Cora W Post, Howe Island ON			N 44° 14.7', W 76° 18.4'
Dive Number 58		Buddies Mike, Theresa	Surface temp 21°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 105ft	Visibility poor	Time 42m	Water temp 19°C	Ending pressure 1300psi
Notes:	Cheryl and Rory are away for the weekend, and Hugh and Neva were in daycare and school, so I took advantage on the opportunity to get a couple dives in with Mike and Theresa. We started at the Cora Post, and despite the windy entry and miserable visibility, we found the line to the Cora Post. After a passing glance, we left for deeper waters, turning around at 105 feet so as to land on the wreck again and spend some time. To Mike's frustration, we were unable to find the bearing back to the wreck, and instead found our way back to shore, albeit a little West of our starting point.

Wolfe Islander II, Kingston ON			N 44° 13.5', W 76° 24.9'
Dive Number 57		Buddy Theresa	Surface temp 20°C	Starting pressure 2900psi
Depth 71ft	Visibility poor	Time 40m	Water temp 15°C	Ending pressure 900psi
Notes:	Tonight's dive was meant to be the Aloha/Effie Mae. This dive has eluded me many times in the past, so it really ought to have come as no surprise when we were rerouted to the Wolfe because of the choppy water. Theresa and I made a quick descent and despite the poor visibility, got a good view of the propellers, swam through the salon and took a look into the engine room from above. I was surprised how much longer Theresa's air was lasting than mine, until I learned afterwards that she has a higher capacity tank... We saw plenty of fish, including a couple of big drums.

Remedial Rescue Diver Scenario
Brule Road Quarry, Westbrook, ON			N 44° 17.0', W 76° 38.9'
Dive Number 56		Buddies Theresa, Phil	Surface temp 26°C	Starting pressure 2000psi
Depth 21ft	Visibility fair	Time 6m	Water temp 23°C	Ending pressure 1800psi
Notes:	Mike gave us a second chance to try a recovery pattern for a lost diver. He once again hid "Buckethead" [a plastic bucket with a rock to weight it down], and we headed over to a line to start our pattern. It probably wouldn't have happened if we hadn't been swimming to the site underwater, but the exercise became trivial when Theresa spied "Buckethead" on the way to the starting point. We went through the motions and found him on the first pass. Even if it seemed like we cheated, it was nice to complete one of our tasks well today.

Rescue Diver Scenario # 4
Brule Road Quarry, Westbrook, ON			N 44° 17.0', W 76° 38.9'
Dive Number 55		Buddies Theresa, Phil	Surface temp 26°C	Starting pressure 2000psi
Depth --	Visibility --	Time --	Water temp 23°C	Ending pressure 2000psi
Notes:	We had a clue what might be involved in this scenario when Mike got out his first aid kit and oxygen. We'd forget soon enough, though. Mike called us on shore this time indicating that his buddy [beside him] was not breathing. I called out to get his to start treatment, at the very least, taking Sylvain's face out of the water and inflating his BCD (it would have also been helpful to get him to start dragging him to us). As we swam back, I got out the rescue mask for Phil to use, but it was surprisingly tricky to get it put on the patient without interrupting rescue breaths. We got him to shore, and had his gear off, but bumbled over getting our own gear off to begin CPR on the shore (in hindsight this could have been done in shifts before we got as close to shore as we did). Once on shore, Phil and Theresa started good looking CPR, but none of us remembered that the oxygen kit was right there until Mike [in the role of buddy] wondered aloud if there was any oxygen to give him. Most of the rest of the rescue was ok, but like the last scenario, I must admit to having felt we did less than what we ought to have done for the victim.

Rescue Diver Scenario # 3
Brule Road Quarry, Westbrook, ON			N 44° 17.0', W 76° 38.9'
Dive Number 54		Buddies Theresa, Phil	Surface temp 26°C	Starting pressure 2750psi
Depth 25ft	Visibility fair	Time 14m	Water temp 23°C	Ending pressure 2000psi
Notes:	For our third scenario, Mike and Sylvain went into the water early and when they came up, Mike called that they had a missing diver, last seen to the North of the barge. Theresa, Phil, and I quickly decided to search in an expanding square pattern, but our plan was compromised when we searched inside the boat, and then abandoned our expanding square before finding the missing diver. Mike eventually retreived us, and we resumed the exercise by floating a nonresponsive diver [Sly] to the surface and planning our extraction. It seems the exercise is more about the process than the result, but I couldn't help but be disappointed not to have found the diver. We ended up repeating a search pattern later with different results...

Rockport Drift Dive Site, Rockport ON			N 44° 21.4', W 76° 59.8'
Dive Number 53		Buddy Sylvain	Surface temp 22°C	Starting pressure 3000psi
Depth 113ft	Visibility good	Time 30m	Water temp 21°C	Ending pressure 1400psi
Notes:	Another excellent club dive, this night in Rockport. Twelve of us saw heaps of fish along the wall of Ash(?) Island, and found a line at the end of the gentle drift which we followed down to a barge that is reported to have been used in the construction of the Thousand Island Bridge. When we got to shore, we were surprised to learn that post-dive pizza was included in the $25 price for the dive!

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.