Russian Frigate, Varadero, Cuba			N 23° 10', W 81° 7'
Dive Number 32		Buddy Cal	Surface temp 28°C	Starting pressure 3100psi
Depth 90ft	Visibility ~50ft	Time 40m	Water temp 26°C	Ending pressure 500psi
Notes:	The name of the Russian Frigate we dove as our first dive from Varadero is not known to me, but photos at the dive shop suggest that it was purposefully sunk for diving in this location. Missile launchers and anti-aircraft guns visible on the deck made this wreck a little different from the ones I am accustomed to seeing in Kingston.

Dead Man's Bay, Kingston ON			N 44° 14.0', W 76° 26.9'
Dive Number 31		Buddies Mike, Joan, Nancy	Surface temp 13°C	Starting pressure 3100psi
Depth 14ft	Visibility ~20ft	Time 61m	Water temp 8°C	Ending pressure 1250psi
Notes:	I arrived at the dive club just in time to join Mike, Joan, and Nancy for a trip to see the Psyche and the Prince Regent(?) in "Dead Man's Bay", accessible from Arrowhead Beach Park, on CFB Kingston. The weeds were abominable, and they are reported to have greatly improved compared to the same site earlier in the year. For the most part, Mike and I tried to swim in the metre between the top of the weeds and the water's surface. Animal wildlife was scarce - I saw a big carp and lots of gobies on the wrecks, as well as a small bass; others reported seeing a couple catfish. The wrecks themselves were interesting, and Mike shot a little video of the dive. The swim was my coldest yet, my shallowest yet, my longest yet, and my latest in the year. I'd be interested to see these sites again when the weeds are gone or if the water is warmer, but probably these conditions will not exist at the same time...

Cora W Post, Howe Island ON			N 44° 14.7', W 76° 18.4'
Dive Number 30		Buddy Mike	Surface temp 10°C	Starting pressure 2800psi
Depth 39ft	Visibility ~30ft	Time 31m	Water temp 9°C	Ending pressure 1500psi
Notes:	Frost was on the car this morning, but the weather for our dive this afternoon was beautiful. Mike and doubled back once across the South shore of Howe island before finding the line to the Cora Post, sunk in 1891 with a full load of bricks, many of which are still visible on the wreck. We saw lots of gobies on the wreck, and a big old carp and [we think] some bass inside the wreck. My body temperature seemed to hold firm for the half hour underwater, and I got undressed afterwards without too much shaking and shivering. If the timing works out next week, we'll hopefully get out again.

Marine Museum, Kingston ON			N 44° 13.4', W 76° 28.2'
Dive Number 29		Buddy Domenique	Surface temp 4°C	Starting pressure 2800psi
Depth 38ft	Visibility ~25ft	Time 55m	Water temp 9°C	Ending pressure 900psi
Notes:	We returned to the Marine museum with a few members from the club (Lee, Mike, Sheila, Eric, Domenique and me). Mike brought a camera and took a few pictures (including the one now in the diver profile upper left), but the fish were not quite as plentiful underneath the Alexander Henry as he was there were on Wednesday. I am in uncharted ground - as an undergrad student, I would sometimes swim in the lake into October. Having already had snow, and well into November, this is later in the year than I have ever been in the water. How late will I go in a wetsuit?

Marine Museum, Kingston ON			N 44° 13.4', W 76° 28.2'
Dive Number 28		Buddy Mike	Surface temp 10°C	Starting pressure 2800psi
Depth 38ft	Visibility ~25ft	Time 46m	Water temp 9°C	Ending pressure 1100psi
Notes:	When Mike proposed a dive this afternoon, I wasn't sure I'd be up to it win the November weather. He has a drysuit after all! We took giant strides over the edge at the Marine Museum, and the cold on my mask area was uncomfortable at first, but became tolerable as the dive went on. Lured by the possibility of seeing the resident eel, we went out to the barge, and then with ample air, returned to the Alexander Henry where we saw about 50 [large mouth?] bass under the hull. A short swim east afforded me a view of a pike as well. For reference, the water being cold was not a big problem (even with me only wearing a single layer and MEC surf shirt), but getting undressed out of wetsuit in the cold and wind was unpleasant. I'll try and sort out a better changing option if I go again - possibly on Saturday.

The Munson, Kingston ON			N 44° 12.6', W 76° 36.5'
Dive Number 27		Buddy Dominique, Olivier	Surface temp 14°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 101ft	Visibility 25ft	Time 26m	Water temp 12°C	Ending pressure 1500psi
Notes:	For my first undupervised dive as an Advanced Diver, I joined four clubmates on tonight's charter to the Munson. On a previous occasion a trip was diverted from the Munson to the Wolfe for me, as I was the only diver unable to descend to it at the date. Although my skill was certified, I had neglected to bring my light with me, and the phenomenon known as light extinction means that it's relatively dark 100 feet below the surface. I had paired up with Dominique and Olivier, and I had the good fortune for Oliver to offer me a light to see better down there. Unfortunately he must have loosened something as he removed his light to give it to me: At the end of our dive as we waited at 15 feet of depth for our 5 minute safety stop, Olivier had the good fortune for me to notice, catch, and return his wrist compass which had come off his buoyancy controller and was falling through the water. It's possible I'll get out next week (for a night dive on the Wolfe), but it's also possible that this was my closing club dive for the year. If it was, it was a good one to go out on.

The Needle's Eye, Brockville ON			N 44° 33.3', W 75° 43.0'
Dive Number 26		Buddy Mike	Surface temp 8°C	Starting pressure 2700psi
Depth 67ft	Visibility ~30ft	Time 38m	Water temp 10°C	Ending pressure 900psi
Notes:	For my first dive as an advanced diver, I returned to the water with Mike for a drift through the "eye of the needle" near the wall's edge on the North shore. Our second dive of the day was more relaxed than the first for me, and my buoyancy control was much better. Mike and I wisely went nice and slowly. After all, why kick when the current is doing all the work for you? This also meant that we were among the last to return to the boats and didn't have to wait as long to return to shore and pack up.

Advanced Open Water Dive 5: Deep Diving
Stovin Island, Brockville ON			N 44° 33.5', W 75° 42.7'
Dive Number 25		Buddy Mike	Surface temp 8°C	Starting pressure 2800psi
Depth 119ft	Visibility ~30ft	Time 29m	Water temp 10°C	Ending pressure 700psi
Notes:	It rained this morning and wind blew - enough so that Mike and I were not sure that the charter upon which we had booked passage would go out, but 11 divers braved the elements, and I took advantage of the opportunity to complete the last dive in my Advanced Diver training - the deep. After some trouble clearing the air from my BCD, Mike and I quickly dropped to about 100 feet, where I quickly completed the tasks of mental and physical dexterity. While I'm glad that I didn't suffer any ill effects of nitrogen narcosis, it creates a false sense of security to not notice any difference. Although we never saw the yellow pipe which apparently alerts divers to the end of the drift, I was glad to complete the dive, and with it, my Advanced Open Water certification. Aboard the boat, Mike congratulated me, we changed our tanks as to be ready for the second dive, and retired the the change room for some warmth, some snacks, and some interval time.

Advanced Open Water Dive 4: Wreck Diving
The Rothesay, Brockville ON			N 44° 42.0', W 75° 31.2'
Dive Number 24		Buddy Sylvain, Mike	Surface temp 15°C	Starting pressure 2800psi
Depth 27ft	Visibility 20ft	Time 33m	Water temp 15°C	Ending pressure 1400psi
Notes:	Despite moderate rain, Sylvain and Mike and I drove to Brockville to dive the wreck of the Rothesay as the fourth in our series of five advanced dives. The visibility was pretty good despite the weather, and I made use of the new compass that Cheryl recently got me as a gift. Sylvain and I became focussed on mapping/measuring the wreck as per our objective, but more advance planning would have been helpful, as would a greater underwater sign vocabulary. Next time we return to this wreck, we'll take a more leisurely approach and enjoy the sights and spend less time with measuring lines. One more advanced dive to go - Deep!

Marine Museum, Kingston ON			N 44° 13.4', W 76° 28.2'
Dive Number 23		Buddy Sylvain	Surface temp 18°C	Starting pressure 3100psi
Depth 34ft	Visibility 30ft	Time 49m	Water temp 17°C	Ending pressure 1500psi
Notes:	Rain foiled our third attempt to see the Aloha/Effie Mae,so Sylvain and I head over to the Marine Museum to follow the tied line heading Southeast off the pier. Reputation indicated it would lead to an anchor or something. Scott and Kim joined us and we ventured along it as far as it went, and found... nothing. There were a few medium sized fish to see, and I amused myself by filling a plastic jug we found with air and releasing it to float up to the surface. Since I don't have a matching second layer to my wetsuit, I wore my MEC surfshirt undermeath my 7mm neoprene for an extra thermal layer on my torso. After acclimatizing to the water after the giant stride from the side, I was fine for warmth. I hope this remains true beneath whatever thermoclines we encounter on our deep dive in [hopefully] a couple weeks' time. Also I was tired of looking at the repetitive post titles in the archives, so I am titling the posts by subject instead of just posting the name of the location again. Respek! Addendum - Pat indicates that the line must have been moved, and that it used to be tied to two anchors under there.