The Scuba News Canada is pleased that Matt Lerpiniere, a contributor for the The Scuba News Canada, is returning to report weekly on Brockville’s dive, weather and social activities for the 2017 diving season.
Matt has been busy this past winter. He was in Florida in November where he completed his Full Cave and Stage Cave training. He was in Newfoundland in May, diving the famous wrecks there and also an iron ore mine. Matt has also completed his Instructor exam. When not writing for Scuba News Canada, he is busy at work on his Captains Licence, working with Thousand Island Diving and creating his Go with the Flow website.
Water is warming but high levels affect Brockville diving.
The weekend weather in Brockville and the area is looking like a sunny couple of days with temperatures in the low 20’s. The water is starting to warm up now with surface temperatures around 60 degrees at Centeen Park at the beginning of this week.
Water levels in the river continue to be high, creating some issues for boaters and those living on the water’s edge. Shipping traffic is reduced to five miles per hour and boaters are being asked to be cautious and courteous regarding their wake.
As for diving, the high water has meant there is more debris in the water. This is causing a bit of a reduction in visibility from what might be expected this time of year. In an effort to reduce the water levels the dam at Cornwall has been opened to allow more water through than would be normal. This has increased currents a bit so use caution when getting in the water at sites as the current may be slightly higher than normal. Plan your drift dives accordingly.
With the high water levels, as of last week, access to the well-known shore dive, the Conestoga, was not possible as the road was flooded. Barriers have been put up to stop vehicle traffic from getting down the peninsula. Water levels are starting to drop so we will be checking into access at the Conestoga to see if it has opened back up or will soon. Other than that all other diving remains the same. Most shore dives are still accessible, other than the walk to the water is a little shorter. Centeen Park in Brockville just added two new statues to the underwater park, so it is a great spot to stop in for a dive and see the additions.
Most of the charters still have room on their boats for divers, so if you are looking to dive, give any one of the charters a call.
Safe diving!
