GEOGRAPHY:
The St. Lawrence River forms part of the border between
Canada and the USA - see atlas of the world.
It is a long river flowing from Lake Ontario through Montreal
to the estuary in the province of Quebec, ending with the
Island of Newfoundland.
It is a very large estuary. The water is fresh upstream of
Quebec City, thus you will find yourself less buoyant than
in the ocean. The estuary has mixed fresh/salt conditions
which varies from place to place.
The section of river between Kingston and Montreal has been
built into the St. Lawrence Seaway which takes ocean going
vessels to the Great Lakes - (HOMES, remember from school?)
Dams were constructed near Cornwall, flooding whole towns!
There are also hydroelectric generating stations in these dams.
The Thousand Islands region of the river, at the effluence of
Lake Ontario, contains many islands formed by the rock of
the Canadian shield as it sweeps South to form the Addirondacks
in up-state New York. This area has summer temperatures regularly
into the 80s and lots of sunshine. It really is a northern river
and not crowded or polluted.
DIVING SEASON:
The diving season, for most people, is from April/May to October.
During the winter months, the shipping channel is closed. However,
the river often doesn't ice over between Kingston and Cornwall
and it is therefore possible to dive in the shipping channels
during the winter months.
TEMPERATURE:
Temperature within the river is uniform, varying
throughout the season from 50F -> 75F -> 50F.
From November to April, the temperature is 45F -> 32F -> 45F :)
In Lake Ontario, up to and including the Wolf Islander
wreck, there is a thermocline which, at the height of
the season, is at about 55'-60'. Above that, the temperature
tracks that of the river; below it is a more or less
constant 50F-55F during the season.
CURRENT
There is negligible current in Lake Ontario.
In the river, current conditions can vary immensely, even from
day to day for any particular site. This depends upon the amount
of recent rain, storm conditions and the use of the dams in the river.
There are sites with zero current and others with strong current,
> 4 knots. Famous strong current sites are Lillie Parsons, Lock 21,
Daryaw and various river drifts. These make some excellent drift
diving but also require some physical effort and experience.
Some wrecks with strong current, such as the Daryaw, can best
be visited by drifting onto them from upstream.
GEAR
Diving equipment is generally a full 6.5mm (1/4") wet suit. Hood
and gloves required below 60F. Above 60F, people begin to shed
hood, gloves and farmer john's (above 65F depending). Some form
of glove, such as a gardening glove, is always recommended for
protection against cuts from the Zebra Mussel, which are very
sharp. Dry suits are quite popular in this area as it enables
year round diving :)
Below 50F, many people prefer a dry suit. If a wet suit is used
in these temperatures, then it is important to have somewhere
sheltered from the wind after the dive to rapidly change to
warm clothing.
A cold water regulator is strongly recommended for winter.
Water temperatures below 40F will cause a standard regulator
to free-flow.
VISIBILITY
Viz. varies from site to site but, in season, is generally
between 25'-45'. There are daily variations,
depending upon rain, storm, etc. Thus, Lock 21 is
a notoriously bad viz. site - 15' being considered
good there. I had 85' a couple of times last season but
that is exceptional - and wonderful.
Also, in the lake, above the thermocline, the viz. is
poor at the height of the season due to algae bloom.
Below the thermocline, it is a good 30' - 45'.
LIFE
Fish are pike, muskellunge, eel, carp, bass, catfish, etc. but
the area is not known for its diverse and abundant life. However,
it's always good to see a pike eat a fish. Water visibility
has been immensely improved over the past few years by the
arrival of the famous Zebra Mussel. This alien creature has
forced out local fresh water mussels but not affected the rest
of the critter population. It has even improved aquatic plant
life, which had been affected by pollution over the years.
See the web page:
Zebra Mussel Resources
DIVE SITES
There are plenty of different diving sites - wrecks,
walls, drifts even submerged power stations, locks and
other terrestrial structures.
Some sites are shore access but many require a boat.
Depths are typically 30'; 60'-120' and deep (i.e "tech-
dive" deep).
The village of Rockport is noted for it's deep sites -
Rockport Wall to 300' and the wreck of the Jodery - starts
at 130' and goes to 240'.
Popular shore dives are Rothesay, Conestoga and Prescott
docks (for novice and out-of-season dives); Rockport
and Lock 21. Note, Lock 21, although only 60 feet max depth,
is an advanced dive due to the poor viz. and strong current.
Popular boat dives are Wolf Islander, Marsh, Keystorm, Kingshorn,
America, Vickery, etc.
Architectural sites include various submerged shipping locks and the
old Mille Roches hydroelectric generating powerhouse.
SOME CHARTERS:
DND Charters |
|
Abucs Scuba, Brockville |
613-498-1733 |
Limestone Diving, Kingston |
800-286-dive
or 613-547-dive |
Rockport Dive Centre, Jeff Pauze |
613-659-3471 |
Down Under, Brian Pemberton |
wbp@total.net
or 514-622-3324 |
Kingston Dive Centre |
613-634-8464 |
Ron McDonald, Brockville |
613-933-1362 |
Dave Lockhart, Cardinal |
613-657-1605
or 613-657-1104 |
AeroNautica |
613-224-7755 |
Suspense Charters, Kingston |
613-634-0550 |
Bob Dumont, Long Sault |
613-932-6435 |
Ross Doe, Crysler Marina |
613-774-0870 |
Get Wet Scuba, Gananoque |
613-382-7111 |
Phoenix Dive Centre, Ivy Lea |
905-985-3288 |
Sea N Sky Scuba, Prescott |
613-925-0308 |
