Mike Adam and his friend Simon, both from New Brunswick, went scuba diving/snorkeling lately and discovered something quite different than coke bottles, bait cans, and fishing poles. They chose Renforth Wharf as their destination for this video. One of the items discovered underwater was a filled Coke bottle which Mike thought is circa 1985-1995. The most interesting find Mike uncovered underwater was a religious statue of the Hindu gods Shiva and his wife Parvati.
Renforth Wharf is located on the Kennebecasis River near Rothesay, New Brunswick. The wharf was named after James Renforth, an English Tyneside professional oarsman who was born in England. In 1868, he won the World Sculling Championship. In 1871, he accepted another invitation to race in Canada from the Canadians, and the crew prepared to travel to Saint John, New Brunswick. The Saint John crew was first off the line, but they were soon half a length behind. They began to row back towards the English crew, and it was then that it was seen that Renforth’s rowing had gone wrong. He swayed from side to side without making any effort. He ultimately collapsed in the lap of the rower in front of him. A post-mortem revealed nothing odd, but rumours of poison persisted. His death was most likely caused by heart failure, maybe brought on by an epileptic seizure. In the past, he had been known to pass out during a race. James was only 29 at the time of his death. His body was returned to England for his burial.
In the summer, Renforth Wharf is a popular spot for swimming, and in the winter, ice fishing. The Renforth Lighthouse is a fascinating sight to behold. It’s right on the Kennebasis River’s edge.
Dive Report
Mike did the diving on two tanks of air for a total of 2 hours, while Simon was the look-out above and snorkeled.
The maximum depth was 17 feet, and while investigating the bottom, Mike was bumped in the leg by an unfamiliar fish. The visibility was insufficient to determine what it was.
Mike was searching for people’s cell phones after hearing that they had been misplaced while ice fishing. People have also told him that they dropped them off at the end of the wharf by accident.
Mike Adams
Mike subsequently discovered that if you find one of these sculptures, (Hindu gods Shiva and his wife Parvati) you must keep it or you can have bad luck.
Mike’s mission is to encourage more diving in the Maritime province of New Brunswick. He also makes historical videos in addition to diving videos. This year, he’ll be documenting aviation crashes in the province of New Brunswick. In this province alone, there are over 300 recorded accidents, and he has teamed up with the Canadian Aviation Historical Society to record the history and stories of the pilots who perished in some of these crashes. Mike has also partnered with the “Hammond River Angling Association” to create a series of videos for them about salmon and the protection of one of our local rivers, the Hammond River.
Mike’s summer 2021 adventures will be accompanied by The Scuba News Canada, which will cover his work in the coming months.
