Great Lakes Underwater Seminar
Up along this shoreline - the "Fourth Coast" - early March is a good time for divers to be thinking and planning for the upcoming dive season. The ice is piling up against the shore and open blue water is visible. Clear blue and bitter cold it still looks inviting, whispering the siren song of adventures in its depths, it calls to you ,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Oh, yeah,,, I was going to the seminar!
Fortunately The New York State Sea Grant, backed up by the Oswego Maritime Foundation, The Seaway Trail, and New York State Divers Association think so too. Each year they schedule the Great Lakes Underwater Seminar right on the shores of lake Ontario. It brings out a very diverse group of avid sport divers from their winter lairs. They come out shaking the snow off and squinting in the bright sun (this year it was a gorgeous sunny day!) to trudge to the State University in Oswego for the show. The parking lot is full of pick up trucks with hunting and fishing stickers on them, some even have dog sled wracks on them.
Hey, up here you gotta be an avid diver or you won't last long! There are even those hardy determined souls who dive through the ice! If thats not EXTREME diving I don't know what is !!
Anyway, the seminar is also sponsored by a local full service dive shop, National Aquatic Service on Erie Blvd in Syracuse NY. NAS sponsored this year's presenters including one by Ken Vrana on the mapping of the debris field of the HMS Titanic, all done with ROVs of course - very interesting!
Other presentations that held our attention were:
- Two Tank Tips - presented by The New York State Divers Assoc. Dive sites that are easily accessed and what to watch for , locations, access, local Dive Shops, etc.
- Deep Shipwrecks of Lake Ontario - Jim Kennard presented some very intriguing video clips of wooden vessels sitting in very deep water, 500 to 650 feet! Interesting to note that even at those depths there was a heavy layer of Zebra Mussels coating the wrecks. You'd think that the pressure, perpetual dark, and cold would prevent that. Guess not.
- A presentation by noted historian Dr.Gary Gibson on the War of 1812 and the vessels involved in the battles here along the Fourth Coast during that time, in particular the USS Oneida, "America's first Warship" on the great lakes. Yeah, there actually was a naval fleet on lake Ontario and they built warships at a naval yard in Sackets Harbor NY.
With lunch and coffee breaks it was a fun social gathering ,,, time to meet with friends and relive dive stories. Divers love their stories! Time to setup the first dive of the new season with a buddy and talk about the wrecks to dive this season. What new equipment is available and which advance course you are planning to take.
I attend this seminar every year, religiously and one thing I have noticed is that the "average" sport diver is definitely not average. We are an eclectic bunch both men and women - actually the number of women entering the sport is rising faster than men (interesting!) - from all walks of life and all ages. We all share the common trait of adventure. We are each explorers looking for the new sight, experience, wreck, or antique bottle. We are a gregarious bunch and happiest when diving!
Its all about being on, in, and under the water!
Go get wet!
(Thanks to Dave White and the NYS Sea Grant and his tireless efforts this seminar was another success!!)
Oh, yeah,,, I was going to the seminar!
Fortunately The New York State Sea Grant, backed up by the Oswego Maritime Foundation, The Seaway Trail, and New York State Divers Association think so too. Each year they schedule the Great Lakes Underwater Seminar right on the shores of lake Ontario. It brings out a very diverse group of avid sport divers from their winter lairs. They come out shaking the snow off and squinting in the bright sun (this year it was a gorgeous sunny day!) to trudge to the State University in Oswego for the show. The parking lot is full of pick up trucks with hunting and fishing stickers on them, some even have dog sled wracks on them.
Hey, up here you gotta be an avid diver or you won't last long! There are even those hardy determined souls who dive through the ice! If thats not EXTREME diving I don't know what is !!
Anyway, the seminar is also sponsored by a local full service dive shop, National Aquatic Service on Erie Blvd in Syracuse NY. NAS sponsored this year's presenters including one by Ken Vrana on the mapping of the debris field of the HMS Titanic, all done with ROVs of course - very interesting!
Other presentations that held our attention were:
- Two Tank Tips - presented by The New York State Divers Assoc. Dive sites that are easily accessed and what to watch for , locations, access, local Dive Shops, etc.
- Deep Shipwrecks of Lake Ontario - Jim Kennard presented some very intriguing video clips of wooden vessels sitting in very deep water, 500 to 650 feet! Interesting to note that even at those depths there was a heavy layer of Zebra Mussels coating the wrecks. You'd think that the pressure, perpetual dark, and cold would prevent that. Guess not.
- A presentation by noted historian Dr.Gary Gibson on the War of 1812 and the vessels involved in the battles here along the Fourth Coast during that time, in particular the USS Oneida, "America's first Warship" on the great lakes. Yeah, there actually was a naval fleet on lake Ontario and they built warships at a naval yard in Sackets Harbor NY.
With lunch and coffee breaks it was a fun social gathering ,,, time to meet with friends and relive dive stories. Divers love their stories! Time to setup the first dive of the new season with a buddy and talk about the wrecks to dive this season. What new equipment is available and which advance course you are planning to take.
I attend this seminar every year, religiously and one thing I have noticed is that the "average" sport diver is definitely not average. We are an eclectic bunch both men and women - actually the number of women entering the sport is rising faster than men (interesting!) - from all walks of life and all ages. We all share the common trait of adventure. We are each explorers looking for the new sight, experience, wreck, or antique bottle. We are a gregarious bunch and happiest when diving!
Its all about being on, in, and under the water!
Go get wet!
(Thanks to Dave White and the NYS Sea Grant and his tireless efforts this seminar was another success!!)
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