Polar Bear Diving

Canard · 01-08-2009

For all of you poor souls stuck someplace warm and sunny here's a little scuba treat!
Location: St Clair River below Bluewater Bridge connecting Port Huron MI with Sarnia ON.

4 January 2009 Air Temperature 28F, Water Temperature a balmy 35F with floating ice chunks.

The Weather is here, wish you were beautiful!

Oh yeah, and those are wetsuits not drysuits.

Rissask · 01-09-2009

Quote:

For all of you poor souls stuck someplace warm and sunny here's a little scuba treat!

funny!

you're nuts, CanuckDuck.

Canard · 01-09-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rissask

funny!

you're nuts, CanuckDuck.

There are many who would agree with you about my mental health.

I don't suppose that there is much open water is Saskatchewan at this time of year so diving would require sawing a hole in the ice and I'm not ready for that yet. Truth be told that even at the height of summer many of our deep dives have temps in the low 40sF. That said we do have some mighty fine diving in the Great Lakes.

Andiline · 01-09-2009

Rissask · 01-09-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canard

There are many who would agree with you about my mental health.

I don't suppose that there is much open water is Saskatchewan at this time of year so diving would require sawing a hole in the ice and I'm not ready for that yet. Truth be told that even at the height of summer many of our deep dives have temps in the low 40sF. That said we do have some mighty fine diving in the Great Lakes.

Yes, most of the lakes have at least 2 feet of ice!

In Saskatoon the river (the South Saskatchewan river) has SOME open water by the power station

...pretty sure iwth the current it might be a little too dangerous to go diving there though!

brrrrr, indeed! I am so spoiled by swimming in warm Mexico ocean water, I have a hard time swimming or skiing or tubing in any lakes in Sask in the SUMMER now. Princess.

Although a wetsuit helps!

Canard · 01-09-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rissask

Yes, most of the lakes have at least 2 feet of ice!

In Saskatoon the river (the South Saskatchewan river) has SOME open water by the power station

...pretty sure iwth the current it might be a little too dangerous to go diving there though!

brrrrr, indeed! I am so spoiled by swimming in warm Mexico ocean water, I have a hard time swimming or skiing or tubing in any lakes in Sask in the SUMMER now. Princess.

Although a wetsuit helps!

When my kids were young we lived by a lake in Muskoka (cottage country 200km north of Toronto) and every year they were in the water in early May just a week or two after the ice went out. Too early for adult males. However I do recall waterskiing every May 24 in shorty wetsuits. The trick was a dock start, stay up for the whole circuit and then coast back to the dock. Done right you only dealt with the spray. I wasn't very good at it

so I mostly drive the ski boat (an art in itself if others were to stay dry)

Dijo · 01-10-2009

I cannot believe we did not see you down under the bridges. We live in Point Edward and walk down their every day for the start of our 3.5 miles. We often see a lone kayaker (sp).

Should come and try it in the summer (or maybe you have) the chips trucks will be around then and you can grab some "world famous fries".

Canard · 01-11-2009

I get to Sarnia several times throughout the year to dive. It is the closest dive to London and can easily be managed in an evening as opposed to having to go away for a weekend. During the summer I know of standing invitations for both Wednesday and Friday nights. The big variable is the visibility which ranges from bad to awful

. Really not much point in diving if you can't see your hand in front of your face. The combination of the strong current and freighter traffic makes this a fairly advanced diving site. I don't know that I would travel a long way to make this dive but it is a treat to have it in "the backyard".
Are you a diver too?

Dijo · 01-11-2009

but have floated down the St. Clair River with the current and worked our way to shore before floating past the point and ending up in Sarnia Bay.

The visibility here is not that great and the water is dang cold. The freighter traffic keeps the bottom stirred up. I hear by the "diver grapevine" there is a wreck out passed the buoys that no one has bothered to dredge up yet.

We practiced our snorkelling at the beach at Canatara, so know what the visibility can be.

jmb · 01-21-2009

Were you by chance diving the Monarch ? That was probably my favorite dive when I lived downstate in Michigan - though we never tried it in January. It was cold enough the time I forgot my wetsuit, and did 2 dives in a bathing suit with just gloves and a hood !

Canard · 01-22-2009

We did indeed dive the Barge and Monarch. Twice in a bathing suit? Brrrr. In the summer I don't mind doing it without a hood and with light gloves. The conditions proved to be quite challenging, there was a lot of ice on shore at the entry point and the cold water produced equipment problems for a number of divers, such as free flows. As is often the case the viz was restricted, about 5 to 8 feet that day. Luckily the current wasn't too strong as so my buddy and I were able to get onto the Barge and then launch for the Monarch. Even so it is quite a rush being shot down the river and then scrabbling for the eastern shore to catch the back eddy current to return to the entry point. For me the coolest thing about this dive is being able to complete a loop in a river with strong current instead of having to get out way down stream.

BTW welcome to the board.

jmb · 01-23-2009

Isn't that what's called the Superman - swim up past the discharge pipe, over to the barge then drift (or fly depending on the current) down to the Monarch ? That must have been a heck of a dive with the cold and ice - it can be quite a race even in mild weather ! I never made all 3 in the same dive, we got swept off the barge and never hit the Monarch, so we came back in to shore and just followed the cable out to it again. Ever do any diving from the boat Dragon Lady with Bruce ? It's been a few years since he passed away, but we had some great days out on the river with him.
Julie

Canard · 01-24-2009

The Barge Monarch combo is not Superman. I haven't done the Superman dive yet but I hope to next season. The folks I dive with recommend a larger capacity tank such as a steel 110 in order to have some safety margin. I am hoping to make this dive I the Spring when the Sturgeon are in the River as you are supposed to be able to have some amazing encounters with these fresh water behemoths.

01-08-2009	#1 (permalink)
Canard way into it Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: London, Ontario Posts: 198	Polar Bear Diving For all of you poor souls stuck someplace warm and sunny here's a little scuba treat! Location: St Clair River below Bluewater Bridge connecting Port Huron MI with Sarnia ON. 4 January 2009 Air Temperature 28F, Water Temperature a balmy 35F with floating ice chunks. The Weather is here, wish you were beautiful! Oh yeah, and those are wetsuits not drysuits.

01-10-2009	#7 (permalink)
Dijo añejo Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Southwestern Ontario Posts: 1,811	Hey Canard..... I cannot believe we did not see you down under the bridges. We live in Point Edward and walk down their every day for the start of our 3.5 miles. We often see a lone kayaker (sp). Should come and try it in the summer (or maybe you have) the chips trucks will be around then and you can grab some "world famous fries".

01-11-2009	#8 (permalink)
Canard way into it Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: London, Ontario Posts: 198	Dijo I get to Sarnia several times throughout the year to dive. It is the closest dive to London and can easily be managed in an evening as opposed to having to go away for a weekend. During the summer I know of standing invitations for both Wednesday and Friday nights. The big variable is the visibility which ranges from bad to awful . Really not much point in diving if you can't see your hand in front of your face. The combination of the strong current and freighter traffic makes this a fairly advanced diving site. I don't know that I would travel a long way to make this dive but it is a treat to have it in "the backyard". Are you a diver too?

01-11-2009	#9 (permalink)
Dijo añejo Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Southwestern Ontario Posts: 1,811	No we are not divers.... but have floated down the St. Clair River with the current and worked our way to shore before floating past the point and ending up in Sarnia Bay. The visibility here is not that great and the water is dang cold. The freighter traffic keeps the bottom stirred up. I hear by the "diver grapevine" there is a wreck out passed the buoys that no one has bothered to dredge up yet. We practiced our snorkelling at the beach at Canatara, so know what the visibility can be.

01-24-2009	#13 (permalink)
Canard way into it Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: London, Ontario Posts: 198	Not Superman The Barge Monarch combo is not Superman. I haven't done the Superman dive yet but I hope to next season. The folks I dive with recommend a larger capacity tank such as a steel 110 in order to have some safety margin. I am hoping to make this dive I the Spring when the Sturgeon are in the River as you are supposed to be able to have some amazing encounters with these fresh water behemoths.

01-09-2009	#4 (permalink)
Andiline añejo Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Cologne, Germany Posts: 9,870

01-21-2009	#10 (permalink)
jmb lost on fifth Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 10	Were you by chance diving the Monarch ? That was probably my favorite dive when I lived downstate in Michigan - though we never tried it in January. It was cold enough the time I forgot my wetsuit, and did 2 dives in a bathing suit with just gloves and a hood !

01-22-2009	#11 (permalink)
Canard way into it Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: London, Ontario Posts: 198	We did indeed dive the Barge and Monarch. Twice in a bathing suit? Brrrr. In the summer I don't mind doing it without a hood and with light gloves. The conditions proved to be quite challenging, there was a lot of ice on shore at the entry point and the cold water produced equipment problems for a number of divers, such as free flows. As is often the case the viz was restricted, about 5 to 8 feet that day. Luckily the current wasn't too strong as so my buddy and I were able to get onto the Barge and then launch for the Monarch. Even so it is quite a rush being shot down the river and then scrabbling for the eastern shore to catch the back eddy current to return to the entry point. For me the coolest thing about this dive is being able to complete a loop in a river with strong current instead of having to get out way down stream. BTW welcome to the board.

01-23-2009	#12 (permalink)
jmb lost on fifth Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 10	Isn't that what's called the Superman - swim up past the discharge pipe, over to the barge then drift (or fly depending on the current) down to the Monarch ? That must have been a heck of a dive with the cold and ice - it can be quite a race even in mild weather ! I never made all 3 in the same dive, we got swept off the barge and never hit the Monarch, so we came back in to shore and just followed the cable out to it again. Ever do any diving from the boat Dragon Lady with Bruce ? It's been a few years since he passed away, but we had some great days out on the river with him. Julie

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