Well, it’s been a while…

Other than my “wander through Bainbridge” you haven’t heard from me in a LONG time. July 2^nd to be exact (after my little mishap)  After that, I was told to not dive for a while, then I just couldn’t get my schedule to mesh with anyone, and I thought that on a frozen New Years Eve, it wouldn’t be a good idea for that to be my first time back in the water after about six months.  Then came this season, and not being able to get together until now!

I’ve been putting bugs into Rob’s ear about getting out, and since “school is out for summer”  week days are usually the best time for me to get out. Rob was able to get a day off, and John was ready to take a break from yard work, so we decided to head up to Dutch Springs.  As the day got closer, I started sorting through my dive gear, and made sure that batteries worked, and o-rings were lubed, and the “stuff” started making its way up to my garage. I had a full set of 119’s ready to go, so I THINK I had it all!

After a little running around yesterday, I packed my car, put some PowerAde in the fridge, and read myself to sleep. I had my alarm set early, so I was sure to get up at the proper time, have my coffee, and breakfast while wishing Lisa a nice day at work, as I left the house around 7:30.  I forgot that the rush hour traffic would be holding me up a bit (haven’t needed to drive in it for several years now) but it was like riding a bike (although I think I hit every red light on the way.  Got to Rob’s and packed my gear into his car, and shortly after, John showed up and did the same.

The traffic wasn’t horrible out to Bethlehem, but it was enough.  We went to Wegman’s because we didn’t think there’d be a problem getting a table and got our lunches. (Chicken Caesar Wraps!  New and GOOD!) When we got to the quarry, since it was drizzling a little, we asked if we could use the tent, and they said “sure”!  So we didn’t get wet while we set up.  It took a little while remembering where everything went, but I think I had it all set up properly when everyone was ready to go.  Into my dry suit and gear, and strap on the tanks.  Everyone had it ready, so we walked down to the platforms.  I was a little nervous since this was the longest that I’ve been out of the water since I started diving, but once I got my fins and mask on, ducked my head under water and checked my regulators, it all started to come back to me.  After everyone was ready, the signal was given to descend to 20 feet.  I met John down there, and we exchanged “ok’s” and looked for Rob…no Rob?!?!  We looked up, and it seemed like he was dealing with something, but shortly started to descend.  When he got to 20 feet, he showed John that his dry suit inflator hose wasn’t connected, and couldn’t find it.  Some things are totally automatic, and if you miss it, well…it happens after a short lay off.  John helped him find it, and connected it, and we were soon off. 

This was supposed to be a nice relaxing leisurely dive so I can get my brain back into dive mode.  So I followed John, and Rob kept an eye on me. We hit the platforms, and took a quick look at each other, and exchanged “ok’s” again and kept going.  We passed the one boat, and soon swam by the crane.  We kept going, then headed out along the wall looking for the plane.  John has a new compass, and the numbers are smaller than his previous one, so he was going 30º rather than 60º and we didn’t get to the plane.  No biggie…we’ve seen it.  We DID find the school bus, and I decided that I should go full force and penetrate it! (I was feeling good after about 10 minutes!)  So why not!  We swam through, and checked in outside. Everything was good so we kept going.  We were soon at the Comet, and since I was “feeling my oats”  I decided to penetrate THAT as well!!  Woo hoo, I was living life! As I swam through it, I remember why I usually didn’t… the places to squeeze through are tight, and I kept bumping myself.  I saw a little thing and picked it up, not knowing what it was, but accidentally dropped it when I hit my head moving into the next room of the boat.  (We later figured out that it was a part of John’s reel.  Shame I dropped it. We’ll probably find it when we go the next time) Out of the Comet, we looked at the line and knew we were close to 30-something minutes, so we headed up the line and hung out on the platforms for a little while.  John attempted a valve drill, and had some issues with it, knocking his dry glove off.  I just changed regulators to make sure they worked ok, and that I could still do that, but my primary started free flowing, Rob just looked at both of us and hoped we didn’t kill ourselves.  After our safety stop, we gave the thumbs up, and headed back in.  Dive one, sloppy, but successful and in the books!

Max Depth:  64 feet

Duration: 42 minutes

Temp: 43º

Not a bad first dive, for my 11 month layoff, and John and Rob’s six month!  A little rust, but overall a good dive! I felt comfortable after being down about 10 minutes, so I was happy.  We had our wonderful Wegman’s lunches, and then decided that it was time to give it another go!

We set everything back up, and remembered to attach the right hoses, and make sure we were all ready to go!  The order was given to descend, and this time everyone made it to 20ft.  We all felt good, so we kept going. This time we figured that we’d head out towards the Trolley, and maybe drop down to the Deuce and a Half before taking a nice leisurely stroll around the back of the island.  We got close to the Trolley, and decided to penetrate.  Afterwards, we swam along the rim of the hole, and popped over a bit to see the truck.  We then ascended back up, and followed the back of the island at a nice comfortable pace.  We saw someone’s line running project (Rob thinks that maybe it was done late last year, and to possibly find the plane) and kept swimming.  Once we got around the island, we headed back towards the Comet, we didn’t penetrate, but just swam by (if we knew that the part that I dropped was John’s at that time, I’m sure we would have tried to recover it)   We were getting close to 30-something minutes, so we headed up to the platforms and just did a nice safety stop.  After we were done, we headed back, and finished our dive.

Max Depth: 85 feet

Duration: 41 minutes

Temp: 42º

Ok!  Not bad for my first day back in a while. During the second dive, I actually felt like I knew what I was doing!  So I think I can keep diving, and enjoy myself again!  Packing up was the usual mess, wet stuff, dry-ish stuff etc.  but everything got into Rob’s truck, and we headed to Wegman’s for our post-dive celebration!  (munchies and a good beer!)  When we finished, John did some extreme beer shopping, and we left to the crazy rush hour traffic. 

All in all a great day!  The three of us worked out some cobwebs, and felt like we all had fun!  Hopefully, we can keep this up and get out there more than we all did last year.  Again, and I know I sound like a broken record, but I really miss the convenience of Bainbridge, and how often we were able to dive there.  Rob said that if it were still open, we’d probably have at least 20 dives in already…and he’s right! 

Ok, so since my cylinders are pretty much in need of a visual, I’m not sure when I’ll get back out, but I’ll be sure to let you know! 

Safe diving , people!  Welcome to 2018!!!

Talk….About….SURREAL!

Ok, last weekend I was online looking for something else (ever heard that before) and I stumbled upon an overhead picture of the old Billmeyer Quarry (aka Bainbridge Sportmen’s Club) that looked like it was partially drained.  The way the picture was online, you weren’t able to save it in order to zoom in on a few parts. I wanted to see what was above water.  So I puttered around online for a little while, and found more pictures that were closer. You were able to see that the “Lagoon” was totally drained, the “Bowl” was partially drained, and you could see the Pennsy, some boats, and a few platforms (and the Scuba-Venture truck partially submerged in the distance). I considered driving down there to see for myself,  but figured that I wouldn’t be able to get in because of the gates, and I didn’t know how to sneak in via the trail. (and I figured that if I was wandering around there, someone would report me, and I’d get arrested) so I figured I’d do it the “legit” way, and contact Conoy Township to see if there was any way I could get in!  Thankfully, I received a response on Monday asking who I was, and why I was interested in the quarry.  I responded, and merely stated that I just wanted to see it for myself, and perhaps take some pictures.  The woman responded and said she would check with the township manager, and get back to me.

The next day I received a contact name and info, and was told to call this gentleman, and set things up, he was willing to let me come in and take pictures.  So after I got off of work, I called him, and he said whenever I wanted to come down, he would either meet me, or have the gate “fake locked” so I could get in and do what I wanted…. I immediately thought “BARN RUN!”  and texted Rob!  I figured that this weekend would be good, so I called him Friday night, and asked if I could stop by tomorrow about 10:00am, he said he would have the gate opened.

When I showed up the gate was locked (GREAT!)  so I called him again, and got his voice mail.  So I left a message and thought… “ok, I said I’d be here around 10:00 so it’s ten of…”  he called back about 2 minutes later and said that he was there early and unlocked it, so someone must have re-locked it, so he would send someone over quick.  About two minutes later, I was in! (I just hoped that the guy didn't lock me in!)

The memories came flooding back when I started driving down that road. I haven’t been there since July of 2015, but I recalled all of the nervousness, anticipation, excitement and thrill of the many times I drove on that road. As I did drive, I could see a lot more rock than I ever remember over the banks!  I pulled in to upper “A” and parked.  The first thing I did was look over the wall and see how much water was gone.  It was a little more filled from the pictures I saw recently, but still very drained!  I looked down the “steep access” and realized that there was a lot of debris pushed down there, and it probably wouldn’t be smart to try to get down (especially since I was the only person there)  So I started down the road access, and just started walking and taking pictures.  Several years back, Rob and I did a dive along that road, and this basically was what I did while walking today, taking time to look over the wall down into the water, (or deeper when we were diving) and up into the cliffs. (taking many pictures)(see my Facebook page)  The entire time, I saw the remains of dead shell fish strewn all over. The amount of shellfish death was off the charts! Debris piles, rock piles old platforms, and sunken boats were all along the path.  I got to a place that was a little rockier, so I looked to see if I could safely pass, and figured that I just needed to go UNDER a log, and I’d be ok, so I was able to keep moving (a little easier to avoid when you’re in a dry suit, in 20 feet of water, I’m sure) So I kept walking until I got to the part that was called “Access B” and came to water, and couldn’t go any further. (And I can honestly say I never saw this part in person, so it was kind of cool to see it)  After snapping a few pictures (and scaring a bunch of Turkey Buzzards)  I turned and started walking back until I got to what we called the Lagoon!! More debris piles, more platforms and boats, and the swim through pipe… so I snapped more pictures and thought of how many times I swam through that (didn’t seem as big standing next to it) so I went up to the beach into the pavilions, and back to my car after peering over the cliff just once more (and again deciding that I wouldn’t attempt the steep access)  So I got into my car and drove over to what used to be called “Access B”.

I was told that this was where the former quarry owner bred fish for stocking purposes, so it was usually off limits to divers.  In the ten or so years I was coming to the quarry, I can’t honestly say I ever drove down that part, but I figured, why not.  I snapped a few pictures, then got back into my car.  Driving along the road I took a few more along the way until I got to the abandoned quarry office. There were picnic tables, and those small platforms, as well as the old boat that used to be docked in the Lagoon over to the side. I snapped a few more, then said my goodbye, driving up the road hoping that no one locked the lock on the gate… thankfully, they didn’t and I was able to open it and drive out, then lock it. I called the man that gave me access, and thanked him again. 

I hope that there’s a time that I can get back into that quarry, a LOT of memories came flooding into my mind as I walked along the edge…..I learned to dive there, spent a lot of time during the summers I was able to dive, and made so many great friends along the way! 

As a side note, I have heard that they ARE letting the quarry fill back up, so we’ll see…

Until then, be careful out there.  Hoping to get some diving in soon!

A Tale of Two….

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to get out, and I’ve been chomping at the bit to go diving, so when we started talks of going this weekend, I was all for it.  My wife was on an out of town trip to visit a friend who just got two new puppies, and with our two new little residents, I wasn’t really able to go, since we don’t have a good cat-sitter yet. (although I really didn’t want to go… so the cats are a great excuse!)  I shot Rob a note, and we were mulling over Friday or Sunday!  But when Friday got put out, we decided Sunday it is, and we had a guest in John Weaver!  So it was a big party!

We met at Rob’s at 7:00am-ish, and packed his truck full of dive gear. The ride up was spent catching up on every topic known to man!  When we got there, we scouted out some tables, and found a few along the side road, what luck!  After some unpacking and preliminary set up, we ran over to Wegman’s for  our lunches. We came back, and finished setting up in the stifling heat.  Our plan was a similar one,  swim out to the Trolley, drop down the hill, etc.  JUST to get our bearings on a hot day.  When we were done sweating… I mean SETTING up, we waddled down to the water. 

Everything looked good, so we dropped to 20 for our bubble check, and we were  ready to go. (I had a slight bubble coming from my valves, but nothing rough to worry about, maybe an askew O-ring) So we decided to keep going. Out past the boat, and over to the Trolley, we all took a quick trip through it, and reconvened at the top of the hill.  We all gave “ok’s” so we went down the hill to the car.  Swam around that for a few, then over to the Deuce and a Half, and up the hill.  Once we were over the slope, we started along the back of the island.  Nice easy diving.  This is the kind I love.  Nothing too strenuous, and at a nice pace! After going around the front, we noticed that there was a nasty cloud in front of us. The last time we saw something like that, Rob changed direction, but John went into it!  We swam over to the crane, and around that for a few minutes, when we came out of the cloud, we felt like we were in 100ft. visibility! Hahaha!  (ok, maybe 20 ft.)   From there we followed the line over towards the Comet, and Rob and John swam through that, while I just chilled on the outside.  By this time we were getting towards the end of our time, so we followed the bottom of the slope over to the decks, and did our safety stop.  After five minutes, we all gave each other the thumbs up and ended our dive!

Deepest Depth:  86ft.

Duration:  49 minutes

Coldest Temp:  44º

Not a bad dive at all, felt like a mid summer dive of other years (when I was diving every Wednesday and occasional weekends by now)  SO it was time for a nice relaxing surface interval.  We got to enjoy our wonderful Wegman’s subs, and watch the many people wandering about the property, both Aqua Park, and divers. (the place was packed!)  We saw that Todd was with some rebreather people, so we went over and chatted with him, then I ran into Ron on my way to the rest rooms, and told him who I’ve seen so far.  So it was a great weekend for diving!

After about a two hour surface interval, we decided to get dive number two under way.  The plan was to hit the plane, then try to find the copter, and end up at the firetruck, etc.  Not a bad dive two!  So we set up and went down to the water.

After checking things out we went to 20 ft. for our bubble check, and this is where it gets weird for me. As I was trying to get my buoyancy under control, I somehow started descending at an uncontrollable rate, and plopped down at 35 feet, on my back. I rolled over, and tried to get my bearings.  By this time Rob was down checking on me. He gave me an “OK” sign, so I gave him one back, then a “not so OK” sign.  Not entirely sure what I did, but I knew my ears were hurting.  So I tried clearing the best I could, and started putting air in my suit.  Rob and John helped me to the surface, and onto the platform, where I said I wasn’t going to continue.  They called up to Todd, and asked him to help me back to the tables. (no reason for them not to continue)  So they kept going, and Todd helped me back. Once he knew I was ok, (Thanks, Todd!)  he went back to his crew and they went on with their dive.  I just  started putting my gear away, and tried to sort out what happened… and actually, I’m NOT sure?

Deepest Depth:  37ft.

Duration: 2.5 minutes (may be a new record!)

Coldest Temp:  72º

After putting my gear back into its respective bags, I spotted a friend that was there, and went over to chat with Donna for a while. (who was there for some recreational dives, as opposed to training dives!) Rob and John were coming out, so she finished getting her gear squared away, and I went to see them. (and apparently their dive went a little weird as far as navigation, they didn’t find everything they wanted, but it was apparently still a good dive)

After they put their gear away, we went to Wegman’s for a light snack.  While all of this was going on, my ears were sore, especially my right ear, so I kept “clearing it” slightly to ease the pain, after a while it felt like things were bubbling, and possibly the water in my ear was going away. As I drove home, I noticed that the water in the ear was a little red-ish on a tissue, so I thought “uh-oh”!  I sent a picture of it to my wife who showed it to a doctor friend, and he thinks I may have ruptured my ear drum.  SO… off to a doctor’s appointment tomorrow to find out for sure…yay!  

Who knows what this will be, but I’m not expecting to be out diving next weekend.  Enjoy your Fourth!

UPDATE:  NOT a ruptured ear drum!  Possibly a busted blood vessel.  Seeing an ENT soon.