Tractor Tom
Contributor
Well, we made a dive on Grindstone City at the very tip of Michigans Thumb. What a poor trip is was. Dave (cldwdiver) myself (Frankenmuth_Tom) Ted (gtxl1200) and Brian (diverbrian) all were in attendance. The weather was overcast and cold with a blustery wind of 10 - 15 knots. Dave and I arrived first, and got to talking with one of the locals to find out that the water was VERY shallow. Then Ted arrived in his new Diesel Pickup (Nice ride Ted) and then Brian. We originally intended to dive first in the marina, and then on the other side, in the bay. I walked into the marina to find NO vis and only about three and a half feet of water. So short meeting ensued, and we decided to walk to the bay on the other side of the finger of land and try that. Ted was in the front, and walked WAY out into the bay there and was only in 4 feet of water. We all got together in a group and decided to try going out into the bay a ways farther and parallel to the breakwater. We dove in 3 1/2 feet of water with vis around 6 feet and fairly warm temps. Worked along the bottom and swam fighting the surge. We dove for 30 minutes or so, all had more than a half a tank of air when we came to the surface on a submerged rock jetty and decided to call it all off. We swam back to the dry jetty and climbed out of the water. Ted and Brian, took a different compass bearing and ended up crossing the dredged channel, but still were in only 5 feet of water.
Dive was over, we had a max depth of seven feet and spent about 35 or 40 minutes in the water. I had a half a tank of air left, but the water was too shallow to really dive in. We saw a couple pieces of railroad iron and a bunch of old grindstones in the shallow water, some were in pieces, some were whole. The entire trip could have been made with a snorkle and saved the price of an air fill. Zebra Mussles were found, but not a lot, no crayfish were seen. Neither were any other fish.
We should have gone to Higgins Lake.
Dive was followed by a bite at the Fireplace Inn on M-25 south of Port Austin, followed by a de-briefing at the Black Forest for Dave, Brian and myself (we lost Ted somewhere on the way back to Frankenmuth). With lots of Oak Stout and Honey Bee Wheat Beer.
Any day you can dive is a good day. But some dive days are better than others. Next meeting is at Gilboa on Saturday, 6 November. Good to see you guys, hope the next dive trip is better. We intend a deep dive at Gilboa, and several shallower dives, as it appears that the GLWC will NOT be diving the mines in November due to Tim getting an "undeserved hit".
Dive was over, we had a max depth of seven feet and spent about 35 or 40 minutes in the water. I had a half a tank of air left, but the water was too shallow to really dive in. We saw a couple pieces of railroad iron and a bunch of old grindstones in the shallow water, some were in pieces, some were whole. The entire trip could have been made with a snorkle and saved the price of an air fill. Zebra Mussles were found, but not a lot, no crayfish were seen. Neither were any other fish.
We should have gone to Higgins Lake.
Dive was followed by a bite at the Fireplace Inn on M-25 south of Port Austin, followed by a de-briefing at the Black Forest for Dave, Brian and myself (we lost Ted somewhere on the way back to Frankenmuth). With lots of Oak Stout and Honey Bee Wheat Beer.
Any day you can dive is a good day. But some dive days are better than others. Next meeting is at Gilboa on Saturday, 6 November. Good to see you guys, hope the next dive trip is better. We intend a deep dive at Gilboa, and several shallower dives, as it appears that the GLWC will NOT be diving the mines in November due to Tim getting an "undeserved hit".
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