Top Island Econauts Dive Club; Box 48; Port McNeill; V0N 2R0; 250- 956-3525
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EMERALD EXPRESSIONS
As a retired teacher, I don’t think I will ever lose the feeling that September is
actually the beginning of the new year. The warm glow of summer quickly fades,
and the smell and feel of Fall chills the air, at least up here on the North Island.
Lucky for us, diving continues to be a fabulous sport regardless of the season!
Regalia
Fall is approaching and winter will be just around the next corner. You don’t
want to be out in the cold without one of our coveted Top Island Econaut
logo ball caps and flat top toques! Cost for each is $20.00. Contact Fran at
250-956-3620. http://www.earthlingenterprises.ca/Econauts/Regalia.html
Continuing Dive Education
Our local illustrious dive educator, Steve Lacasse, is happily busy for
the next few weeks with dive charters. We are still in the planning
stages for a Stress and Rescue course, hopefully coming along in the
not too distant future. We will keep you posted as to dates and other
courses that Steve will be teaching, or of other programs that may be
available!
Community Service
Top Island Econauts would like to thank Andy Hanke for being of assistance in
retrieving the Minke whale recording device for the Marine Education and Research
Society. Information about the Project can be viewed via this link:
http://mersociety.wordpress.com/.
Another project some club members will be involved with is helping the Living
Oceans Society with their ghost fishing gear retrieval project. Living Oceans will be
trying to locate the ghost traps from the surface, via cameras, and then divers will go
down and bring them to the surface for disposal. Please contact Andy Hanke at 250956-4902 if you are interested in helping.
Underwater photographers among us may be interested in
the Living Oceans Society Oceans Exposure Photo contest.
You can check out info at this link:
http://www.livingoceans.org/photo-contest/enter
Check out this great link, http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/oceans/projects/healthyoceans/pacific-ocean-stories/tell-your-story/ to find stories
shared by ocean lovers along our coast who want to inspire
British Columbians, and Canadians, to protect our very precious
coastlines. If you look closely, you will find a treasure of a story
entitled “Tide Pool Treasure” contributed by our own club
treasure “Good Jacqui” Engel. Follow this link to go directly to Jacqui’s story:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/oceans/projects/healthy-oceans/pacific-oceanstories/tide-pool-treasure/
And finally, not to be left out of the list of links definitely worth checking…our very own
“Bad Jackie” has created a touching, moving, inspiring video. After watching this, you
will be ready and willing to throw yourself in front of any bulldozer, pipeline, or
development of any kind that might threaten our coastal waters! Please take a few
minutes of your time and watch this:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/oceans/projects/healthy-oceans/pacificocean-stories/the-reason-you-cant-see-to-the-bottom-of-these-cold-dark-waters/
Next Dive Meeting
Our next dive meeting will be Monday, October 2, at 7:30 at NISS. All are welcome
to attend, especially this meeting as it will be our nominations meeting for the upcoming General Elections at the November meeting. If you are interested in
nominating someone for a position on the Executive, or in standing for nomination
yourself, please join us and let your nomination be heard! Positions include:
President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Dive Coordinator, and two Directors
positions (two years). Please forward your nominations to engeljacqui@telus.net if
you can’t attend the October meeting.
Upcoming Dives and Events
Note: For the following dates, in order to reduce the number of dives cancelled due to
weather, we will try to dive on the Saturday. If the Saturday dive is blown-out, we will
attempt the Sunday dive. Remember, call Andy by Wednesday to sign up / confirm
participation – 250-956-4902.
http://www.earthlingenterprises.ca/Econauts/Dives__Events.html
Departure TC
Exchange
SEPT. 9
12:20
Diving Stephansons!
F - E; 2’
SEPT. 15
14:15
F - E; 11’
OR
SEPT. 16
09:00
E - F; 12.5’
Capt
Divers
Jackie, Jacqui, Gord, Andy
Jackie, Andy, Garth, Glen
Top Island Econauts Dive Club; Box 48; Port McNeill; V0N 2R0; 250- 956-3525
SEPT. 22
09:00
F - E; 4.5’
3
Jackie
OR
SEPT. 23
10:20
F - E ; 4’
Jackie, Gord, Andy, Garth, Fran
After the dive, some of us will do a ghost gear retrieval for Living Oceans in Port McNeill Bay
SEPT. 29
OR
SEPT. 29
OR
SEPT. 30
08:30
E - F; 11’
14:30
F - E; 11.5’
Jackie, Fran
09:10
E - F; 10.5’
Jackie
OCT 2 (Tuesday) – Monthly meeting at 19:30. Will include nominations and further preparation for
the November AGM.
OCT. 6
14:30
E - F; 5’
Jacqui
OR
OCT. 7
09:10
F - E; 3.5’
Jackie, Jacqui, Gord, Garth, Glen, Fran
OCT. 13
13:15
F - E; 11’
OR
OCT. 14
13:45
F - E ; 13’
Jackie, Andy, Gord, Glen, Fran
OCT. 20
13:30
E - F; 8’
Jackie
OR
OCT. 21
08:20
F - E; 4.5’
Jackie, Jacqui, Andy, Gord, Fran
OCT. 27
13:20
F - E; 11.5’
Jackie, Jacqui, Fran
OR
OCT. 28
08:20
E - F; 9.5’
Jackie, Jacqui, Andy, Fran
NOV. 3
13:00
E - F; 6’
Jackie, Jacqui
OR
NOV. 4
13:00
E - F; 5’
Jackie, Fran
Jackie, Jacqui, Gord, Andy, Fran
NOV.6 (Tuesday) – Monthly meeting at 19:30. AGM.
Dive Log – Thanks to Andy Hanke for this contribution!
DIVE AT WAR BONNET WALL SEPT. 2/12
The boat was leaving Telegraph Cove at 8:15 AM on a two tank dive trip. There were six
happy divers on board as the boat squeezed out of its summer moorage spot behind the
fuel dock. The divers were Andy H., Jackie, Natasha, Andy
L., Doug and Rob. The forecast called for a light drizzle all
day and so Andy H was bundled up in his bright red full
length survival suit. He cut a dashing figure at the helm as
he guided the boat out of the cove. He could have left the
suit at home as the rain did not materialize until he was
driving back to town after the dive.
The current was approaching the end of the ebb and so the
first dive was at N.E. Pearse. This site is usually protected on the ebb. Even so, there was
some current when the boat arrived at the site. All the divers were in the water by 8:50.
This allowed for a leisurely dive and at least an hour surface interval before the second
dive. Andy H manned the boat for the first dive. All divers came up beaming, reporting a
good dive, using the slight current as an aid, having a drift dive.
During the surface interval people relaxed while Jackie, at the helm and camera in hand,
pursued her passion, trying to ID Humpback Whales. There were three whales in the area
that were feeding on large schools of bait fish. Jackie tried to get pictures of the whales’
tail flukes as they went into deep dives. And then off in the distance a small pod of three
transient killer whales arrived. They may have come to prey upon Stellar Sea Lions. The
divers had passed a large group of sea lions at a haul-out near the entrance to Plumper
Passage. Some of the curious seals had even swum to within 50 feet of the boat.
The site of the second dive was War Bonnet Wall. The boat arrived as the ebb current
was ending and tied up to some Bull Kelp. At slack, all divers were in the water while
Natasha stayed top-side at the helm. Visibility was great, about 40 to 50 feet. War Bonnet
Wall is the shortest wall in the Plumper Island Group. Even so, occasionally like today, it
can offer divers a great deal. Andy H., looking in all the little hidey holes saw a total of
four War Bonnets and five Tiger Rock Fish. One of the Tiger Rock Fish was actually out
in the open and seemed undisturbed by divers. In addition there were about 8 Puget
Sound King Crabs scattered about, out in the open or in caverns. One may have molted
recently as it was near the remnants of a molt. Usually these honking big crabs remain
stationary when observed by divers. However one of the crabs stood up and quickly
climbed a few feet up the rock wall. It looked like an oversized spider.
Towards the end of the dive everyone ended up in the protected area in the lee of the
point at the south end of the wall. When they surfaced Natasha quickly brought the boat
in for the pick-up.
With all aboard the boat sped back to Telegraph Cove. Before putting the boat back in its
moorage spot the divers helped to retrieve some bones that the Whale Interpretive Centre
had put in the water to be de-fleshed. The buckets holding the bones had been suspended
under the wharf but they had broken free from their lines and had fallen to the bottom.
Rob still had air and volunteered to bring them up. It took only a few minutes. Then the
boat proceeded to the launch ramp to unload all the gear. Andy H, Natasha and Rob took
the boat back to its moorage spot. After putting the boat to bed, they were leaving the fuel
dock when they saw a pod of about seven Killer Whales swimming past the entrance to
the cove. That was a nice ending to a great day.
Top Island Econauts Dive Club; Box 48; Port McNeill; V0N 2R0; 250- 956-3525
Current Executive
President: Jackie Hildering
Vice President: Gord Jenkins
Secretary: Jacqui Engel
Treasurer: Garth Jickling
Directors (two year term) – Ken Kollman, Fran Jenkins
Directors (one year term remaining) – Lee Ann Watson, Natasha Dickinson
The role of the executive is to serve the Club and its members. If you have any
comments, questions, or concerns, please free to contact an executive member!
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