Fiasco at Copper Island

[Micheal_R]

Most all here know of my love and penchant for diving. And in almost every instance, my diving trips and exploits have been most memorable and enjoyable. The chance to be free of the constraints of gravity and possibly find small slices of history are always times to be savoured. However, as with every hobby and endeavour, there will be small bumps and hiccups along the way. This dive , while certainly very memorable, was not the idyllic and enjoyable episode that I have usually come to associate with my diving.

I had meant to dive Copper Island for a few years. The actual seed for the incentive to dive here had been planted one sunny afternoon a few years before when I was talking to one of my nephews. We had been talking over a rum and he described one of his vacations at Shuswap Lake. This lake is huge! It is Canada

 

[Ron J]

after aranging the time,and energy to finally get to such a place! With the experience we have in our hobbies, such as you with diving, we always forget the "what if's" such as having poor visibility! In a situation like that, we need to remember, The Hunt its self, is the fun and excitement! If we get any treasure out of it, that;s the bonus! Hey at least you did it! Mikie, make those plans NOW, for that trip! Its the only way your gonna do it!

 

[Wayne in BC]

you have had many successes and the odd glitch makes good reading for those of us who envy you!

 

[Larry (IL)]

That looks like a beautiful place to go boating in the summer Mike.

If I could have a dollar every time I forgot something......................well...............the older I get, the richer I'd be.

 

[david(tx)]

at least in texas.it looks like a nice recreational lake,and with the separation you can get from the others it would suit me.that would be they way i like it,nice and leisurely.is the lake a natural or man made lake?the water looks clear in the picture,guess if you enjoy swimming you'd better take advantage pretty quick.

 

[Micheal_R]

n/t

 

[Micheal_R]

n/t

 

[Micheal_R]

n/t

 

[Micheal_R]

Our province has a great many lakes... Shuswap is just an average sized lake by our standards. The arrow Lakes, where i live, are about 130 miles long... maybe 900-1000 feet depp at its' deepest point.

Calm seas

Mikie

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

I assume that you have to just look two feet at a time, but it would also be dangerous? You were lucky that you had the experience to handle the situation of going to the surface too fast. I still remember your story about the horse buggy, and the one about the old safe. Your diving stories are always enjoyable reading...they fascinate me because I have never done any diving. I enjoyed your story, thanks for sharing! Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[david(tx)]

if there was a lake like that around here you couldn't find a lot on it.i don't know how much upkeep there is on a small houseboat but i wouldn't mind having one,great way to entertain and have fun.

 

[Royal]

I have forgotten fins, weights, mask and even my dry suit one early spring day. I had to abort that dive. I have a mental check list i go over now and do it three times before leaving.

Lousy vis is ok if you are onto goodies but with your weight in a goodie bag it could be a pain. Once you start coming up you had better hold onto the bag or big trouble!!!

A deep dive like that is a waste of time if you are detecting. Just not enough time. Get distracted by a bunch of gold rings and you could get bent, unless you provide decompression air of corse. Too many good places to find the gold.

I remember diving a small lake in Iowa that I had less then six inches vis. I would swing my detector and then when the signal came, holding the detector still I would slip up on the loop and sllooooowly fan for the goodie. My face would be right to the bottom. I was alone on that dive and it just became too much work. I did find some money and a few rings but nothing worth the effort.

I always like your dive story's. They always bring back memories. We sure have them don't we?

 

[Arkie John]

I can't wait to get back into it myself. I never dive that deep, except for one time when I lost a turbo III fin. I'm a thermocline diver-one atmosphere diver. If it's beyond 33 feet, it belongs to someone else. It keeps my diving simple and more focused on the goodies at that depth and above.

The excal II is at Minelab now being outfitted with Gray Ghosts and I expect to have it by the middle of April.

I do not enjoy diving with little vis and don't usually do so unless I'm looking for my tackle box or some other important aspect of my life. Usually, good vis in Arkansas is 15'-20' max.

You all take care up thar. I really liked the story and look forward to another tale soon.

aj

PS Linda is still under the weather and will be back when she feels better.

 

[Micheal_R]

If it is too dirty, you just pack it in and try another day. If it is a job, such as retrieving logs {A job I have done more than once] and the water is too dirty, you keep working by feel and struggle through. After all, you are being paid.

Calm seas

Mikie

 

[Micheal_R]

I have given up on a few dives when the vis was too bad as well... just not worth the trouble.

Good luck later on, by the way.

Calm seas

Mikie

 

[Micheal_R]

But then again, when I was in the Slocan and down in Mexico, that I had over 100 feet.. Now those were the days.

You will love the grey ghosts on the excal Arkie. They are light years better than the originals.

Say hello to Linda for us too.

fair winds

Mikie

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

Are you saying that folks will retrieve sunken logs? Why? I would think that a sunken log would be of no value, especially if in the water for extended periods of time where it would eventually rot away, correct? Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[Royal]

usually under the thermocline but I have found goodies at the 40 to 50 ft levels, under rafts and a few deep docks.

On Cozumel we had in excess of 200ft vis one day and under the ice I have had almost unlimited if the lake was right and there was no snow on the ice. Being tethered to a hundred ft line sucked though

 

[Micheal_R]

The job that I was doing was retrieving softwood logs [pine, fir, etc] from the bottom at a mill. The logs are transported via large booms and pulled to the mill with a tug. At the mill, they are released from the booms and then shunted up a conveyor system to enter the mill. A few logs sink and over time, these logs pile on each other every which way and when they become too entangled and prevent other logs from being conveyored up, a diver is called in to attach cables to the logs. A winch then pulls the logs up onto the conveyor whereupon it is milled. This is a singularly dangerous and dirty job. The logs, being strewn aver the bottom are always entangled. Also, if the water is clear at the beginning [a rarity even unto itself] by the time a couple of logs have been pulled up, they have always roiled the bottom up so that the vis is zero. Then you have to work by feel. You always get under logs, hit your head or face and rip your suit. I did not enjoy that type of work very much. But the pay was excellent and I was young, foolish and indestructible. :

However, in Wisconsin and points east of here,on the Great Lakes, there are centuries of hardwood logs strewn over the bottom. The lakes, being cold, have actually preserved the wood. These are first growth trees and they are being used for cabinetry, furniture and most especially, musical instruments. Get the right log, and some violin or guitar maker will happily pay $10,000.00 for it. As a point of interest, there are some people who speculate that Stradivarius used this type of wood the obtain his superb sounding violins.

Fair winds

Mikie

 

[Dan-MO]

Thanks for a very interesting story!