one. Picking Richard up at the airport, and hearing his story about him pleading for them to let him into the country, was absolutely hilarious. It didn’t help that on the coldest night of the year, and a full house, the power went out. Some of the gang slept through it all, but we know they were grateful for the propane heater we stuck in the basement for them. The rest of us gathered by the fire, through the wee hours of the morning. Then, of course.. we went diving.

The river started to break up in March, and we made our way down for a dive. The water was still 35, and we did have failures, but at least we managed them. It was good to get back in the rivaaa!

The free divers came back to the quarry, and it was fascinating to watch them and photograph them. Some of my shots ended up in their magazine as well.

Beneath The Sea was so much fun again this year. It was great to meet up with people that I don’t get to see very often, as well as friends that I hadn’t seen in about 20 years. It was really fantastic to catch up, Dave!! We also got to hang out with some of the pioneers of our sport, which was something I could never have even imagined. What an amazing experience. Becky and David, it was great to finally meet up with you!

We spent alot of time this year, looking for a few things… New entry points along the river, and that elusive truck. I can’t even count the hours we spent looking for that darn thing. No.. we still haven’t found it. Another journey for 2010!

Greg Mossfeldt came to hang out with us too, which was alot of fun!

Here is a link to Greg’s account of one of our dives, and his slideshow of pictures…

http://www.mossmanscuba.com/articles/kinghorn-st-lawrence-rockport-ontario

Mooring day in Kingston was an adventure. Jen and I were buddied up on Mooring Day 2, and although the seas were rockin’, I kept my cookies in check. On one of the wrecks, we had thrown in a shot line, and the two of us were going in, to see if we could find the line. There had been a report from another charter operator, that the line was missing. The shot line was right beside the wreck, and we found the mooring, which seemed in good condition. Vinnie James and Sean were right behind us, and had the lift bag to throw it up. Away we went, circling the wreck, for some fun. Jen and I went in one direction, and the other two went the opposite way. After doing a turn of the wreck, we made our way to the shot line, to pull it a little farther from the wreck. Once we did that, we turned around, and the mooring line had disappeared. We wondered if we were in the same place or not, looked around, and decided that we were. When Vinnie and Sean came back around, they were also in disbelief that there was no line. We looked for a minute, then out came the thumbs. We ascended alongside the shot line, and upon surfacing, were also boatless. It’s amazing how quickly a boat attached to a mooring line that isn’t, can float away. Anne quickly realized that the numbers she was on were different than the coordinates she was supposed to be on, so she made her way back to us. What an adventure! I think I was better off floating in the water, than in the rockin’ boat though…lol. Although I was green, I kept it together. Still, a great day, and a great adventure.

We had many trips out to the Jodrey, with friends from all over North America joining us. It was a really great opportunity to meet some more amazing people, and build new friendships.

We also were able to build on friendships we already had.

Through Steve’s journey to become a GUE Instructor, we met even more fabulous people along the way. One friendship that has become important to both of us, is with Guy Shockey. I don’t want to go on too much about him, as he might get a swelled head, but he is definitely one heckofafellow, and we are both glad to call him our friend.

Then came the Canadian Invasions. What started out as a half joke about people coming to dive with us, and camping out in our back yard, has turned into a two weekend diving extravaganza, with even more awesome people. Our first weekend in Brockville, and the second weekend in Kingston, with both Recreational and Technical charters, and scooter dives. This was the first time that we had added Ktown to the bill, and we are looking forward to it again in 2010!

After the Invasions, Harvey came to visit us, and a few of us had signed up to do the Naui Tech 2 course with him. It was great fun having Harvey along, and we had alot of fun during the course.

In November, Steve and I headed down to High Springs, for the GUE Conference, and the IE. We met more amazing people, and finally got to check out the Florida caves. The Conference was well worth going to, and the caves.. well, one word… WICKED!

All of the events planned were alot of fun, and it was just fantastic to meet up with other GUE folk from around the globe. It was even fun to have a little spot for “DIR Ontario” on opening day, at the Conference.

It was especially cool to meet JP and Anne Marie near the Ear at Ginnie!

Special thanks to Sheila and Steve, for putting up with me on my virgin kayak trip… 10 MILES!! Another special thanks to both George and Jeff, for showing us around the wet rocks! We loved it!! It was really wonderful to finally meet some of our friends face to face, instead of our internet meetings! Two words.. Amanda rocks.. 🙂

I still think our version of the Peanut Tunnel is amusing…

This is one of my favourite pictures from the trip, taken by Amanda Cotton…

We also got to take Flat Stanley cave diving in Little River. Picture taken by Jeff Schrieber…

On the last day of the conference, Steve, myself, Guy, and Dan decided to go up to Madison, for a couple of dives. Yet another amazing day.

I am not sure how many “incredible” words I can come up with, to describe how great this trip was. Um… can we move?

Upon returning home, we were greeted with snow and much colder temperatures. While the quarry was still open, it didn’t take long before it was frozen over.

We definitely had an extra spectacular year, and we are definitely looking forward to the adventures that 2010 will bring!

Double kudos to Steve and Guy, for becoming GUE Instructors!! w000000000t!! 😮

I have also done a Three Part picture video set, of some of the year’s photos!


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Into The Cavez!

11 11 2009

Monday, November 9th, 2009 ~

Meeting time was 9am at EE, and Steve, myself, and George drove over to Ginnie Springs. This would be our first time in the Florida caves, and we were looking forward it. Our Cave 1 course had been in Mexico, and conditions in each place are very different.

Entrance to the water…

Hawk, guarding the entrance…

George debriefed us on the parts of the cave that we would encounter, tips on how to avoid being directly in the flow, and he would run the reel… Thank goodness for that, as I learned very quickly, that descending into the Ear at Ginnie, should not be done in trim… I have to admit, the flow kicked my butt! I had to really work, to get myself down there, and I know that I huffed and puffed a “bit.” Once we were down, George tied into the main line, and we ascended to the ceiling. We made our way along to the lips, and through the keyhole, and made it a bit further, when I turned the dive on gas. On the way out, George pointed out a few of the side tunnels to us, which was pretty amazing!

Now… to get out. Ay carumba… I guess I was in a funny position, and I felt the flow pushing my butt end straight up. I swear, I was going to flip over…lol. George gave me a little shove to make sure I didn’t… Thank you, George! Once I got past that little spot, I was able to brace myself a little bit better. When we surfaced, I couldn’t help but feel that I got my butt kicked… but… I still enjoyed doing the dive, and learing more. I wondered if I wanted to go back in or not, and decided that the only way to get better at it, was to get back in.

Entrance to the Ear, where the orange marker is…

We recalculated our gas, and went back in. This time, I went head down, and had a much easier and faster entrance into the cave. We had left the reel in, so we were a go. I found it so much easier this time around, as I knew what to expect in different areas, and was able to look at even more of the cave this time. We actually went farther this time, having less penetration gas. Coming out was a bit easier this time around as well, When we surfaced, I was happy that I had done the second dive, and I look forward to going back!

Two other divers were in the water, and when I heard my name, we saw Anne Marie and JP! We had hoped to run into them at some point, and did so right away!

What a fantastic day of cave diving goodness!


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Two Days On The Jodrey

8 10 2009

Saturday, September 12th, 2009 ~

Steve and I had prepacked the DGTU #2 on Friday night, and were ready to head down to the river. We bid a good morning to Mer, who was going down to the river for some scootering goodness, and away we went. Once we got there, we met up with friends from the east, and some friends from the good ol’ US of A, for a trip out to the Jodrey!

Our friends, Becky and David were tying the knot today, so we decided to congratulate them from afar!

Me…

Jeff P….

We loaded up the Shaleka J, and headed out towards customs.

Claudia, Sean, and I were diving together today, Kevin and Steve were headed to the Engine Room, and Ron, Ed, and Chris were also diving together.

We got through customs, and made our way over to the mooring tree. We had all geared up, and had to have a couple of Animal Crackers, that Chris so generously shared.

Since Kevin and Steve had a longer run time than the rest of us, they splashed in first. Their mission today, was to go into the Engine Room, and plan to bring the camera the following day.

Chris and Ed ready to go…

Then Sean, Claudia, and I splashed in, and descended down to the wreck. Or… so the plan was… When we reached 140′, we realized that we were in a different spot, and did not see the crow’s nest. We descended a little more, and decided to hit the trigger. We scootered alongside the wall, with no wreck in site, so we turned around and headed back. Ohh… look! A wreck!! *Phew!* Judging by the time that we had gone out and back, we realized that we had descended beside the hull, and being in complete darkness (lights didn’t do much there), we did not see it. Oh well… here we were.

We swam around the bow, and did a tour of the wheelhouse, before it was time to turn around. We made our way up the wall, and had a nice, relaxing deco… until we got back around the boat. The current was screaming there, and Claudia’s borrowed scooter wasn’t cooperating. We managed to make it back to the boat, and chilled in the shallows for a bit. Oh… not without some more congratulations…

Then, of course, the Kool Aid shots…

Once everyone was back aboard, we headed for the dock, and went for dinner. The kind folks at Boston Pizza donated a pizza to our cause, which was very much appreciated!

Sunday, September 13th, 2009 ~

Another day, and another trip out to the Jodrey. Kevin and Steve took some video footage of the Engine Room.



It was a fantastic day out on the river, and we even had a rasta friend aboard…

Some shots from the day…

A couple of happy Engine Room fellas…

Special thanks for all of the Scuba Snacks too!

When we got back to the shop, Jeff showed us his new Commercial Diving rig, for his upcoming course!

We had alot of fun in the sun, and really, there’s only one way to sum it up…


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Another Dive On The Freighter

30 08 2009

Saturday, August 29th, 2009 ~

Six of us headed to Rockport, and loaded up Shaleka J with our gear and scooters, for another ride to the Jodrey. Upon bringing our gear down, we noticed a spider, about the size of a baseball…

Kevin and Steve were going to do some investigating, Jay and Jeremy teamed up to explore, and Jen and I paired up once again. We did our predive checks, and away we went.

Jeff and Jen… on the way out…

Jeremy and Steve…

Kevin…

Jen and I descended alongside the wall, and came upon the port side of the wheelhouse, where there is normally a screaming current, that tries to flip your feet over your head, as it makes its way over the port side railing. Today, there was nothing… zilch… nada… no current there at all. Despite our confusion of the matter, we took advantage of the situation, and swam around that area. We checked out the holes that we normally get swooshed past. The aft side of the wheelhouse did have a screaming current, so we made our way over to the crane, where we checked out a few other doors and windows.

We made our ascent, and did our usual playing with the fish on deco.

A very fun dive!

Max. Depth ~ 176′
Bottom Time ~ 64 mins.
Water Temp. ~ 73
Visibility ~ 25′

Jay, after his dive…

Kevin and Jay…

Jen…

We waited for Steve and Kevin to surface, as they were headed to the Engine Room today!

Jen and I jumped in for some fun while we waited…

It seemed that we had some company too…

Jeff made a call to the US Coast Guard, who came down the hill with another nice looking dog, and picked him up. Apparently, he is deaf, and belongs to the US Coast Guard.

The fellas were successful in finding the correct entrance to the engine room, and were taking the camera on the next venture out!

Self portrait…

When we got back to the dock, we were greeted by Andy, who was there to say hello, and to see Steve about a machine. 😀

Before heading out for our tradition of a post dive meal, Jeff showed us his new rig!

Another great time was had by all, and we were all looking forward to the footage that Kevin and Steve would gather on their next dive to the Engine Room!


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In Between Invasions

20 08 2009

Monday, August 10th, 2009 ~

I stayed down on Sunday night, so Mer and I could go out for some scootering goodness! We went down to Centeen Park, and when we were driving down the main drag, I could hear Mer’s GPS through my radio. I thought it was pretty funny, seeing as it was trying to zig as I was trying to zag. “Turn left on Front Street. ” “Turn LEFT on Front Street!” “TURN LEFT ON… bah…” I could almost hear the frustration in the guy’s fancy GPS voice. Ha.. got you, Mr. GPS man, for I know another route!

We arrived at the Park, even though the GPS was sure we were going the wrong way, geared up, and in we went. We noticed that there was now a gate on the stairs of the entrance, to try and deter the geese from coming in.

We had planned to scooter along the wall, and head down into the channel, at the drop off point. I knew that it was 14 minutes on the trigger until we reached it. Sixteen minutes went by, and we hadn’t reached it. I knew we had taken two minutes at the beginning of the dive, to sort ourselves out and do checks, so we should be nearing it now. Nope, no drop off. Ok.. we’ll head South a bit, into the channel anyway, seeing as we know the compass directions.

We goofed around a bit, practiced barrel rolls, did fancy dances, and basically did things that most people would probably have us committed for. We had an absolute blast. We drifted along at 65′, hoping to run on to the Gaskin. Steve has serious Spidey Sense when it comes to getting there, and I was trying to emulate it. Yeah… not so much.

We didn’t want to go too far past it, so we went along into the shallows, and decided to surface, to see where we were. Yeah, not even close to the wreck. We hadn’t even gotten to it yet. Oh well… we were still in good shape.

We ducked back below, and were on the exact path that we had taken out, so we knew where we were. We got back to the basin, messed around some more, then headed back in.

Thanks for the belly laughs, Mer!!

Bottom Time ~ 84 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 70′
Water Temp. ~ 71
Visibility ~ Decent in the channel

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 ~

Oh.. what better to do on a Wednesday after work, than go diving? Steve and I packed up and went to meet Mer, Gerard, and Jay for more scootering goodness.

This time we got to the drop off point, which was actually farther out than we had gone on Monday. Oh well.. we’ll know for next time!

We dropped down, hit the channel, and the visibility was incredible! Sweet!!! Steve and Jay ducked and dived at bottles, while we all played in the channel. Mer and I did more barrel rolls, and we eventually hit the Gaskin on the way back. We played around the wreck, having a grand ol’ time, and then scootered and drifted off of it. When we made it back to the basin, we all had grins the size of Texas on our faces, from such a great dive. We all had alot of fun.

Bottom Time ~ 99 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 105′
Water Temp. ~ 72
Vis. ~ 25′ – 50′


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