1000 Islands

[oldflounder]

I am seriously considering doing some diving the last weekend of December around the 1000 Islands area. I'm looking for some ice diving certs classes. So who do I hook up with that's open that time of year? I dove last summer on the Keystorm with Moe. Would like to start some planning...Joe

 

[porgyhunter]

Where is 1000 islands?

 

[oldflounder]

They say Thousand Islands dressing was created/invented/developed there.

 

[oldflounder]

Hello Porgyhunter - I had to run into Boston this morning and I figured others would answer your question while I was gone but no one has. The Thousand Islands are at the westerly end of the Saint Lawrence Seaway just before Lake Ontario. You can either drive to upper Vermont and across the top of NY or drive over to Syracuse area and head up from there. It's a 9 or 10 hour drive from our area if you take your time and make a couple pit stops along the way. The area is noted for it's wreck diving, good viz and 120'+ depths with no thermocline. I was out there last summer to check it out and am definately going back. But take note that it is best to go there with an agenda already lined up. To just show up for a few days like I did and not know the ropes is not the way to do it. There are several good dive operations out there but they have strange hours and you really need to make arrangements beforehand. I recommend it :thumbs_up: as a very good dive destination for a 3 or 4 day, long weekend. It's being touted as the Caribbean of Canada because of the great viz but it wasn't that great when I was there - maybe 30 or 40' - still better than around here. Maybe Reefseal will give some comments. He was out there not too long ago. There are some forums here that cover that area but I am not sure which ones off-hand.......Joe

 

[porgyhunter]

Hi Joe; Thanks for the info,Would the best way be to do it with a club? Or with a group?Really interested in this area Why no thermacline?

 

[flots am]

I am seriously considering doing some diving the last weekend of December around the 1000 Islands area. I'm looking for some ice diving certs classes.

I haven't taken Ice Diving, but would assume that it requires ice. If this is the case, you'll need to wait until January or maybe February.

So who do I hook up with that's open that time of year?

AFAIK, you're mostly limited to shore dives in the Thousand Islands, since most of the small boats are out of the water by then. Not sure about Moe, since he also does commercial work and his boat is trailer-able. I'd be willing to bet that if you had enough people (or money) he'd be happy to take you out.

Also, The Islander (in A-Bay) is always a nice shore dive. Don't try to wipe the zebra mussels off the chain holding the floating restaurant. On a completely un-related note, new dry-gloves are about $20. Don't ask how I know.

If you're looking for an actual class, National Aquatic Service in Syracuse lists an ice diving class on their website.

Also, all the Finger Lakes have some sort of public access, so if you have a tank, you can do shore dives.

flots.

 

[flots am]

Hi Joe; Thanks for the info,Would the best way be to do it with a club? Or with a group?Really interested in this area Why no thermacline?

The viz is variable, but mostly depends on the weather. As it gets colder with less rain, the viz does nothing but improve. In December/January, you could easily be looking at 80'+ viz.

There's no thermocline because the water is always moving. It does actually get colder sometimes as you go deeper and into areas with low flow, but it's nothing like in the lakes where it could be 70 degrees on the surface and 45 degrees @30'

flots.

 

[oldflounder]

Thanks for the replies flots. When I was there this past summer someone told me that the reasoning for no thermo is that the water comes off the surface waters of lake Ontario and heads rapidly toward the ocean and never really gets a chance to cool off at depth. I'm sure that in the still waters and against the shore it does.

Yea - You're probably right about not much ice until you get into mid-winter - but I don't need much - just a thin layer would be fine. Around here we drive out onto the ice with vehicles when it gets thick enough, but I've read of people doing shore dives on the Islander for example using overhead caving techniques and not being tethered to tenders. Of course that's not for me yet but that's an example of where you could get some quick depth right from shore even without a thick ice cover. For a while there is usually a strip of open water along the shore that takes a while to freeze solid, esp. in the moving currents of a river.

I was in Ottawa at Diver's Wearhouse and they told me that they do ice diving certs in the winter at Brockville, but they never emailed me back with any details - maybe it's too early to schedule.

I talked with Moe in June and he was having health issues so he doesn't do any diving anymore. His daughter and grandson run most of the business now. Maybe they go out in mid-winter - I doubt there is enough call for it though to make it profitable.

I want to get ice certified, and we do it around here, but the past couple years we have had warm winters and unsafe ice conditions. The dive shops are worried about the liability issues. I was thinking the ice may form quicker and thicker out that way - maybe not from what you say.

Porgyhunter - The best way would be to go with an organized group tour the first time. A place called Tiedemann's Diving Center goes out there a few times a year with organized dive trips. Their address is 56 Gardiner's Ave., Levittown, NY 11756 www.tdconline.com. When you get on their site look under "trips" on the choices on the top of the page and then "1000 Islands" for a description. Also some other dive shops in NY go there a lot but I am not sure about in the mid winter. My LDS tried it a few times in the past but had many problems with people cancelling at the last minute because of the weather.

I want to go the last week of December because I have leftover vacation time and must use it up then. I can't afford to go to the Caribb., but I can afford a couple tanks of gas for a road trip.

 

[flots am]

Yea - You're probably right about not much ice until you get into mid-winter - but I don't need much - just a thin layer would be fine. Around here we drive out onto the ice with vehicles when it gets thick enough, but I've read of people doing shore dives on the Islander for example using overhead caving techniques and not being tethered to tenders.

If you just want to go diving, The Islander is a really nice shore dive even in winter. You could just drive up to the parking lot behind the hospital and go diving when there is shore ice and snow but open water.

For anything else, I'd suggest dealing with a shop that has an Ice Diving class. The places that I know of that run one, only do lakes where there is little current and the ice gets much thicker. Although I don't know anything specific about it, ice diving on the St. Lawrence would seem to be exceptionally risky.

flots.

 

[CardShark]

>> For anything else, I'd suggest dealing with a shop that has an Ice Diving class.

I second that - and definitely take the class first. You'll be surprised at what you didn't know. ( I'm not a native Marylander ; I grew up in western Vermont, on Lake Champlain. )

>> The places that I know of that run one, only do lakes where there is little current and the ice gets much thicker.

>> Although I don't know anything specific about it, ice diving on the St. Lawrence would seem to be exceptionally risky.

You are certainly right. The initial training in moving water is too risky. Dive quarries & lakes first, then move to the moving water, as it is a different animal.
......and forget ice diving without a tether !