Portsmouth, Pierce Island 4/19

[reefseal]

Tim K, Gintz, Jim Mahoney and I went out today. We were optimistic Nubble would be ok. Seeing the surfers parked along Long Sands Beach was not a good sign. Though no winds, seas were rough (foam on surface), looked like crappy vis. We punted and went down to Portsmouth to do the Pierce Island Wall dive. High tide was at 11:15 so we went in at slack. We wentered water 12:39 PM. 31 min BT, Temp 39 at depth, 42 on surface. Vis was ok. (20 feet) Max depth 66 fsw. It was a check out dive for most of use as we just had our gear serviced. Once decended and everything ok.

We then went to Ft. Constitution, the new UNH Pier. I baggged the 2nd dive and just layed out in sun (didn't want to get back into my dry suit again) but Tim and Jim did the 2nd dive. Great vis in this little cove. We drove by earlier before going into Pierce Island and saw a diver going in. It's a dive can dive regardless of tide. Just stay close to shore away from the channel.

Overall, a great day.

 

[adambisi]

can you dive these two sites year round?

 

[reefseal]

can you dive these two sites year round?

Can't see why not. I dove F. Constitution with snow in ground.

 

[jimbo2006]

Having a backup to Nubble, when that looked iffy, was great since all of us wanted to get in the water. I was very happy to try out my new wetsuit, thicker gloves and adding the 3mm socks - although clearly I want to add more weight next time to offset the additional buoyancy of the extra neoprene. Certainly kept me warm.

The diving itself was great and my only disappointment was my limited air with the 72 cu ft tank I'd rented. At the shop I talked to Mike and Tom about better (bigger) tank options. Tom said I could rent a LP 95, and its size and swing weight are very close to an HP119 which would be lots more air. Renting would let me see if I was comfortable with that much larger tank before I commit bucks (I'm presently trying to designate for AOW cert and some diving). I'll plan (hope) to rent the LP95 next time - which at least will be lots more air (not sure they have but one of these tanks which could pose a problem as more folks start diving and renting stuff). [At the shop today I also made first step toward AOW by buying the SSI Navigation book and DVD.]

High points of yesterday's dives were the white/yellow anemones on first dive, and near UNH pier the colorful 1inch long fish I'd seen (I want to try to look that fish up somehow while I can still remember what it looked like).

Great day. Nice dives and fun company. Loads more fun than working on a Friday!

 

[adambisi]

Can't see why not. I dove F. Constitution with snow in ground.

Actually, i was asking about late spring and summer due to parking availability and more boats in the area. Also, you are right across from the Naval Base according to google maps. I was wondering if the Navy would show any concern for divers in the area.

 

[reefseal]

Oh.. didn't understand the question. For these two sites, Parking is not an issue. In all my days diving the piscatequa, I have never had parking issues. At Pierce island, you park at a dirt lot just before the end / turn-around where DPW. Fort Constitution always has plenty of parking.

You're fine with the Marine Patrol as long as you're on the NH side of the base. You can't dive off of the base land on Seavey island unless you're part of base or have special permission. The back channel is ok to dive.

 

[adambisi]

Oh.. didn't understand the question. For these two sites, Parking is not an issue. In all my days diving the piscatequa, I have never had parking issues. At Pierce island, you park at a dirt lot just before the end / turn-around where DPW. Fort Constitution always has plenty of parking.

You're fine with the Marine Patrol as long as you're on the NH side of the base. You can't dive off of the base land on Seavey island unless you're part of base or have special permission. The back channel is ok to dive.

thanks!! I have to give this a try later on in the season!!

 

[TimK]

As a military retiree I enquired about diving from the base itself. The Navy prohibits any kind of diving from the base by anyone unless it's Navy divers. If you can find parking on the Maine side of the river, you can dive there, just make sure you don't stray too close to the navel base or I'm positive you'll get a chance to speak directly with navel security

 

[DavidInNH]

Yes. It was a great day for diving! Good company and nice to get wet (well, a little in my drysuit) for the first time since late October.

 

[jimbo2006]

One thing Reefseal emphasized as we waited (and waited ;-) to get in the water is that its really IMPORTANT to dive the river at slack tide. This may seem obvious for some but is perhaps worth mentioning for newbies like me. The current was still moving pretty fast till shortly prior to the dive but reasonably near the shoreline (vice in the channel) it was fine while slack.

So you could probably dive these sites at various times of year AND in lots of different coastal weather but only at times of day when the tide is just right.