July Already?

Wow, talk about a summer flying by!  That was always something that people said that made me laugh when you were either at work, or a July 4^th party.  Ok, Summer TECHNICALLY just got started (Summer Solstice is June 20^th) So that phrase along with “wow, the summer is half over” just never made sense to me.  But what can you do.  If anything, we at the very least, got our July “dive” in, so we’re good for that (well if you’re trying to keep track of the “at least one dive per month every year” philosophy…which never seems to go 12 months in a row, anyway) My first dive of July was going to be questionable since I had to have a test run, thanks to my doctor, I wasn’t entirely sure that I’d be able to make it, but thankfully I did, and my appointment went quicker than expected, so I was the first one at Upper A.  A few more people were there tonight apart from our own crew, unlike last week.

Rob showed up soon after me, then John. The weather was again decent, so set up wasn’t the grueling sweat fest that usually accompanies this time of year, but I’m sure those days are coming.  As we all closed our dry suit zippers, Rob noticed that the battery in his dive computer was dead, so he had to quickly change it.  A few minutes later we were back on track, and shuffling down the steep access.  We decided upon our plan right before we left. John wanted to attempt a similar dive as we did last Wednesday, except with a different compass heading, then come back along the bottom of the wall. That wasn’t a bad thing, so we all agreed.

We dropped to 20ft. to see if anyone had any weird leaks, and we were good, so we continued through the horrible viz over trees and pipes until we got to the Aqua Adventures truck. (Rob said that he was working on not getting stuck in trees…kind of like me two weeks ago) We all checked in, and John got out his compass.  He took his heading, and we all started down the cliff towards the Pump House.  (I noticed that the little lobster was back further again, but since we weren’t stopping there, I couldn’t put him on his look out)  We continued over the 110’ trench which was VERY foggy, and out towards the edge of the hole.  At the hole, we started following the line, and kept an eye on the area just below. (which seemed to be a little better visibility-wise from where we were) We were soon at the Step Van and Tool Box, and checked in again with each other.  John pointed to the right this time towards the wall and we all agreed.  At the wall, we took a right and followed the bottom of it. We were soon at the Outhouse, which didn’t look the same from the last time I saw it, it could have been the angle of approach, or just my surprise in seeing it (I wasn’t expecting to see it)  At first I thought “is there another one?” but when we passed it, and I saw the tripod tree, I knew that it was THE one.  (narced?  Possibly.)  It’s also looking a little shaky, so keep posted for that! We followed back over the usual parts of the bottom of the wall, and were soon back by the Pump House. We kept going along the bottom, then started up towards the CAT.  At the CAT we headed back in towards the bowl, and passed the Pennsy and some boats (one of which my reel got caught on) and started up to our safety stop.  The visibility in this area was really bad. I could barely see John on my left, and could only see Rob when he moved his light. After five minutes, we all started to the exit, and finished our dive. (noticing a rather large catfish swimming about)

Duration: 45 minutes

Deepest Depth: 95 ft.

Coldest Temp 36º

Another good dive, and another dive where I kept mostly off of the bottom. Over the foggy part of the trench, I was tempted to drop in, but stayed with everyone, I was able to adjust a little better as we got closer to the bottom, and didn’t feel as uncomfortable as I did last week, so;  progress!  Coming back past the Outhouse, I was going over rocks (that I couldn’t see that great until I was right on them) and hit bottom a few times, but for the most part was fine. Rob said he was starting to get cold, probably because he was getting warm when he was changing his computer battery, and wondered why it had to do that once he was IN his dry suit (figures, right?  Kind of like my glove issue a little while back)  John said his hands were cold as I could see with him trying to get air into them here and there.  I was cold, but not of the annoying kind. (and that new inner glove system, I’ve been using is pretty good)

After we packed, we headed to PizzAtown, where the owners daughter thought we were out golfing (do we LOOK like golfers?)  and his young son was impressed that we do it without the “tube with the ball in it”, and use “oxygen” tanks!  

Not sure if anyone will be around for the “Holiday” weekend, but we’re all pretty sure that next Wednesday is on the schedule!  Hope to see you then! (get them while you can!)

Weather or Not?

Over the past few years, it seemed that the weather on Wednesday nights has been horrible during June.  For once that doesn’t seem to be the case, but the puzzling part of it is that no one is coming out compared to other years.  I was the first person to sign in, then there was a person right behind me, then John.  Another person joined the guy that arrived right after me, then about 5:30-ish one of the regulars showed up. John told him he was welcome to join us, but he said he only had about 1,200psi in his cylinder, and would do a “solo road dive” to empty it.  I guess most people think that June isn’t a great month to do Wednesday night dives, so they make other plans…hey “snooze you lose”.  I know why a few of our regulars weren’t able to attend, and those were legitimate reasons.

Anyway, the weather last night was just gorgeous!  You didn’t mind setting up, and it was just a pleasant evening. John and I were the only people at Upper A, so we weren’t trying to dodge some of the regulars that seem to work at their own pace.  My goal for the evening was trying to get further off the bottom that I had been (well and making it back safely) so John was going to be cognizant of my plan.  John had a dive plan formulated, and with his “let’s try going this way, this time” attitude, I was all for it.

Once we were set up (and not sweating like fools) and down in the water, we did our quick pre-dive checks, and gave the thumbs down.  At 20 ft. everything seemed right, so we continued on.  I was having a little leaky mask issue, and John was trying to get me to keep up with him.  The bowl area was very thick visibility wise tonight, it almost seemed like there was an open water class that just ran (literally) through it, but knowing that there was no one there prior to our trip was puzzling. I guess it was just left over from the heavy rain the night before.  Through the trees, and over the pipe, we were soon in the area where he wanted to descend, close to the Aqua Adventures truck.  He gave me the thumbs down signal and I agreed.  Down past the Pump house and steadily towards the deep hole until we saw the line that runs to the Step Van.  Following the line I was shining my light down into the deep hole, the visibility looked a little better in that area, which was promising, knowing that we would be down there in a little while.  We were soon passing the debris pile formerly known as a building, and passing the Step Van (which is looking in pretty bad shape these days) John pointed down the hill, and I agreed.  While descending, I was wondering if there was a slight thermocline, or if it was just the visibility clearing up, but as I descended, the view was a bit fuzzy, and as I hit the line it cleared up.  I’m not going to say that the viz was “Caribbean” quality, but it was a lot better than the bowl.  We followed the line and I almost spit my regulator out when I saw the Christmas ornament at the end of it. (John thinks Jeff may have been the culprit in placing that there)  I remembered that it was there, but we always seem to come from the other direction, and are usually checking out the Deep Deep Boat and not really paying attention to ornaments.  It was just funny to see!  The boat looked pretty grungy, (hopefully someone wipes it off) not its usual cleaned off self.  John gave me the thumbs up signal to go up the steps, and I agreed.  We were soon swimming over by the Deep Boat, and headed towards the Pump House. (I think I got the keep up sign again here…sorry, I was sight-seeing)  As we got to the Pump House, we noticed that the little lobster was off of his usual perch, and semi-buried in the muck. So I pulled him out and knocked the goop off of him, and put him back in his usual spot. John gave the thumbs up sign again, and I agreed.  Up to just below the Aqua Adventures truck, and to the line that runs to the CAT for a deep stop.  Someone tied a branch to the line which was weird.  When I first looked at it, I thought someone tied the line to a tree, but as I got closer (and the viz wasn’t an issue)  I saw that someone tied the big branch to the line.  At the CAT, we turned and headed back into the Bowl, and past the Pennsy.  We were soon at our safety stop. John wanted to do a valve drill, and did one.  After five minutes, we were done, and found our exit point.

Duration: 45 minutes

Deepest Depth: 115 ft.

Coldest Temp: 36º

All in all a pretty good dive from my perspective!   I felt like I stayed a little more off of the bottom than I had been, although it felt a little weird from a “comfort” level; I guess I’m just used to being low, but I’ll just have to get used to it.  With the way the weather has been, my sinuses were a little weird descending, but seemed to clear up at the proper times. I think we also realized that the Outhouse is a little further over than we thought. John was thinking that maybe we’d pass it on our way to the Step Van, but we didn’t see it, and it wasn’t a visibility thing.  That’s just not on the map, and we’ve been estimating where it might be. (Isn’t there a dive master class that can have someone map that bugger for sure?)

After the packing up, we decided that a PizzAtown run was in order!  Hot subs and cold beer made a pleasant end to a nice day!

It looks like none of us will be able to get out this weekend, so hopefully we get to see you all NEXT Wednesday which is July 1^st already!   June is in the books!

The Way I See It….

After a tough week, I’m back in the saddle again on a Wednesday night.  If you want to call this “my happy place” then so be it, I’m just glad to get out of the house some nights.  I was the first ones at Upper A, and other than knowing that there were other people signing in, I was wondering if it WAS Wednesday? But soon enough Rob showed up, then John was close behind.

I was hoping that my gear was all where it was supposed to be, since I had planned on coming last Wednesday, and needed to cancel at the last minute, so I didn’t unpack anything from its cases, and just stacked it in my garage. Since I have a usual “ritual” when it comes to my packing for a “dive trip”, and I wasn’t able to actually follow it, I had to hope that I didn’t forget something. (like my weight belt, or even my mat, let alone my regulators or dry suit) But thankfully everything was where I  put it! 

Once we were all set up and down at the water, we wondered where to go, John had an idea, so we figured that we’d let him lead. (usually a good idea anyways)  At 20 feet, we all had the right bubbles coming from the right places, so we continued.  Through trees and under pipes along to the top edge of the ridge, we swam out towards the Aqua Adventures truck. I had a minor setback in a cable that was draped down through the trees, I was moving my fins, but I wasn’t going forward. It took me a few second to realize I wasn’t catching up to Rob, and figured out I was stuck. I got loose, just as I saw Rob turn around at the truck to see where my light was, Ok, I’m here!  On the other side of the truck, we started down the cliff, and followed along the bottom of the hill at a slight angle. The Tripod Tree was soon in view, and then there was the Outhouse.  We checked in and continued past the Outhouse, to the “Volkswagen Rock” (As Rob is now referring to it, because it’s as big as a VW, I guess?)  Past the rock we swam around in that general area which was kind of misty.  We turned, went back past the rock and Outhouse and towards the edge of the hole. (following my trail)  The one line was in view, and we followed along with that until we were approaching the Deep Boat.  Around the back of the Deep Boat, and still following the edge of the hole we were at the stick with the pretzel jug on it (That Rob said someone moved) then heading back up to where the CAT is located. I’m not sure if this was in a predetermined plan, but we were soon back into the bowl area, and at the bottom of the Dolphin Tower.  We started our slow ascent up the tower, and I saw that a platform was near, knowing that Rob wanted to work on valve drills, and said he wanted to go to a platform, I figured that was the plan was at the moment.  Rob worked on his drills, then John took his turn.  My foot was cramping, and I remember the last time I attempted one, I got it backwards, so I figured I better refrain at this moment in time.  (need to pull my notes out) Everyone was satisfied with their achievements (I think) so we continued on back towards our exit area.  Through some more trees, and along the wall, we were soon where people like to build things with the rocks, and we finished our dive.

Duration: 48 minutes

Deepest Depth: 94 ft.

Coldest Temp: 36º

Not a bad dive for me, I’m still not where I want to be at all times in the water, and things aren’t getting better no matter what I attempt, so I need to figure out another method. Instead of just using my dry suit, do I need to use my wing again? Not sure, but something just isn’t gelling for me, and John said my fins were trailing a bit, so (Maybe I need some platform work)… I’ll keep you posted on that.  Otherwise it was good to get back into the water to clear my head of some things.

The “dive class” that was set up next to us decided to park their cars in the lane, so we all had to BACK in to load our gear while they chatted, and took their pictures. Ok, we were nice about it, we’re all competent drivers, so…

We ran over to PizzAtown for some much needed sustenance!  (and college football!)  I know I’ll be out of town this coming weekend, but hopefully NEXT Wednesday is workable, hope to see you then!

It’s a Nice Day…

…Why not dive!?    I’m loving the summer because it just has to be a nice-ish day, and there’s a reason to go to the quarry!   My wife has been out of town for a few days (Niece’s prom, I guess she’s the “fashion consultant”  More like Aunt Lisa will foot the bill for hair and nails! Hahaha!)  So I’m home with the cat, some full cylinders, and nothing but time!   Rob was able to get out this weekend, so it was the perfect scenario.  Meet in Bainbridge at our usual 10:00am, and “get one in”!

 It looked like another weekend of yard sales as I drove down to the quarry…several places had tables set up, some with tarps over them so they can sleep in AND start at the crack of dawn!   I woke up early, and spent my morning with my cat, who’s a little under the weather, but loving the sunshine, and fresh air (as am I…but I can carry a mug of coffee on our morning walks through our fenced in courtyard)  After a few “wanders” around our yard, I finished packing my car, and made my way to Bainbridge.  No one in the shop when I got there, but there was plenty to talk about as usual.  I went down to the water and set up my gear. About 10:15 Rob pulled up (a little late) because he was subjected to the usual chatter in the shop. (that’s why I stop in early!) There was a dive class working at the other end of Upper A, so we tried to stay out of their way, and set up. (Rob reminded me about this via text)  We also took a quick walk down the steep access to see if the deceased ground hog was still floating amongst the rocks, but he was removed (or there's a snake with a big bulge slithering around out there)  Rob also said that there was a nasty smell from the poor little critter, but that was no longer present as well!

Once we were all ready to roll, we waddled down the steep access, finished our set up and gave the “thumbs down” to meet at 20 ft. to look for any errant bubbles. Everything looked like it was supposed to look, so the thumbs down was given to continue and off we went.  Past the boats and through the trees by the Dolphin tower, and Pennsy, and we were soon staring at the pipe. Following that we were at the CAT in no time at all, and making sure that all parties involved were feeling ok, we were, so the order was given to continue descending.  At the Deep Boat, we searched for the pipe, with the line attached, and were soon swimming along the ridge towards the wood pile, and tool box.  The Step Van was just off in the distance, but Rob was already taking his heading to find the Outhouse.  After a bit of a swim, I got the “Not finding it” signal, and we continued on.  Rob saw it, but it took me a little while to see the line that lead back to where we came. We passed the Deep Boat again, and then followed the terrain out to the Pump House and along the bottom of the hill.  Over the rocks, and through the trees, and we were soon at the Tripod Tree which meant that we WERE going to see the Outhouse, just not in the order we were hoping.  At the Outhouse we continued past, and checked out more of the boulders in that area.  Rob gave the “go back” signal, and we followed again along the edge of the ridge until we were close to the Pump House again. We started up the hill, and at the line, Rob pointed, and we were on our deep stop. (and if I remember correctly, that line was at 60 feet last season, only at around 57-58 ft. this year.)  Back at the Cat, we continued along the terrain, and were soon passing the big rocks and Pennsy again (where it got really cold)  Rob gave me the “I’m cold” signal, and I agreed, so we started towards our safety stop.  When we got to our usual tree, there were a few people taking their safety stop (although they were standing and kicking things up, which I don’t understand because two of them were holding on to one of the trees)  …so we decided to take our safety stop at 25 feet instead (since we had no deco obligations)  and waited for five minutes. Rob was going to attempt a valve drill, but with the decreased visibility, opted to pass on this particular trip. We were done, and finished our dive.

Deepest Depth: 96 ft.

Duration: 47 minutes

Coldest Temp: 37º

Good dive considering the decreased visibility, and our missed navigation. (I’m no help, so…)  I was also diving with my 119’s which I haven’t used in a while (since I didn’t get the 130’s refilled yet from Wednesday)  But all in all it was a really good relaxing dive!

The class was taking their surface interval, and a family decided to wander up from the tracks, only to be asked if they were members…they were quickly turned around and back over the train tracks.  After packing we made a bee-line for PizzAtown for a quick lunch, and both of us had shopping obligations to pursue.

Hoping to get my fills on Monday night and hope to see you all again on Wednesday!  The summer is young, and the diving is there!