Minneapolis now requires an annual permit to SCUBA dive

[Bob DBF]

I can only speak for my own area...Fathom Five Marine Park in Ontario...is a ''pay for play'' park...

Annual fee is $20....day and week permits are also available...annual permit is a serial numbered token...day and week permits are coloured wrist bands...

Is dive fee in addition to the usual park fee?


Bob

 

[W W Meixner]

Hey Bob...

The ''park'' permit is annual...everything else...accomodations/charter/fills...and anything else is over and above...

The one dive site...''The Tugs''...is no additional costs...other than parking and permit...it's a shore dive...a dressing deck is in place at POE...its in Little Tub Harbour...just outside the town center...there are four tugs at this location...The ''Alice G''...is well worth the visit...

It's approx a 12 minute swim from the POE...drive line/boiler/engine/fantail stern are all intact...

The tugs are a good tune-up dive...

Warren

 

[Bob DBF]

The ''park'' permit is annual...

I looked at their site, and it seemed that one had to have a park pass, to access the park,and a diving pass in order to dive there, but it wasn't real clear.



Bob

 

[StefinSB]

When you need to explain the butt of a joke - it loses the spontaneity and appeal...

Says the guy from New Jersey

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

If there is actual benefit regarding transference of invasive species, that might very well be a good thing.
I can't help but wonder just how zebra mussels that have invaded the Great Lakes managed to migrate to the local Haigh Quarry years ago. Were the larvae just on the outside of someone's gear, or were they in a BCD with some Lake Michigan residue? Makes you wonder what you are carrying around on a daily basis.

But did the quarry get clearer? ;-)

 

[W W Meixner]

Hey Bob...

You can either buy your annual permit through the Fathom Five office...which is located a couple km outside of town or through Divers Den dive shop located in the center of town...if you're only coming for the day...or staying for a few days...I'd recommend either a day...or week pass...I make several trips to Tobermory per season...usually three days at a time...it's more convenient for me to get an annual permit...

For lodging...I always stay at ''Adventure the Bruce Inn''...it's a new property...clean and well run...ideal if you're bringing your wife with you...

In an effort to keep the local merchants alive...there are no chain hotels...restaurants...fast food outlets...there is a fully stocked grocery store and liquor store in the town center...as well as lots of local restaurants...the Crows Nest is great...

Divers Den has all the permit forms on their web site which can be filled out electronically...

All charters and fills are arranged through Divers Den...contact Kelly...she can pre-arrange everything...charters to the deep wrecks...Arabia...Forest City...Niagara II...are approx $100...NITROX fills average $20...depending on mix...

PM me if you need anything else...

Best...

Warren

 

[Bob DBF]

You can either buy your annual permit through the Fathom Five office...which is located a couple km outside of town or through Divers Den dive shop located in the center of town...if you're only coming for the day...or staying for a few days...I'd recommend either a day...or week pass...I make several trips to Tobermory per season...usually three days at a time...it's more convenient for me to get

May be I'm just dense, a good possibility, but I don't see the answer.

Here in CA you can pay for the day, or pass for the year, to access day use the state parks, which includes diving access to the water if available at the park.

Fathom Five park is similar in that it has both land and water components, in order to access the park, do you need one permit for the park and another for diving? An example, if I wanted to do my usual dive at the park and then grill a burger on the beach, would I need two permits.



Bob

 

[W W Meixner]

No...

Other than Provincial camp sites in Tobermory...no ''land activity'' permits are required...

Permits are required for the ''Marine Park'' only...Fathom Five...which is a designated Provincial Marine Park wants to be able to keep a permanent record of annual diving activity...

Diving activity is not what it used to be...there were three dive shops in Tobermory...only one remains...

Tobermory has become a ''day trip'' destination for the larger Canadian and American city centers...sight seeing...boat trips...glass bottom boat trips over the shallow wrecks...ferry trips to Manitoulin Island...excursion trips to Flower-Pot Island...and camping...

W...

 

[Stoo]

The ''Sweepstakes'' has S/S tie rods installed to inter-connect port and starboard to prevent side wall collapse...and S/S cages inside the hold hatches...so you can drop down through the hatch and see the complete intact hold from bow to stern...

Just to correct the record, the Park had nothing to do with putting those rods in. I did that, with a few friends and some donated materials and a donated boat from G+S. The Park was actually opposed to us doing that work, but because the"Sweeps" is such a draw fro divers and glass-bottom boaties, they relaxed the rules. Parks Canada's position on wrecks is that they left to die naturally, something I don't understand at all. When ancient works of art are recovered, millions of dollars are spent preserving and restoring them. Why should our old wrecks, historic as they are be any different.

Fifteen or 20 years later, the Park did put those cages in.

I have approached the park about doing some similar work (the tie rods) on Arabia. The depth obviously complicates that, but I have no doubt it could be done with some planning and very little money. I also suggested that they should study the impact of lifting the anchors off of her bow, and setting them on the bottom. Their collective weight but be a hide factor in the "slump".

Having said that, I also don't mind forking out a few bucks every year. The fees support the patrol/emergency response boats, education to visiting divers (and non-divers too), the moorings as Warren pointed out and so on.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that a number of the moorings here that are outside the park, are provided and maintained by the Tobermory Maritime Association... so those are the moorings at th Grotto, San Jacinta, City of Cleveland etc.

 

[Stoo]

Diving activity is not what it used to be...there were three dive shops in Tobermory...only one remains...

Diving is better in Tobermory now than it's ever been. For various reasons, the water clarity is astounding at times... like in excess of 150'. I think there are a number of reasons for it, but as a photographer, I sure like it.

The demise of some shops I think had more to do with the owners' personal situations than the state of diving. Both Steve T. decided to become a fire chief (His was never really a legit shop.. more an air station for his customers since none of the other shops would work with him.) Perry at G+S has been at it a long time and basically retired. (I hired him to work at the shop I can (long since blown up!) in 1980. He got a great offer from a non-diving business and grabbed it. I can't blame him for taking advantage of that. I"m sure he would have been happy to sell to someone who wanted to operate a dive shop. But who in their right mind would want to own a dive shop with a 3-4 month profit season?

Divers Den, while only one company, is operating both locations, and the boats from G+S as well as their own. So really, capacity hasn't changed much in recent times. Since the early/mid 80s, diver visits have declined. I put this down more to divers having more good diving options... Like Kingston, St Lawrence/Brockville etc. Tobermory has become expensive to visit, but what tourist destination isn't?