Discovery Channel Underwater Detectives

[Fondueset]

Dove with these guys and some elected officials and their reps today. They are hilarious! We all stood around for half an hour in 50F water listening to some great stories. Three days ago the water temp was 73 - today it's 47f with nearly triple the viz. My daughter and I were the freediving contingent.
There were enquiries regarding how we were breathing with no regulators.

 

[trux]

There were enquiries regarding how we were breathing with no regulators.

And how did you do it? I want to learn this kind of ultimate freediving too!

 

[khel]

Nice! Are you going to be in the next show?

I was diving Lake Michigan on wednesday and the water temp was 77f - too bad visibility was poor

 

[Fondueset]

Couple days of a south wind in grand traverse bay and the water turns right over. I'll be diving in Lake Charlevoix tomorrow - which is supposedly 76f!

This is my freediving guru.

 

[Fondueset]

Yesterday we dove the wreck of the Keuka in Lake Charlevoix. It ranges from about 30 to 60 feet in depth and is an old dance barge from prohibition times. Both these dives were promotional events for the Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve. www.gtbup.org

Upon arriving I learned I was the official photographer and was responsible for getting pictures of everyone with Richie and John who purchased a little blue bracelet. My daughter and I were FREEDIVING, I'd never been on that wreck before and rarely get to areas deeper than 35 or 40 feet and planned on just gliding around taking my usual kinds of pictures then offering them up for the organizers to sell. I ended up doing a very rapid series of many longish dives with too short breathups in between, resulting in a truly epic headache. It was a blast!
Claire did some 45-50 foot dives - a first for her - and I had some truly wonderful dives before all the scubies gathered for photos in the bow. It's awesome diving on an object of that scale. The bow must be about 30 feet above the bottom. Water temp was in the mid-70s - a shock after 47f the day before, and way too warm for my 5 mil.

Being uprepared for my portrait duties I was really grateful when Richie and John started snagging people and posing with them. Had I known I would probably have arranged a pony bottle. I felt like I pushed back my operational envelope more than a little.

The Keuka is inhabited by the biggest rock-bass I've ever seen. They hang out in mostly stationary schools all staring at you. The wreck itself is pretty cool - over 100 feet long with lots of easy entry/exit. I hope to get back there and document it a little more.

Here is a shot of my daughter with Richie of the Deepsea Detectives.
Other shots from both dives at www.imageevent.com/blueroom/gtbup