El Peñón, Cayo Coco, Cuba			N 22° 30', W 78° 24'
Dive Number 235		Buddy Neva	Surface temp 31°C	Starting pressure 230 bar
Depth 75ft	Visibility excellent	Time 47m	Water temp 27°C	Ending pressure 40 bar
Notes:	Neva and I rode over to Cayo Coco from our Playa Paredon resort in a 1957 Chevrolet! We arrived and in time to meet a few other divers and head out to sea. Dive higlights included petting a nurse shark that had just been fed some lionfish that our divemaster speared. We also saw a couple wrecks, one of which Neva swam through. There was a memorial to a diver who had donated a bunch of gear to be left at the reef.

Robert Gaskin, Brockville ON			N 44° 35.3', W 75° 40.6'
Dive Number 230		Buddy Jason	Surface temp 27°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 71ft	Visibility good	Time 27m	Water temp 21°C	Ending pressure 1500psi
Notes:	Having picked up two additional divers from the dock, our third and final dive of the day was the Gaskin, a wreck off the eastern Brockville shore with an interesting history (three sinkings). I changed into my 3mm shorty and Helen took a photo to prove that the St Lawrence is warm enough to swim without a full wetsuit! Although this is a simpler dive than the others, there still existed significant current, especially when attempting to swim around the western edge of the wreck. I quickly abandoned this and entered the wreck from above, which gave me a great treat - a large eel was buried in the bottom wiht its head sticking out - I have no idea how long it was but the head looked similar to a large bass sticking up vertically from the floor. I managed to point it out to Jason but the silt from his dive into the bow of the wreck drifted onto the site shortly after he arrived so I'm not really sure if he saw it or maybe got it on the GoPro camera he brings with him. We finished our tour of the wreck and I stopped at the exit line with about 1600 psi - given that I had finished the last two dives with about 1000 psi more than Jason I thought we ought to end the dive at this point, but he swam around the bow into the current again. Apparently he thought I was on the wrong mooring line! He joined me even though he thought we were on the wrong line, only believing we had the right line when he saw the boat at the top after our safety stop. The current on the line had been too much for him - he surfaced and promptly threw up in the water! I was ready to eat afterwards, but maybe not surprisingly, Jason wanted to wait a little? We made it back to Kingston and had Lone Star fajitas before calling it a night. Successful dive visit!

Lillie Parsons, Brockville ON			N 44° 33.3', W 75° 43.1'
Dive Number 229		Buddy Jason	Surface temp 27°C	Starting pressure 3100psi
Depth 65ft	Visibility good	Time 23m	Water temp 20°C	Ending pressure 1500psi
Notes:	Next up, Jason and I dove the Lillie Parsons. I would have estimated that I'd been on it plenty of times before, but records indicate that this is my third visit there. It allows a dive around the deep side and return up the chain on the shallow side, and/or a drift over the upturned hull, from where the centreboard is visible. A short or long drift is possible afterwards, but for the long drift we would have needed either a larger tank for Jason or would have had to depart immediately instead of touring the wreck. The drift along the Western shore of Sparrow Island was supposed to be 30 ft, but we both ended up more shallow, and the current was strong enough that finding places to stay stationary and wait for Jason was difficult. We quickly found ourselves on the line for retrieval - My computer no longer suggested a safety stop was necessary but I did one anyway. Then back to the dock to pick up two more divers for the evening dive.

Henry C. Daryaw, Brockville ON			N 44° 31.3', W 75° 45.5'
Dive Number 228		Buddy Jason	Surface temp 26°C	Starting pressure 3100psi
Depth 90ft	Visibility good	Time 23m	Water temp 20°C	Ending pressure 1600psi
Notes:	Jason had coordinated two afternoon dives and an evening dive with Abucs Scuba, an operator our of Brockville that I had never used before - We got some Wendy's for lunch and picked up tanks at the shop before heading down to St. Lawrence Park to board with our captain Helen Cooper. We were the only divers on for the afternoon which was great! The first dive was the Daryaw which I had not done before, but was a treat! There are strong currents down to it and it seems prudent not to stray from the several lines on the wreck, but we were rewarded with views into the magnificent intact hull and the satisfaction of completing a more physically demanding dive! Helen says that sometimes a cluster of eels is visible in the wreck, but I didn't see any - yet...

The George A. Marsh, Kingston ON			N 44° 7.6', W 76° 36.2'
Dive Number 227		Buddy Jason	Surface temp 24°C	Starting pressure 3100psi
Depth 81ft	Visibility fair	Time 30m	Water temp 9°C	Ending pressure 1600psi
Notes:	Jason came to town for two nights and we started off by joining Kingston Dive Charters for a trip to the Marsh - a wreck I have been on before, but still good. Several technical divers were on board with twin tanks, and drysuits - Jason and I were the only divers in neoprene I think! I met Rob V whose name I had seen in the local dive community and also met Corey P who lives in Frankford and apparently does some work with Tom R related to dive mapping. The dive was forecast to be cold and I had forgotten my warm gloves, so wore paddling gloves instead. My hands felt very cold when we got below the thermocline, but I adapted quickly. The dive was good and it was cool to meet a couple more interesting divers. Post dive pizza at Wooden Heads: Guglielmo!

Hilma Hooker, Bonaire			N 12° 6.0', W 68° 17.2'
Dive Number 218		Buddy Philip	Surface temp 27°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 96ft	Visibility great	Time 35m	Water temp 25°C	Ending pressure 1500psi
Notes:	The most famous wreck in Bonaire and the only wreck we dove was the Hilma Hooker, built in Holland in 1951 and owned by a Columbian shipping line at the time of it's arrival in Bonaire. It had been under surveillance by drug enforcement agencies and was having engine trouble when coming to Kralendijk in summer 1984, and a false bulkhead was discovered which contained 11 tonnes of marijuana. It began taking on water and sunk in September. The owners were never found. The original name for this vessel was Midsland, but the name she bore at the time of her sinking enabled divers to gleefully boast that they "went down on the Hooker in Bonaire". Hilarious. This dive was our deepest of the week - I understand that some people sink an arm into the soft bottom that they can honestly have a bottom depth of 100 feet. Philip and I were second in the water (as usual) and made a single tour of the boat when we reached his turnaround pressure and ascending the line. A few large tarpon were on the wreck, and we never saw anything particularly exciting inside, but it was still fun to peek into the large holds!

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!

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!

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!

The George A. Marsh, Kingston ON			N 44° 7.6', W 76° 36.2'
Dive Number 192		Buddies Jason, John	Surface temp 25°C	Starting pressure 2400psi
Depth 80ft	Visibility fair	Time 28m	Water temp 18°C	Ending pressure 700psi
Notes:	Our second of the day went a bit better. There was a long surface interval since rebreather divers from the first dive took a long time under the water, and we rode up on the Comet, but found several other divers there and decided to press on. I didnt write down the replacement wreck at the time, but if this is right, my dive log suggests that this is my first time here! A large sailboat was moored on the line, but detached so we could tie up. Our dive went well - there is an impressive bowsprit is at the front and a thermocline at about 60 feet was just right for me to stay slightly warmer and conserve air at the same time (recall that my tank was only starting with about 80% capacity). George and Jason and I had a successful dive before returning home. Chez Piggy for supper!

The Munson, Kingston ON			N 44° 12.6', W 76° 36.5'
Dive Number 191		Buddies Jason, John	Surface temp 25°C	Starting pressure 3200psi
Depth 105ft	Visibility poor	Time 22m	Water temp 14°C	Ending pressure 1200psi
Notes:	It took some effort, but Jason and I managed to sort out our details and booked ourselves onto one of Kingston Dive charters for two wreck dives today. Seven divers were aboard including two pairs of techy appearing divers (double tanks, rebreathers), one novice diver and us. Consensus was to dive wreck of the Munson first, a cold dark, deep sttel wreck that I've done a few times before (although not for a couple years). We inherited odd-man-out John as an extra dive buddy and got in the water, once the techy divers went ahead. There were a couple imperfections for me before we even went down. I had forgotten to bring any flashlight and was using one of Jason's. The tank I had mounted had only 2400 psi in it, so we swapped it to use in dive number two and took a full one for the deepest dive. I also had a free flow on my regulator when waiting to descend at the buoy, but took Anne's advice that it might right itself at depth (it did!). We were warned that the visibility would be poor until we got to the depth of the boat, approaching 100 ft. Unfortunately, at the bottom of the descent, the visibility was so poor that I hit bottom before I could see it, yet still could not spy the wreck along the short swim. In short, I became anxious that maintaining visibility might be difficult. I also stressed that we might not find the line if we let it go. I suggested we ascend, and no one seemed to object, so we took it slow and took a long safety stop to make up our 22m underwater time. It's possible that the bottom visibility was made worse by the other divers kicking it up before we got there, but either way, I'm glad we called it as we did. Too many things already seemed to not be right, it felt like continuing might be unsafe. Survival!

The Rothesay, Brockville ON			N 44° 42.0', W 75° 31.2'
Dive Number 190		Buddies Jason, Chandra	Surface temp 23°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 29ft	Visibility fair	Time 48m	Water temp 21°C	Ending pressure 1200psi
Notes:	This was Chandra's first cold open water dive, so after a Golden Rooster lunch and a 401 diversion, we stopped in at Dive Tech, picked her up a few essentials, and got into the water. The dive went smoothly. Visibility was good enough for us to avoid separation, and Chandra dove safely with enough buoyancy control to avoid popping to the surface, even in the shallow water. Post-dive supper was at the Maple Leaf restaurant in Gananoque. Schnitzel!

Lillie Parsons, Brockville ON			N 44° 33.3', W 75° 43.1'
Dive Number 229		Buddy Jason	Surface temp 27°C	Starting pressure 3100psi
Depth 72ft	Visibility good	Time 35m	Water temp 20°C	Ending pressure 500psi
Notes:	For our second dive, Jason and I dove the Lillie Parsons whch is both a wreck and also a drift. He managed to swap his tank for another diver's steel 130 which allowed enough time for him to complete the drift and also last longer than me with his air. Post dive meal was at Dianne's fish Bar in Kingston, and then we went to Toronto with Chandra for supper at one of their favourite Chinese places!

Muskellonge, Brockville ON			N 44° 36.1', W 75° 39.1'
Dive Number 186		Buddy Jason	Surface temp 27°C	Starting pressure 3100psi
Depth 85ft	Visibility good	Time 25m	Water temp 24°C	Ending pressure 1100psi
Notes:	Jason and Chandra came up for a single night stay and a double dive day. We hoked up with UnderWhere divers who took us out with two other divers for a couple Brockville dives. The first dive of the day was the Muskellonge, which sounded familiar to me, but about which I could remember no details. The wreck is an overturned vessel with a wide swim-through with walleye, sturgeon, and eel (conservation status August 2016: Threatened!) I managed to catch a glimpse of an American eel just before finding the boat, and we passed through the swimthrough, but the air reserve in Jason's steel 80 tank was waning and we turned without exploring the bow. Logging this dive this morning, I realize that we attempted this dive 100 dives ago but at that time were unable to complete the descent. Improvement! Success!

America, New York			N 44° 27.1, W 75° 48.6'
Dive Number 179		Buddy Jason	Surface temp 21°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 74ft	Visibility good	Time 38m	Water temp 17°C	Ending pressure 1150psi
Notes:	Jason and I had a less eventful dive for our second. I have never dove the America before, but it's not much to have missed. It's entirely upside down, so there's little to see. It is possible to swim under the hull, but none of us did. We saw bass and walleye and a few gobies. We returned home and got ready for a third dive (and dinner)

Keystorm, New York			N 44° 25.8', W 75° 49.3'
Dive Number 178		Buddy Jason	Surface temp 21°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 106ft	Visibility good	Time 46m	Water temp 17°C	Ending pressure 850psi
Notes:	Jason came up for a couple dives and we got on a charter for two dives this sunny Friday. Jason arrived on the boat to realize he left his wetsuit at my place (checklist!), but he managed to get to Dive Tech and back with a rental suit and we narrowly avoided a dive-failure. We got paired up with a friendly Manitoban who was a novice diver, and did a round of the Keystorm together. Our new buddy dropped a flashlight and burned through a fair amount of air going down to get it, so we took him back to the line, and did a little more exploring ourselves. A short safety stop and then back onto the boat for dive number two.

The Rothesay, Brockville ON			N 44° 42.0', W 75° 31.2'
Dive Number 177		Buddy Jason	Surface temp 15°C	Starting pressure 2600psi
Depth 31ft	Visibility fair	Time 45m	Water temp 15°C	Ending pressure 1500psi
Notes:	Having made the excursion to Dive Tech to fill yesterday's tanks, and also get adapters for the tanks he had rented, we returned to a familiar shore dive site, and took an enjoyable dive on the Rothesay. Chandra joined us for company hung out and did some trip planning while we were underwater. Jason tried out a new light, new mount, and filmed much of the dive on his GoPro3 camera. The water was significantly warmer than yesterday, and we caught our usual large pike, bass, walleye, and several bass nests on the line to and from the wreck. After we surfaced at the shore, we snorkeled back to the line for me to show the nests to Jason, and I was lucky enough to see six large drum swam by together. A fine new changing hut appears to have been recently built at the roadside parking. We drove back to Kingston and had a fine supper at Wooden Heads.

Glendora, Kingston ON			N 44° 8.6', W 76° 38.1'
Dive Number 167		Buddy Jason	Surface temp 22°C	Starting pressure 3100psi
Depth 74ft	Visibility good	Time 38m	Water temp 10°C	Ending pressure 900psi
Notes:	Anne graciously agreed to take and Jason and I out for another dive on Friday, and Nancy and her buddy Suzanne joined us for a calmer milder trip out to the Glendora. I found this morning's dive more entertaining than the night before. Intact hull, extended swimthroughs, and a magnificent propellor at the stern! Usually I post that we finished the dive and I post a note about going out for food; this time, Jason and I drove to Montreal for supper at Au Pied de Cochon and a Lionel Loueke concert at Jazzfest Montreal!

Maple Glen, Kingston ON			N 44° 8.7' W 76° 37.2'
Dive Number 166		Buddy Jason	Surface temp 25°C	Starting pressure 3300psi
Depth 68ft	Visibility good	Time 33m	Water temp 10°C	Ending pressure 1400psi
Notes	Jason and I made plans to dive together, so he arrived this afternoon and we head down to Collins Bay to join Anne of Kingston Dive Charters. Two other Dolphin divers, Ross and Lorna, joined us for four on the boat. Jason and I remembered all our gear, but I neglected to get my belt on prior to donning my BCD, so I was quite hot by the time I got in the water. The 10 degree water on the wreck soon fixed that problem, and we took a quick tour of the timbers that had once been the Maple Glen. I was glad to get up into the warm, and follow the dive with a fine supper at Dianne's Fish Bar!

The Rothesay, Brockville ON			N 44° 42.0', W 75° 31.2'
Dive Number 165		Buddy Jason	Surface temp 6°C	Starting pressure 2850psi
Depth 27ft	Visibility fair	Time 46m	Water temp 13°C	Ending pressure 1300psi
Notes:	For our second dive, Jason and I returned to the wreck of the Rothesay in Prescott which we last dove in the summer, with a surface temperature of 29°C and water temp of 20°C. Jason had a new housing for his GoPro, and was keen to see the pike that eluded him last visit (I previously thought this to be a muskellonge). Despite cool dressings and undressings in the wind and rain, we were treated to the usual good dive, with abundant large bass, the largest walleye I have ever seen, and we both got to see the resident pike, pictured here. Afterwards, we returned to Kingston for hamburgers at Five Guys. Since this is almost certainly my last dive of the calendar year, it was a nice one to end on.