This post is from a dive trip I took to Canada a few weeks ago. I’m guilty of procrastinating on these posts.
We stayed at the buccaneer, a bare bones converted motel. It’s a tiny but spitting distance from Ocean Explorers. OE packages the dive charter with the hotel rental, so our choices are limited on accommodations…and let’s not forget this is Nanaimo.
We rolled out of bed somewhere around 8am slurped down a few cups of caffeine. I had Pierogies while Carl pumped his veins full of bacon fat.
At the dive shop we lobbied the shop owner to take us out to the wrecks. The last time we made the trek to Nanaimo, we were blown out and dove the tug 3 times (boring). Another group from Tacoma had come up for the weekend and it was their first time. It was agreed for the first day we would hit the HMCS Saskatchewan first and then Snake Island wall second. We signed the liability forms and lugged gear out to the boat.
The dive boat is the Christy Bay and in its former live it served as a RCMP patrol boat. For the next two days, it would shuttle us back and forth to the dive sites. The boat is sparse in the way of amenities, as are most dive boats. Divers are there for the transportation, anything else is considered a bonus. Before we departed, the Captain gave the safety briefing…where the life jackets where, radio, flares, etc. Carl was sorely disappointed when he heard the head was broken.
The trip out to the dive site is about 30min. Just enough time to sprint around the deck, gear up, triple check gas pressure, dive computer settings, clips, lights, regs etc. We tied up over the Saskatchewan conning tower.
Trying to stand up in a rocking boat with 200 pounds of gear strapped on is an adventure. When all the gear is finally strapped on including hood and mask, hearing is limited and peripheral vision is zero to none. The 27 layers of thermal underwear and fleece all under a thick 7mm dry suit helps build a sweat quickly. My goal is to gear up as fast as possible, while not missing something critical. After a giant leap into the water the pre dive stress melts away along with the all the weight. I sit and wait for Carl, going through my 51st check of all my equipment banging up and down against the side of the boat. Carl finally splashes in and after a final hand signal we both drop under the water and head down the descent line. Finally…..now I won’t have to hear Carl talk for another 45 min…and I’m sure he would say the same.
As I drop down the ascent line, I glance over at my depth; squirt a little air into my BC to slow my ascent. At about 60 or so feet the outline of the ship begins to take shape, very blurry at first. Then it becomes clear and before I know it, I’m about to hit the deck. A few quick squirts of air and I come to rest just above the deck…waiting for Carl. I flash the OK signal with my light against the ship’s deck and Carl returns the signal. We head off along the left side of the ship moving forward and then drop over the side. At about 116ft Carl finds a decent whole in the side of the boat and starts signaling. Now what should be a very clear and straight forward set of signals turns into eye contact “Fuck You” as Carl is getting annoyed with my head mounted lights blinding him. After about 30 seconds of this, he heads inside the wreck and I follow. We had entered about a 1/3rd of the way from the stern of the boat. Inside we swam though one room after another. The ship has been underwater for about 10 years so lots of rust is building up, and things are beginning to hang from the ceiling. Carl did a good job of kicking up silt which allowed me to brush up on my low visibility techniques. After a few min we finally spat out the back of the ship. Still plenty of bottom time left not hitting our 3rds yet, we turned around and I led the way back in. Unbeknownst to me, Carl quickly shot to seafloor and jammed his dive computer into the sand to one up me on depth (such a tool). As we retraced our steps the silt continued to hang in the air and you couldn’t see the other side of a 10 foot room. We exited the hatch and proceeded along the port side.
The rest of the dive was uneventful. I took out the camera and took a few pictures..but my camera plain sucks.
Date 2/10/07
Dive Time 47min
Max Depth 120fsw
Avg Depth 65fsw
Temp 46 degrees
Mix: 21%
Deco: 99%
One Comment
Its the christy bay