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--part1_47.ec16c70.289a0edd_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Jim: I've only dived the St. Clair River a handful of times, but I can tell you it is not the dainty picture you painted of wading into calm water. In Port Huron, near the Blue Water Bridge, the river is at its narrowest, and all of Lake Huron is moving into the narrow channel. The current can be very strong there. Watch boats try to make their way north, or dive it, and you will see. In the high current areas, divers make sure they jump in and straight down to avoid moving downstream at a different rate than their buddy at the beginning of the dive, since there is a significant difference in surface and bottom current strength. Divers use "river sticks" (pick axes) to dig into the bottom and help control their movement downstream. One friend who dived there often said his worst fear in diving the river was, in the low vis there, to find himself swept into the inside of a 50-gallon drum and to not be able to fight the flow to get out. I'm not sure how realistic the scenario would be, but the current is strong enough. My dive club in Michigan mostly does Great Lakes wrecks, and some warm water trips. We have a series of diver ratings to help rate the recreational dives and the experience level required for each. Warm water (e.g. ocean) dives do not count for the diver ratings. I think your description of an ocean dive would change their perception a bit -- it is night and day from the view of a calm, clear, warm ocean that the dive club excludes from the cold water ratings. On the east coast of Florida, we have warm, clear water, but not always ideal conditions. Still, it is much better than your description of your dives. We do have a healthy respect for the changeability of the ocean. I must say that the "Inland Seas" (Great Lakes) can be as dramatic as an ocean. It's one of the reasons there are so many wrecks to dive there. The cave diving sites often allow us to park near the water, and daintily wade into the calm water. I think we still manage to do real dives. Maybe it's just wearing my weight in equipment that makes me think so :). To me, weenie diving or "real" diving, it's all good. Jan In a message dated 7/31/2001 11:40:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Cobber@ci*.co* writes: > Dearest Thom- > > I neither believe nor disbelieve your 7 knot currents. I guess I'd say I'd > have to see it to believe it. > > At any rate I the picture I had in my mind of being towed through the water > at 7 knots was outlined in my post, nothing more. > > And to be pissed off over such a blatantly silly post as mine points out > some problems at your end, not mine, Sir. Perhaps an adjustment of your > medication would be in order. > > I suppose there are various ways to glamorize quarry and river diving, but > I think that they are a different type of diving than ocean diving, > presenting different, though lessor, challenges. But if that's all you've > got then that's all you've got, I suppose. > > But I do admit to having a hard time feeling Manly Appreciation for those > who drive their auto up to the lip of the water (fresh water, usually) don > their equipment at their leasure on a dainty tarp so as to not dirty their > feet. And then step into the water to knee depth, halting to adjust their > gear and contemplate life before proceeding into the depths. > > No, a dive just does not seem to be a dive unless you have spent hundreds > of dollars on a boat trip, spent hours listening to the deafening roar of > diesel engines, and either froze or sweated (or both at the same time) in > your bunk wondering if you are going to get barfed on again. Ah, yes, and > the oders eminating from the head. > > And it's just not the same if you don't wreck your back and smash your > elbows/fingers/knees/shins getting on/off the pitching, rolling boat, have > people stomp on and drop heavy shit on your feet and suffer the ravages of > salt water and diesel fumes on your hair, eyes, skin and dive equipment. > > I'm not a horse higher than any of my other ocean diving brethren. I just > can't resist tweaking you quarry and river types. Go out and do a few ocean > dives and you may find out why you don't get much sympathy from me (and > apparently a few others) on this list. Keep it light, Thom, we are just > having a little fun. > > Jim > Visit my web page with underwater and other photos at http://members.aol.com/jsuw3/index.html --part1_47.ec16c70.289a0edd_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit <HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT COLOR="#800040" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SCRIPT" FACE="Comic Sans MS" LANG="0">Jim: <BR> <BR>I've only dived the St. Clair River a handful of times, but I can tell you it <BR>is not the dainty picture you painted of wading into calm water. In Port <BR>Huron, near the Blue Water Bridge, the river is at its narrowest, and all of <BR>Lake Huron is moving into the narrow channel. The current can be very strong <BR>there. Watch boats try to make their way north, or dive it, and you will see. <BR> <BR>In the high current areas, divers make sure they jump in and straight down to <BR>avoid moving downstream at a different rate than their buddy at the beginning <BR>of the dive, since there is a significant difference in surface and bottom <BR>current strength. Divers use "river sticks" (pick axes) to dig into the <BR>bottom and help control their movement downstream. <BR> <BR>One friend who dived there often said his worst fear in diving the river was, <BR>in the low vis there, to find himself swept into the inside of a 50-gallon <BR>drum and to not be able to fight the flow to get out. I'm not sure how <BR>realistic the scenario would be, but the current is strong enough. <BR> <BR>My dive club in Michigan mostly does Great Lakes wrecks, and some warm water <BR>trips. We have a series of diver ratings to help rate the recreational dives <BR>and the experience level required for each. Warm water (e.g. ocean) dives do <BR>not count for the diver ratings. I think your description of an ocean dive <BR>would change their perception a bit -- it is night and day from the view of a <BR>calm, clear, warm ocean that the dive club excludes from the cold water <BR>ratings. <BR> <BR>On the east coast of Florida, we have warm, clear water, but not always ideal <BR>conditions. Still, it is much better than your description of your dives. <BR>We do have a healthy respect for the changeability of the ocean. I must say <BR>that the "Inland Seas" (Great Lakes) can be as dramatic as an ocean. It's <BR>one of the reasons there are so many wrecks to dive there. <BR> <BR>The cave diving sites often allow us to park near the water, and daintily <BR>wade into the calm water. I think we still manage to do real dives. Maybe <BR>it's just wearing my weight in equipment that makes me think so :). <BR> <BR>To me, weenie diving or "real" diving, it's all good. <BR> <BR>Jan <BR> <BR>In a message dated 7/31/2001 11:40:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time, <BR>Cobber@ci*.co* writes: <BR> <BR></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"> <BR><BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Dearest Thom- <BR> <BR>I neither believe nor disbelieve your 7 knot currents. I guess I'd say I'd <BR>have to see it to believe it. <BR> <BR>At any rate I the picture I had in my mind of being towed through the water <BR>at 7 knots was outlined in my post, nothing more. <BR> <BR>And to be pissed off over such a blatantly silly post as mine points out <BR>some problems at your end, not mine, Sir. Perhaps an adjustment of your <BR>medication would be in order. <BR> <BR>I suppose there are various ways to glamorize quarry and river diving, but <BR>I think that they are a different type of diving than ocean diving, <BR>presenting different, though lessor, challenges. But if that's all you've <BR>got then that's all you've got, I suppose. <BR> <BR>But I do admit to having a hard time feeling Manly Appreciation for those <BR>who drive their auto up to the lip of the water (fresh water, usually) don <BR>their equipment at their leasure on a dainty tarp so as to not dirty their <BR>feet. And then step into the water to knee depth, halting to adjust their <BR>gear and contemplate life before proceeding into the depths. <BR> <BR>No, a dive just does not seem to be a dive unless you have spent hundreds <BR>of dollars on a boat trip, spent hours listening to the deafening roar of <BR>diesel engines, and either froze or sweated (or both at the same time) in <BR>your bunk wondering if you are going to get barfed on again. Ah, yes, and <BR>the oders eminating from the head. <BR> <BR>And it's just not the same if you don't wreck your back and smash your <BR>elbows/fingers/knees/shins getting on/off the pitching, rolling boat, have <BR>people stomp on and drop heavy shit on your feet and suffer the ravages of <BR>salt water and diesel fumes on your hair, eyes, skin and dive equipment. <BR> <BR>I'm not a horse higher than any of my other ocean diving brethren. I just <BR>can't resist tweaking you quarry and river types. Go out and do a few ocean <BR>dives and you may find out why you don't get much sympathy from me (and <BR>apparently a few others) on this list. Keep it light, Thom, we are just <BR>having a little fun. <BR> <BR>Jim <BR></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"></BLOCKQUOTE> <BR></FONT><FONT COLOR="#800040" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SCRIPT" FACE="Comic Sans MS" LANG="0"> <BR> <BR><B>Visit my web page with underwater and other photos at <BR>http://members.aol.com/jsuw3/index.html</B></FONT></HTML> --part1_47.ec16c70.289a0edd_boundary-- -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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