Summer is upon us and you know what that means - dive season is underway in Ontario! Here's an entry written by
Ajax Scuba Club president Colin O'Hare on his recent dive trip with the Club to the 1,000 Islands.
It's been a long time since I dove the wrecks of the 1,000
Islands so I had forgotten just how amazing they are! The water was warm,
the visibility great, and the scenery amazing… not to mention the picture
perfect weather we had.
Boldt Castle - Checking in to US Customs
Each morning we wound our way through the maze of Islands to Boldt Castle to check-in with American Customs. It had been so long since I had last
seen Boldt castle that my first view left me in awe. It was like we were in some
small Eastern European country. The castle perched up on top of a hill
surrounded by water, (as most Islands are). Then each evening we retired to our
camp sites at Ivy Lea campground, gathering around the fire at night. It was a
great way to catch up with some old friends and a good way to meet some new ones.
On the Saturday we dove the Keystorm and the America, then the
Vickery and Kingshorn on the Sunday. Well, my buddy and I didn’t dive the
Vickery on the Sunday due to some equipment issues, but we worked it out and
got to dive the Kingshorn.
I enjoyed the dives on the Keystorm and Kingshorn
the most! The Keystorm lies on its side in about 50 to 120ft of water. It had
been a long time since I dove this wreck so my buddy lead the way taking me
through a passage under the hull (which I didn’t know existed) to emerge on the
other side. We continued on down to the rudder and prop then made our way back
to the wheelhouse swimming through the ships holds. We were able to swim
through the wheel house and then over to see what had doomed this ship. A large
hole punched in the side of the wreck sent it to its watery grave on the rocky
shoal where it now rests. I think it was the visibility that made this dive so
amazing. It was almost as clear as the Caribbean waters and just about as
warm!
Ajax Scuba Club divers coming back up from their dive
The next was the Kingshorn which lies in 60-90ft of water just 300
yards off the Rockport dock. This wreck was a nice easy dive with lots to look
at, in particular the ships wheel and a number of items from the ships galley.
It was an interesting wreck with some easy swim-throughs, and it was a great dive
to cap off the weekend.
Over the past number of years Kingston and Point Traverse
have been my favourite places to dive, but the 1,000 Islands really opened my eyes in terms of what it has to offer to the recreational diver. If you plan to dive these wrecks, don't forget your passport :)
I look forward to diving this area again next year!
Colin
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