| The George A. Marsh, Kingston ON | N 44° 7.6', W 76° 36.2' | ||||
| Dive Number 204 | Buddy Gary | Surface temp 24°C | Starting pressure 3100psi | ||
| Depth 81ft | Visibility fair | Time 31m | Water temp 10°C | Ending pressure 800psi | |
Notes: | Mark was feeling happy with his first dive and elected to bubblewatch for the second dive of the day - Gary and I entered last (him having finished well after me on the first dive, and wanting to spend a full hour surface interval to maximize his bottom time). We had a good tour of the wreck, seeing the impressive bowsprit and stern features; had it not been for Gary, I would have overlooked the remains of on old lifeboat on the port side of the deck! We arrived up and Gary shared that this was his thirty-sixth dive... on this wreck! Here's to good buddies! And here's to getting home and resting: I agreed to cover an extra overnight shift that night! | ||||
Saturday, September 15, 2018
| The George T. Davie, Kingston ON | N 44° 6.8', W 76° 34.8' | ||||
| Dive Number 203 | Buddies Mark, Gary | Surface temp 23°C | Starting pressure 3100psi | ||
| Depth 93ft | Visibility fair | Time 19m | Water temp 9°C | Ending pressure 1700psi | |
Notes: | This was Mark's first boat dive! We were connected to a veteran diver named Gary from Hamilton and expecting to stay down less time, descended the line last. This wreck is deeper than technically permitted for a basic open water diver, so we planned on swimming over the boat, but the visibility was middle and we ended up near the muck. The bottom was cold and dark, and we took a look at the bow and crossed over the hull. Mark's air was starting to diminish, so we swam back to the line. Gary stayed down for a few more minutes of bottom time without us, and Mark and I ascended and hung for a safety stop together. Boat dive success! | ||||
Friday, August 31, 2018
| Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Kingston ON | N 44° 13.0', W 76° 31.1' | ||||
| Dive Number 202 | Buddies Mark, Neva | Surface temp 17°C | Starting pressure 3100psi | ||
| Depth 42ft | Visibility poor | Time 40m | Water temp 20°C | Ending pressure 1700psi | |
Notes: | Neva and I met up with Mark at Portsmouth to make another attempt to find the lines and anchors and chairs and remember all our gear and everything! Neva had not used her wetsuit in over a year and it no longer really fits, but she managed to squeeze into it for one last dive today. We found the pipes! We found the line! We saw the anchors! We saw the chair! We saw the stop sign! We found our way home! Success! Also we saw two very large drum. Or one very large drum twice. Also I used my new dive computer. It's an Aqualung i300. And I wore my 7mm suit only without a hood, and 16 lbs and it was good. And also also I forgot to give Mark his ten bucks for the air. I owe you, buddy! | ||||
Friday, August 10, 2018
| Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Kingston ON | N 44° 13.0', W 76° 31.1' | ||||
| Dive Number 201 | Buddy Mark | Surface temp 27°C | Starting pressure 2900psi | ||
| Depth 28ft | Visibility good | Time 45m | Water temp ~16°C | Ending pressure 1700psi | |
Notes: | Mark and I managed to find a little more time to log another dive this afternoon. We expected to follow the Portsmouth Harbour line out the anchor and explore a line from that branches off to the Northeast - I understand it goes to another anchor? Instead, we failed to even find the first lin and just went for a leisurely swim around the harbour. Our error? We didn't head far enough South at the beginning of our dive to find the starting point; we just kept going Southeast and expected to run into the line. We saw some freshwater rum, a few bass, and the hull that's probably been there all along but which we'd never seen before just next to the pier. Then we went under again to make sure we'd know how to find the pipes and the line next time. No post dive food! I had to come home to make supper for the family! | ||||
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
| Morton's Wharf, Kingston ON | N 44° 13.0', W 76° 30.3' | ||||
| Dive Number 200 | Buddy Mark | Surface temp 25°C | Starting pressure 2900psi | ||
| Depth 25ft | Visibility fair | Time 32m | Water temp 19°C | Ending pressure 1700psi | |
Notes: | Mark and I managed to schedule another quick shore dive before Games night. Last time I dove with him on Morton's Wharf, I had forgotten my weight belt and dove with no wetsuit to try and compensate. Guess what I forgot again this time! This time, Mark had a couple pounds to spare for my pockets. Also I think my aged dive computer may be dying: It didn't turn on at first descent, and also it claimed the dive was over part way through. On the plus side, no wet neoprene smell int he car afterwards! I had kind of been expecting I ought to do a more noteworthy dive for my two-hundredth (and Mark's tenth!), but the water was fine and we saw a few bass and a large collection of gobies near the wharf when practicing buoyancy before exiting. Post-dive supper was Darbar, and Neva joined up with us for games night over at Andrew's place. [Coloretto, Shadows Over Camelot] | ||||
Friday, June 22, 2018
| The Rothesay, Brockville ON | N 44° 42.0', W 75° 31.2' | ||||
| Dive Number 199 | Buddy Mark | Surface temp 22°C | Starting pressure 2850psi | ||
| Depth 29ft | Visibility fair | Time 40m | Water temp 15°C | Ending pressure 1700psi | |
Notes: | COMPUTER FAIL! Data are estimates For Mark's 9th and my 199th dive, we drive down the St Lawrence the Rothesay, a site I expected to be familiar to me and simple for him. I had read that the line was hidden but figured we'd have an easy enough time orienting ourselves and finding it. We managed to swim about a third of the way to the wreck on the surface and a short distance further on the bottom before Mark thankfully found it. The wreck was in good shape, and we found a few bass and a muskie at the stern. We also found the line back but in ended abruptly without getting close to shore. No wonder navigating out was so challenging! Packing up, I found an epic note on my windshield from someone who admired my new car but did not approve of my parking job! Mark and I had lunch in Kingston - another Reuben for me! | ||||
Friday, June 15, 2018
| Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Kingston ON | N 44° 13.0', W 76° 31.1' | ||||
| Dive Number 198 | Buddy Mark | Surface temp 24°C | Starting pressure 3100psi | ||
| Depth 40ft | Visibility good | Time 36m | Water temp 14°C | Ending pressure 2100psi | |
Notes: | Having postponed our dive from a couple days earlier because of weather, Mark and I joined up on Friday afternoon to make use of the new gear he's picked up it Dive Tech and have another easy shore dive. We found the pipes, found the line, the anchor, the chair and followed the "Stacked Hulls" line until we both started getting cold. We had both gone for a 7mm suit only (ie without second layer), and had worn hats instead of hoods. I have still never made it all the way to the Stacked Hulls, but it was a successful fun dive! | ||||
Thursday, May 31, 2018
| Centeen Park, Brockville ON | N 44° 35.5', W 75° 405.6' | ||||
| Dive Number 197 | Buddy Mark | Surface temp 23°C | Starting pressure 3400psi | ||
| Depth 36ft | Visibility good | Time 28m | Water temp 13°C | Ending pressure 2100psi | |
Notes: | Mark and I swung by Dive Tech to get his some gear. He got a wetsuit, fins, boots, gloves and a BCD, and I picked up a new outer layer for myself. We were keen to try everything out and had planned on hitting up the Rothesay, but we were feeling tight about making a 5pm return after the dive, and we took the suggestion to try Centeen Park instead. This turned out to be great. Our entry was easy, the dive was simple and we saw a few large crawfish and enjoyed seeing the statues. Mark and I returned to Dive Tech to drop of his rental gear and took another suggestion - to stop for supper at the Rapid Valley restaurant, conveniently located in a at the gas station a little farther West on Highway 2. I considered my options and tried the corned beef on rye, which turned out to be the same thing I ate the last time I went to Centeen Park (with Neva for Dive number 181 in 2015) . Authentic local experience success! | ||||
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
| Dos Sombreros, Costa Rica | N 10° 27.2', W 85° 50.9' | ||||
| Dive Number 196 | Buddy Neva | Surface temp 30°C | Starting pressure 2900psi | ||
| Depth 55ft | Visibility good | Time 40m | Water temp 15°C | Ending pressure 1100psi | |
Notes: | Our secod dive was pretty similar to the first. Several eels, several puffers, several rays; a couple needlefish (Neva particularly liked seeing these), and one spotted moray and one fancy frilled looking blue nudibranch. Her buoyancy was great for someone who hadn't been diving in over a year, and we were back ashore in time for lunch! | ||||
| Isla Santa Catalina, Costa Rica | N 10° 28.9', W 85° 52.2' | ||||
| Dive Number 195 | Buddy Neva | Surface temp 29°C | Starting pressure 2900psi | ||
| Depth 60ft | Visibility good | Time 42m | Water temp 15°C | Ending pressure 1100psi | |
Notes: | Neva and I had two dives booked on the first of our three days in Flamingo Beach. She had forgotten her dive certification and I had forgotten my computer, but we contacted the dive company and also PADI and got her certification sorted out. | ||||