Bottom Time E

11/05/2002

Edition 21

Here it is the first of November and the lakes have yet to freeze up. Pickeral Lake has not cleared up after turnover. Lake Six is still good. We have had some divers try the Bayleys Dry suit and really like them. Let us know if you would like to try one.

This Saturday is the Gales of November in Duluth, which is a shipwreck conference, but it does cover other aspects of diving. It is well worth attending as there are speakers giving talks throughout the day on different dive topics. To see more information on the Gales go to:
http://www.lsmma.com/gales2002/g2002fs.html

Here is a letter I got from Kevin Engebretson who's daughter got certified with us last summer and they both did quite a bit of diving with us. He is a commercial diver and operates an ROV.

Curacao

How would you like to go to a dive destination, and get paid for it? I got the chance this fall. The company that I work for had a job for me of the coast of Trinidad, but first I had to go to Curacao to mobilize for an offshore job.
I arrived in Curacao and was taken directly to the construction barge to get ready for the job. The barge was tied up to a dock next to a fabulous beach and crystal clear water. First things first, work then play and work was harder on me than usual, because working on the deck of the barge was hot. Ever put a steel plate in the sun and then touch it?? Ouch!! That's what the first few days were like, 110 degrees on deck and then to look out and see dive boats, and divers motor past.........torture.
After the mobilization of the equipment, I got a chance to dive. The construction barge wanted to relay the steel cable on one their cranes, so I had to dive to make sure the crane block wouldn't hit bottom. So after two hours at 140ft we were done.........what's that? Impossible for a recreational diver to spend two hours at 140ft, true, but my job involves diving Remotely Operated Vehicles.

So now I was playing around on bottom with the sub, checking out fish, rocks, coral and the like. There was a cruise ship tied up at the next pier, so to have little fun,
I decided to fly the ROV over to the cruise liner to check it out. Several people were watching from the decks of the cruise ship, then we get a call on the radio from the ship. It seems that the big yellow thing approaching the ship just beneath the surface scared a few people, they thought it was terrorists approaching, and ironically, the date was 9-11, so that ended the fun for that day.

I had one day to get some real diving in before we sailed to Trinidad, so I started walking away from the pier to get some cash, and explore the island, and find a dive shop. As I left the pier, a pickup pulled up along side me and offered a ride, I look in the truck bed and saw scuba equipment. Just so happens this guy operates a dive shop. What luck, no running around to find a dive shop. So we set a dive for the next day. It's a shore dive, so after a little swim to get to the dive area, we descend, we are going to dive an area where it's an auto junkyard. Evidently about 60 years ago, a barge sunk with automobiles from the 30's and 40's. And of course it was awesome. The coral, angel fish, spotted eels, parrot fish, sergeant majors all hung around those old autos as if they wanted to drive them themselves, and my personal favorite the moray eel, which happened to be hiding out in a wheel well of one of the cars. I only had one dive in Curacao, but after roasting for three days, it was well worth it, not to mention I got paid for every day I was there.

If any of you have any dive experiences you would like to share forward them on and we will add them to the email newsletter.

Sea You on the Bottom