Rescue Diver Scenario # 2
Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Kingston ON			N 44° 13.0', W 76° 31.1'
Dive Number 52		Buddy Theresa	Surface temp 22°C	Starting pressure --
Depth --	Visibility --	Time ~5m	Water temp 22°C	Ending pressure --
Notes:	Mike assures me that this is a dive that ought to be logged despite the fact that no tank was applied, and I really didn't even go beneath the surface for any length of time. In this scenario, Theresa and I waited on shore while Sylvain and Phil went for a dive. They surfaced after a while and signalled to shore that they had trouble. I elected to swim out with just fins and mask/snorkel, while Theresa donned a full kit. [the advantage of getting in the water quickly would have been negated if I waited for her, which was briefly contemplated]. I swam out to the guys [other errors in this exercise include not having my buddy keep an eye on them or point, and I also lost sight of them when I swam beneath the surface. Mike hastened to add that I also walked with my fins acing forward when I was getting in the water] Nevertheless, it was not complicated one out there to inflate Phil's BC (he was in the role of "tired"), and then Sylvain's (he was more threatening, in the role of "panicked", and I had to maneuver around him to grab his tank and inflate his BC from behind). By the time Theresa arrived, both were under control, and Mike stopped the exercise for the debrief before we had to swim them too far back to shore. It never ceases to interest me how knowing the "right answers" often fails to result in taking the "right actions" when surprised in a situation like this. Despite our shortcomings, I was pleased with the scenario. Just participating in them is helpful to build confidence.

Rescue Diver Scenario # 1
Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Kingston ON			N 44° 13.0', W 76° 31.1'
Dive Number 51		Buddy Phil	Surface temp 21°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 23ft	Visibility fair	Time 20m	Water temp 22°C	Ending pressure 2300psi
Notes:	For the first rescue scenario, Mike paired me with Phil and Theresa with Sylvain (who is not taking the course presently, but agreed to participate in the capacity of "victim"). We were told to spend about fifteen minutes swimming around and then meet up where the line meets the pipe. Phil and I made it to the stop sign and back where we eventually found Mike and then Theresa and Sylvain. In the role of "victim", Sylvain started grabbing at his right calf and communicated via his slate that he was meant to be bleeding badly from a cut. We made a controlled ascent together and Phil applied pressure as we swam him [no small distance] to shore. Teresa called help while Phil and I dragged him ashore and then applied a bandage and waited for EMS. There were no major mishaps, and all in all it was a good rescue.

George T. Davie, Kingston ON			N 44° 6.8', W 76° 34.8'
Dive Number 50		Buddy Sylvain	Surface temp 24°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 89ft	Visibility fair	Time 26m	Water temp 13°C	Ending pressure 1200psi
Notes:	For my fiftieth dive, I was joined by Sylvain for the weekly club charter to the George T. Davie, a wreck that neither of us had been on before. The 1898 Coal barge features an interesting lifeboat and a crane for the viewing pleasure of divers, but it lies in 94 feet of water, and a chilly thermocline rested between 70 and 75 feet. Sylvain and I had the good sense to wear head protection, but we probably ought to have opted for our heavier gauntlets as well.

Stovin Island Drift, Brockville ON			N 44° 33.3', W 75° 43.0'
Dive Number 49		Buddy Sylvain	Surface temp 28°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 89ft	Visibility ~50ft	Time 29m	Water temp 23°C	Ending pressure 1200psi
Notes:	Our second dive was as good as the first; Sylvain got off to a rocky start when the aforementioned experienced but careless [ie ought to have known better] diver descended on top of him and kicked him repeatedly when trying to swim away. Sylvain and I had a relaxing dive and saw lots of medium sized walleye. The other [400 dive] diver failed to follow the directions and ended up on the wrong side of Stovin Island.

Lillie Parsons, Brockville ON			N 44° 33.3', W 75° 43.1'
Dive Number 48		Buddy Sylvain	Surface temp 26°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 89ft	Visibility good	Time 32m	Water temp 23°C	Ending pressure 1200psi
Notes:	On the Treasure Hunt Dive two months ago, I won a two-tank dive from Martin Dive Charters as my prize. This weekend, I took the chance to get two dives in with Sylvain. Most of the other divers were from Ottawa or Gatineau, most of whom were friendly; one kind of loudmouthy guy was present; I feel bad for the person who got buddied up with him. The Lillie was interesting to see, lots of people seemed to be filling their bags with charcoal, but we just enjoyed getting the views of the wreck and the drift.

Pumphouse, Kingston ON			N 44° 13.4', W 76° 28.2'
Dive Number 47		Buddy Scott	Surface temp 25°C	Starting pressure 2900psi
Depth 33ft	Visibility fair	Time 56m	Water temp 21°C	Ending pressure 1250psi
Notes:	Scott and Kim made plans to have a night dive tonight, and I seized the opportunity to join them. Kim buddied up with Pierre, and Scott and I went together. We lost the line out to the wreck, so instead, we "explored". We saw catfish, lots of bass, and a couple large pike. There was a couple smooching on a park bench as we got out of the water, but like the other wildlife, they scattered when we got too close.

The Comet, Kingston ON			N 44° 08.35', W 76° 35.1'
Dive Number 46		Buddy Phil	Surface temp 26°C	Starting pressure 3200psi
Depth 80ft	Visibility good	Time 26m	Water temp 17°C	Ending pressure 1900psi
Notes:	Our club dive got rerouted to the Comet tonight because of good conditions - the clam water isn't always there, so we went half an hour out to the Comet. The water was clear and it was warm above the thermocline, about five feet off the bottom. My buddy was not someone I had been out with before; he had some difficulty with his ears getting down, which may have led to some increased air consumption. We came up with 2000 still in my tank, but the dive was still excellent.

Wolfe Islander II, Kingston ON			N 44° 13.5', W 76° 24.9'
Dive Number 45		Buddy Jean-Olivier	Surface temp 17°C	Starting pressure 2950psi
Depth 79ft	Visibility good	Time 31m	Water temp 11°C	Ending pressure 950psi
Notes:	Jean-Olivier and I were the first on the wreck of the Wolfe tonight (the Queen Mary dive was rerouted because of weather), and we quickly descended on the bow and navigated around the base of the ship. We looked for the open door at the front of the engine room from the outside, but got disoriented, so instead we went in from the chimney and swam out from there. We also ventured into the salon before coming up. There was agreement about the cool temp at the bottom; I had been diving with a beanie instead of a hood. Mike was diving wet for the first time in over a year (his drysuit is under repair).

Marine Museum, Kingston ON			N 44° 13.4', W 76° 28.2'
Dive Number 44		Buddy Sylvain	Surface temp 26°C	Starting pressure 2850psi
Depth 37ft	Visibility good	Time 35m	Water temp 15°C	Ending pressure 1550psi
Notes:	Sylvain had suggested that after our charter dive to the Munson tonight, anyone interested should consider a night dive at the Marine Museum. Our usual entry at the museum was unavailable, but Scott and Kim (who had been on the Munson with us) joind us for some supper at the Lone Star, and we all joined Jim and Tracey after sundown for the dive. The dive was gentle and uneventful; we saw lots of perch (or were they walleye? Scott thought so), some mudpuppies and some catfish. Feeling a bit of a chill, Sylvain and I turned around and navigated back to shore neatly. Also a footnote, I have started estimating the quality of the visibility instead of the length, so instead of writing things like "~25ft", I'l put more useful info like "excellent", "good", or "crap".

The Munson, Kingston ON			N 44° 12.6', W 76° 36.5'
Dive Number 43		Buddy Sylvain	Surface temp 30°C	Starting pressure 3050psi
Depth 108ft	Visibility good	Time 24m	Water temp 8°C	Ending pressure 1250psi
Notes:	Only six of us came out for the club's charter dive this week. It was Sylvain's first dive on the Munson and my first dive with my new gear: BC, reg, and my own weights. All in all it went well, but I was a little frazzled going down the line (with a little water creeping in my mask as well), and after 14 minutes in the cold, I was ready to turn around and come up.