Well - had an interesting dive on Sunday morning attempting to visit "The Monarch" underneath the Blue Water Bridge up in Sarnia...
Made the treck out from Chicago Saturday morning to randevious with my brother at Portage Quarry. We managed a nice 70 minute dive from just past the beach out to the moving van and back in the early afternoon. We surfaced to find a slew of clouds overhead keeping the sun's warming rays from reaching us and decided we'd had enough for the day. We loaded up the trucks and headed up to Detroit to bunk for the night with Joe from Another World Diver Supply.
Met at the shop around 8:30 the next morning. I was expecting one or two other divers to show - next thing ya now we have a gaggle of folks going, probably 8-10 divers in all. We trek up an hour or so north to Port Huron and cross the boarder and setup gear. Scouting out the dive site - A few folks eye a giant stride entry between some pylons - I think their nuts, and opt for the easier climb down a wall and walk over a few rocks right at the base of where the park starts.
We wade in and the current immediately picks you up for a leisurely drift, and we descend down to find the line leading to the barge. We follow the line out to the barge and when it ends we make a mad dash out and hit the barge. About this time - I'm thinking a barge is overhead and the current starts ripping. We wait a few minutes for the rest of the crew to get situated. A few of the other folks start securing a guide-line to run to the Monarch.
They tie off the guideline and one of the other divers signals to let go and drift down to the monarch. We all tag on the guideline as they begin laying it out. A few hundred ft' get laid and we hit the end of the rope. While the lead diver ties up the new rope - we're hanging on like fish on a stringer. Current is still ripping up a storm - can definately feel the water gently tugging at the side of my mask and reg when my at anything but head-on. We go through this probably two more times and run out of rope. (though we spent a few minutes untangling one of the ropes, during which I belive the current swung us way out into the channel).
At this point we let go and hope to drift into the Monarch. Havn't felt like flying since my last trip to Cozumel. The four of us drift off and try to maintain some semblance of formation in the 10-15' viz. The lead diver indicates swim into shore and we attempt to follow. Next thing I know we've become seperated and the current is still raging. At this point we're about 20 mins into the dive - I've got plenty of air, and I start trying to kick into shore. Viz increased to 20-30' and I floated along for a good 10 more minutes and saw some wierd depth changes - started getting deeper - did I get turned around...? Well about this point in time I started kicking myself for not bringing my compass and decided - can't stay down here forever. (I was diving a E8-119, had about 1500psi) The current let up and I found myself hovering at 45' and decided - with no ambient noise - might as well surface. So I did a nice leisurely ascent and found myself about 50 yds off shore down by the casino. When I surfaced a sailboat was about 200yds downstream from me and I kicked into shore.
Needless to say - I didn't do a second dive. Stupid - Next time take a compass, liftbag/spool - cuz stuff happens.
Made the treck out from Chicago Saturday morning to randevious with my brother at Portage Quarry. We managed a nice 70 minute dive from just past the beach out to the moving van and back in the early afternoon. We surfaced to find a slew of clouds overhead keeping the sun's warming rays from reaching us and decided we'd had enough for the day. We loaded up the trucks and headed up to Detroit to bunk for the night with Joe from Another World Diver Supply.
Met at the shop around 8:30 the next morning. I was expecting one or two other divers to show - next thing ya now we have a gaggle of folks going, probably 8-10 divers in all. We trek up an hour or so north to Port Huron and cross the boarder and setup gear. Scouting out the dive site - A few folks eye a giant stride entry between some pylons - I think their nuts, and opt for the easier climb down a wall and walk over a few rocks right at the base of where the park starts.
We wade in and the current immediately picks you up for a leisurely drift, and we descend down to find the line leading to the barge. We follow the line out to the barge and when it ends we make a mad dash out and hit the barge. About this time - I'm thinking a barge is overhead and the current starts ripping. We wait a few minutes for the rest of the crew to get situated. A few of the other folks start securing a guide-line to run to the Monarch.
They tie off the guideline and one of the other divers signals to let go and drift down to the monarch. We all tag on the guideline as they begin laying it out. A few hundred ft' get laid and we hit the end of the rope. While the lead diver ties up the new rope - we're hanging on like fish on a stringer. Current is still ripping up a storm - can definately feel the water gently tugging at the side of my mask and reg when my at anything but head-on. We go through this probably two more times and run out of rope. (though we spent a few minutes untangling one of the ropes, during which I belive the current swung us way out into the channel).
At this point we let go and hope to drift into the Monarch. Havn't felt like flying since my last trip to Cozumel. The four of us drift off and try to maintain some semblance of formation in the 10-15' viz. The lead diver indicates swim into shore and we attempt to follow. Next thing I know we've become seperated and the current is still raging. At this point we're about 20 mins into the dive - I've got plenty of air, and I start trying to kick into shore. Viz increased to 20-30' and I floated along for a good 10 more minutes and saw some wierd depth changes - started getting deeper - did I get turned around...? Well about this point in time I started kicking myself for not bringing my compass and decided - can't stay down here forever. (I was diving a E8-119, had about 1500psi) The current let up and I found myself hovering at 45' and decided - with no ambient noise - might as well surface. So I did a nice leisurely ascent and found myself about 50 yds off shore down by the casino. When I surfaced a sailboat was about 200yds downstream from me and I kicked into shore.
Needless to say - I didn't do a second dive. Stupid - Next time take a compass, liftbag/spool - cuz stuff happens.
