I'm so sorry, too. Wish there was another boat or another organization; that is so sad.
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I'm so sorry, too. Wish there was another boat or another organization; that is so sad.
That’s really petty of the boat owner. What a shame.
Tradd, I just had to share the newest shipwreck with you from last week up here:
https://www.record-eagle.com/news/lo...7ac89feaf.html
It looks completely normal down there on the bottom. Amazing.
Tradd, I’m sorry to hear that.During this period of unemployment maybe it’s fine to give up your hobby for a while. But is that the only boat that goes out on the Great Lakes With divers?. Do you mean there’s no one else who services divers?
My local dive boat operator has a boat out of Chicago, Milwaukee, and one on the side of Michigan’s Thumb. I’d have to go up to Milwaukee for two other dive boats, but I’m fully expecting the owner to try to get me banned on the two other Milwaukee boats owned by different people. Really vindictive jerk.Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
Because my dive shop is owned by the same people who own the charter boat, I would have to find another dive shop for air fills and service if I wanted to keep diving. I'm not sure. I have two friends who have already indicated what they would buy of my gear.
I saw that on FB when it sunk. Reports were that they had 10 people on that boat, which was way too many.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybee
Yes, 10 people is correct, they had to be rescued by the Coast Guard, who took them for medical attention as water was 45 degrees. Supposedly, as that sounds very cold for June 19 but of course they were far out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tradd
That water temp is normal on the Great Lakes!Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybee
It can't possibly be that close to shore as I have swum in it and I would never be able to swim in something that cold.
Okay, just checked on where I swim, today:
(Today) 4th Jul 2020
18.2°C / 64.7°F
Lake Michigan is always freezing. The farthest I have ever gotten was to my knees.
I feel so rugged. I swim every summer!Quote:
Originally Posted by Teacher Terry
Funny, I was just thinking that. You rugged Northerners! I cannot do those winters! Boy the cool crisp air this time of year is so attractive though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybee
There’s a cadre of people in St. Louis who go up north to the great lakes this time of year and you can understand why.
We swam in all the local small lakes but Lake Michigan is way too cold. Tybee, you are a bad ass:))
Thank you, Terry, I don't think anyone has ever called me that!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Teacher Terry
Well, apparently I'm not giving up quite yet. I was talked into diving tomorrow up in Madison, WI in Lake Mendota.
A local diver - even before the falling out with the boat/dive shop owner - put me in contact early this week with his instructor that he's been taking a really advanced class with. She's my age (early 50s) and the same size/body type (this is important for later). He mentioned my struggles with getting the two tanks on my back up the boat ladder. She suggested that I would be better off with sidemount (tanks on each side of me). I had tried sidemount two years ago and it didn't work well. Hot mess off the boat. Anyway, I talked to her last Sunday and we made arrangements to dive off her boat this weekend. After the falling out with my local dive shop owner, I cancelled with her. Told her I was giving up diving. She wanted to know what was going on and called me. I told her everything.
She has a very interesting perspective on the dive shop/dive boat local to me. Said she doesn't socialize with them at all and doesn't patronize that dive shop unless she absolutely cannot get something elsewhere. She called them a "boys' frat club." Looking back on some things, this really clicks.
She's going to show me how to dive sidemount off her boat the proper and efficient way. The back mounted double tanks were causing me issues with some other things you have to do for the class (reach behind your head and turn them all off and on - important if there is a leak). With sidemount, the valves are right under your armpits, not behind your head, so you can easily see where a leak is coming from. She's loaning me her sidemount harness (since I sold the one I had two years ago) and loaning some bits and pieces (different hose lengths, etc) to convert my regulators for sidemount.
She's donating her time. She's the one who told the local diver who put us in touch that I should come dive with her. I fully expected to pay her something for her time. I offered some $$ for boat fuel and she wouldn't even accept that! Very generous. She's apparently had great success with very enthusiastic middle aged women divers who were struggling.
So we shall see how tomorrow goes.
I'm with you, Tybee. I don't know how Lake Michigan compares with Lake Champlain, but I've already swum in the lake off the boat this summer. It was great. Since moving up here, swimming in the lake is my favorite outdoor activity.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybee
Official badass designation passes to Catherine, where the water temp today for her area is a whopping 61 degrees!!
Tradd, I am SO glad you are going diving with this lady--this is great news.
Really??? Wow, I must be becoming a Vermonter! The water was chilly when I jumped in, but it was fine after the first couple of minutes. To be honest, the 61 degrees must be an average temp of the water across all depths--the surface water had to be quite a bit warmer. It felt closer to 70. (ETA: it had to be even warmer than 70... I read that 75 is the minimum temp for comfortable swimming. honestly. I'm not THAT badass.).Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybee
I love diving in 41F water. Nice and refreshing. LOL
Today was FAB! She showed me how to clip the two tanks to two separate lines in the water hanging from the boat. Climbed ladder with no weight on me at all. Heaven! Then I pulled the two tanks up, one at a time. Not difficult. Just needed to be shown how to do it. Now I practice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybee
So pleased that this worked out for you. You love it, Tradd, so find a way to make diving continue to give you joy. May I suggest that you read The Genius of Women by Janice Kaplan. There are numerous accounts of women who had to take a detour to continue to succeed, and still are doing today and needing to do. Go girl!Quote:
Originally Posted by Tradd
Here's where we went swimming in Lake Michigan yesterday--it was SO beautiful, and I brought my board and just floated around with my chin on the board; so relaxing I almost fell asleep:Attachment 3325
Gorgeous!Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybee
I'm happy this turned out for the best; I love when life does.
OMG, gorgeous, Tybee!! So glad you had that experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybee
lovely! I wish it wasn’t so much coronavirus in Michigan because I might take a little trip there in August or September to get away from the heat here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybee
Cools me down and refreshing just looking at the photo.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tybee
There’s always WI. And the UP of Michigan has much less Covid than the Lower Peninsula.Quote:
Originally Posted by iris lilies
Northern Wisconsin is my favorite place near Ashland and Hayward. Copper falls state Park is really beautiful.
That's interesting you posted that. I was thinking back about when I took my sidemount class two years ago. You have to strength thick bungee cord around the tank valve to hold the top of the tank under your armpit. I don't have a lot of hand strength and was having massive issues with it, even when I switched to thinner and stretchier cord. The instructor's response was that I needed to build hand strength. The woman instructor's way for dealing with it? She added a small loop in the bungee cord to make it easier to get a hold on the cord to stretch it over the tank valve.Quote:
Originally Posted by razz
I"ll check out the book.
Just read through this - I'm so glad, Tradd, that you are continuing to dive. I really enjoy reading about your underwater adventures.
A friend of mine has his own dive boat and is taking me diving on Lake Michigan tomorrow. :D
Things have a way of working out.
Score!Quote:
Originally Posted by Tradd
Great!
Had ear issues so needed to abort the dive today but got up close to a thousand foot Great Lakes freighter so that was awesome.
The dive shop owner is not letting up on his postings online. Just keeps piling on me. He is lower than pond scum.
Got the partial refund I wanted from the class. Now waiting on my refund of credits on dive boat account.
Had an absolutely lovely time with the WI woman instructor. She is just awesome. She spent several hours with me getting my new sidemount (tanks on my side) harness adjusted properly. Got tanks filled for my trip to the Straits of Mackinac this weekend. I'm going to be doing a cavern diving class with her this fall/winter. Overhead environment, but you are still within the light zone - can see the light from outside. Will be very good training for the rest of my diving. They dive a former mine in SW WI all fall and winter. It's a cheap way to keep diving all year round. Wrecks in the spring/summer, mine in fall/winter. If that goes well, maybe an intro to cave class, too. I never through I'd do this! Will really help the rest of my diving.
Tradd, that sounds totally awesome! I am fascinated by the freighters. When I was little, sometimes on vacation we'd go up to the Soo to watch the ships - which were not as large as they are now. It's all fancy now, with viewing platforms under roof, I hear. I've not been since mid 60s. I don't swim, even, but I love the Great Lakes, especially Superior. I really enjoyed your underwater wreck photos and hope you'll share more of them in the future?