Tobermory Dive Operations

[Coldwater_Canuck]

I just usually give captain 10 bucks for 2 single tank dives at the end of the trip. No one complained yet I have not been diving many charters yet but out of those I have done all of them were very helpful and nice.

That sounds about right. Are there any divemasters on the boat (I've been on some dives where there is a divemaster who stays in the boat), and are you supposed to tip them as well.

Maybe someone more knowledgeable can correct me, but AFAIK the diver registration has to be paid for in person at the same time you sign the park release. The Visitor's Centre is about a 5-10 min walk from the harbour, or when you first arrive, you pass by the turn-off just before reaching town. In the past it's been open till 8 or 9 during summer weekends but I couldn't find hours for this summer on their web site. On busy weekends, there may even be a park staff member selling passes right on the docks. Their office used to be conveniently right on the harbour, but they closed it when they built that fancy new Visitor's Centre a few years ago.

Ah that's annoying. I've got to make it there by noon from Waterloo and will have to add in time to pay the fee.

 

[shoredivr]

The Visitor's Center opens at 8am. The registration process is not lengthy, one form to fill out and fee paid. It takes me 3 hours exactly to get to Tobermory from Elora, which is half an hour from the north end of Waterloo, so if you leave by 8 am from Waterloo you should be peachy, Visitor's Center included. Pm me if you want the direct route, not Hwy 6, shaves ~15 minutes off time travelled.

 

[Diver Rick]

Hey, so considering I've spent 95% of my life in Ontario, I figure I should probably do some diving here at some point......

Yes, Toby should be on your "to do" list.

But, if you are returning to Ontario after an extended absence, then you really should consider diving in the Kingston and Broclville areas.

In my opinion, much better diving conditions than in Toby. Warmer, wrecks are more intact, and not as far a drive from the Toronto area!!

Keep your options open. Lots of operators to choose from. You could spend two or three weeks in the area and not run out of dive sites to visit!

 

[elan]

That sounds about right. Are there any divemasters on the boat (I've been on some dives where there is a divemaster who stays in the boat), and are you supposed to tip them as well.

To tell you the truth I did not know if there were any. Usually the cap has a person who helps divers a bit here and there. I was just giving the tips to the cap and let them figure out themselves who owns what.

 

[elan]

For a wetsuit, I don't own one yet so I'm hoping the dive shop gives me a suitable one (I'm hoping they use 7mm farmer johns here).

That might be a bit cold We had a person on the boat a week a go who was cold after 40 mins in 47F and skipped the second dive.

It's weird, I've never felt my fingers get cold (the only thing I find painful is my forehead when I first get in cold water).

That might be sinuses that were not equalized. I get this from time to time. Slow but pushy blow into the nose while holding it closed helps.

You're right that it is a concern, but I think it's one I'm used to overall. One thing that does worry me is proper weighting since I've never been in freshwater.

It's much simpler with fresh water as you can check your weight in the pool and just use it in the OW and it will work ! Or now you can do it in just on the beech in Lake Ontario.

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

To tell you the truth I did not know if there were any. Usually the cap has a person who helps divers a bit here and there. I was just giving the tips to the cap and let them figure out themselves who owns what.

Hmm not sure if that would be the divemaster or not. The boat I went on he basically calculated NDCs, helped us get set up, explained the dives, etc. It wasn't a critical position, I think just to cover the dive shop for liability

Yes, Toby should be on your "to do" list.

But, if you are returning to Ontario after an extended absence, then you really should consider diving in the Kingston and Broclville areas.

In my opinion, much better diving conditions than in Toby. Warmer, wrecks are more intact, and not as far a drive from the Toronto area!!

Keep your options open. Lots of operators to choose from. You could spend two or three weeks in the area and not run out of dive sites to visit!

Thanks for the tips, I'm going up to Toby (I like that shortcut, quicker to type, which I've now mitigated by typing this explanation ) but I'll keep those sites in mind for the future.

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

That might be a bit cold We had a person on the boat a week a go who was cold after 40 mins in 47F and skipped the second dive.

That might be sinuses that were not equalized. I get this from time to time. Slow but pushy blow into the nose while holding it closed helps.

It's much simpler with fresh water as you can check your weight in the pool and just use it in the OW and it will work ! Or now you can do it in just on the beech in Lake Ontario.

By July the water shouldn't dip too much below 50, I think I'll be fine in a 7mil

I don't think it was an equalization problem, just my forehead is really sensitive to hot and cold for some reason (not sure if most people are like this or not).

And I'd love to check my weights in a pool or the beach if I have time. If not, I'll just estimate: I think I need to shed off around 6 or 7 pounds. I'll bring some extra weights along in case I'm underweighted.


=======

Anyways, dives all set up. The lady I spoke with at Divers Den was very friendly and said since I was the first to talk about the dives on Friday, I basically could pick what they'd schedule. So there's now a Niagra/Caves on Friday at 1pm, a (tenative) night dive to Sweepstakes, and then the trip on Saturday.

Should be a nice, full couple days of diving (and will push me into the next ScubaBoard "number of dives" tier haha). Now I just need to book a hotel for the Friday night.

Thanks everyone for your advice and help!

 

[bleeb]

By July the water shouldn't dip too much below 50

Um, possibly, but I wouldn't rely on this 100%, depending on your temperature tolerance. This is cold deep Canadian lake water (i.e. <4 C), and Lake Huron is one of the colder deeper ones. If it hasn't been stormy lately, there will be a thermocline, but if the water has been stirred up, surface water temperatures will be lower.

Fished out my computer log from the last August trip to the Niagara.

Air temp inland: 25 C/77 F (had been up to 29 C earlier that week)
Surface water temp (relatively calm and sunny): 68 F/20 C
Thermocline: 40'/12 m (above the top of the wreck)
Temp below thermocline: 43 F/6 C

My computer reads a couple of degrees high. We didn't even go close to mud level (100') to try to find if there was a second thermocline that day, which I've heard sometimes happens. However, I did manage with a 7 mm (Farmer John).

 

[Graeme Tolton]

Um, possibly, but I wouldn't rely on this 100%, depending on your temperature tolerance. This is cold deep Canadian lake water (i.e. <4 C), and Lake Huron is one of the colder deeper ones. If it hasn't been stormy lately, there will be a thermocline, but if the water has been stirred up, surface water temperatures will be lower.

Fished out my computer log from the last August trip to the Niagara.

Air temp inland: 25 C/77 F (had been up to 29 C earlier that week)
Surface water temp (relatively calm and sunny): 68 F/20 C
Thermocline: 40'/12 m (above the top of the wreck)
Temp below thermocline: 43 F/6 C

My computer reads a couple of degrees high. We didn't even go close to mud level (100') to try to find if there was a second thermocline that day, which I've heard sometimes happens. However, I did manage with a 7 mm (Farmer John).

There was no thermocline as of sunday. We hit 80' on Niagara. It was 43 all the way down. The caves is a cool site, but a 2 dive trip to niagara is much more enjoyable.

On some of the other boats, there is a captain and a divemaster aboard. The divemaster stays on the boat and gives you a briefing before entering the water.

Also, I do not recomend any diving in Toby without some form of redundant air supply. Air sharing is not good enough for these conditions. 2 divers breathing heavily on 1 first stage is working it way too hard.

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

Um, possibly, but I wouldn't rely on this 100%, depending on your temperature tolerance. This is cold deep Canadian lake water (i.e. <4 C), and Lake Huron is one of the colder deeper ones. If it hasn't been stormy lately, there will be a thermocline, but if the water has been stirred up, surface water temperatures will be lower.

Fished out my computer log from the last August trip to the Niagara.

Air temp inland: 25 C/77 F (had been up to 29 C earlier that week)
Surface water temp (relatively calm and sunny): 68 F/20 C
Thermocline: 40'/12 m (above the top of the wreck)
Temp below thermocline: 43 F/6 C

My computer reads a couple of degrees high. We didn't even go close to mud level (100') to try to find if there was a second thermocline that day, which I've heard sometimes happens. However, I did manage with a 7 mm (Farmer John).

Okay fair enough, that would probably start to get a little chilly, but as you said you managed in a Farmer John. It's not like I'm coming from diving in the Carribean here, I'm used to cold water, whether a few extra degrees: if I happen to hit those temps, makes a big difference, we'll see.