Gaskin + Lillie Parsons Dives Or Others?

[cleung]

We are planning to dive in the St Lawrence near Brockville for the very first time. We already know that on the day we plan to be there in late August, there is already a charter boat going out to dive the Gaskin and Lillie Parsons. We have the option of joining up with this boat or taking another boat to do other dive sites.

I asked the operator which would be decent sites for marine life and we were told Muscallonge, America and Vickery.

We have never dived in that region before and have only one morning. Any opinions on the dive sites the charter boat is already going to compared to the other three mentioned?

 

[northernone]

You can't go wrong with any of those. To get a little feel for them try YouTube to see which catches your fancy. Marine life seems to go where it pleases depending on water level and temperature. Maybe check the week before with the operator and see where he recommends.

All the best.
Cameron

 

[electric_diver]

We are planning to dive in the St Lawrence near Brockville for the very first time.
...
I asked the operator which would be decent sites for marine life and we were told Muscallonge, America and Vickery.
...
We have never dived in that region before and have only one morning.

1) Keystorm, America and Vickery are all in US waters, It will take longer than a "morning" to dive those due to clearing customs each way and US Customs at Bolt Castle only opens at 10am.

2) what is your experience level? Muscallonge is more challenging than the Lillie which in turn is more challenging than the Gaskin. America is in the shipping channel.

3) Muscallonge usually has clouds of perch, bluegills, sunfish and.or pumpkinseeds. The bass hang out upstream and the walleye downstream in the shelter of the wreck.
Lillie has white suckers and some catfish hiding under the bow. Lots of smaller fish hide out under the wreck so bring a light to look. Lots of large walleye hang out down stream of the Lillie but are fairly deep during the day.
Gaskin has a mixture of the smaller fish (bass, perch, etc ) and usually a few pike hang around.
Vickery has similar life to the Lillie with the addition of large sheepshead(aka fresh water drum) and there are usually a few catfish nests in the shallows at this time of year.

 

[lerpy]

We are planning to dive in the St Lawrence near Brockville for the very first time. We already know that on the day we plan to be there in late August, there is already a charter boat going out to dive the Gaskin and Lillie Parsons. We have the option of joining up with this boat or taking another boat to do other dive sites.

I asked the operator which would be decent sites for marine life and we were told Muscallonge, America and Vickery.

We have never dived in that region before and have only one morning. Any opinions on the dive sites the charter boat is already going to compared to the other three mentioned?

These are all good options for dives, but ultimately it depends on your experience and comfort level. Vickery and Keystorm are 100'+ dives, the others are shallower. The Lillie is a drift dive, and all of them have varying levels of current. The Daryaw is another good dive in the 100+ category although just barely.

I could go into more detail, if you would like to know more about the sites and diving the river feel free to PM me. I live in the St Lawrence area, and dive the river and these wrecks weekly sometimes multiple times, and I work for a dive charter on the river so very familiar with what you are diving.

Matt

 

[cleung]

Thanks for all of your replies folks. I have about 120 dives in (Master diver) and my buddy has 250 (Divemaster). We both have done drift diving in Cozumel and been in high currents of the Duane wreck down in Key Largo a few times but we have never dived cold Ontario waters. I'll be using a dry suit for my first summer. My buddy thinks we should be able to handle most of these dives locally. For me, I'm more into marine life although I'm not expecting it anywhere to be like the tropics. I don't know if the US dive sites are going to take too long to process in terms of getting past customs, etc., as we would like to get our two dives in before lunchtime if possible.

 

[gcarter]

Thanks for all of your replies folks. I have about 120 dives in (Master diver) and my buddy has 250 (Divemaster). We both have done drift diving in Cozumel and been in high currents of the Duane wreck down in Key Largo a few times but we have never dived cold Ontario waters. I'll be using a dry suit for my first summer. My buddy thinks we should be able to handle most of these dives locally. For me, I'm more into marine life although I'm not expecting it anywhere to be like the tropics. I don't know if the US dive sites are going to take too long to process in terms of getting past customs, etc., as we would like to get our two dives in before lunchtime if possible.

Don't underestimate the complicating factor of a dry suit if you don't have a lot of experience with it. On dives like the Lillie you can easily get carried into the channel if you get distracted managing your gear. Many of the others as well - the Daryaw can fly you like a flag in the current going down the line, although I have not done it this year to see what the current is like on it now.

Cold water diving is different from Key Largo or Cozumel.

 

[JohnRom]

It should be noted that if you are looking to dive the river in Aug, it will not be "cold" water diving. The river is already 72-74F and will warm up a bit more before Aug. If you don't have much experience with a drysuit I would suggest you do the dives in a wetsuit (5mm will be fine for most people by then) instead of adding the extra task loading. If you are looking to be done around noon, then I would suggest Muskie and Lillie or Lillie and Gaskin. You could even do two on the Lillie if you like drift diving. The first could be the wreck and the short drift and the second could be the longer drift to Stoven Island.

 

[PT4476]

I agree with gcarter & JohnRom re: drysuit, it's been a hot summer and the river is warm, I've been using tropical gloves & no hood for a few weeks now. I really enjoy the Daryaw. Lot's to see there, quite a few American eels last week as well as the usual cast of bass, catfish etc. I've also seen a sturgeon on this wreck a few times, but not recently…

 

[cleung]

I think you all convinced me to stay on the Canadian side for our first trip there so we don't waste time dealing with US customs, etc. My dry suit should be coming anyday now so I expect to do a pool session plus at least 2-3 dives out in Humber Bay with it before going to Brockville. And since I paid so much for it, I would like to use it as I do get cold easily.

Now it's deciding whether to stick with Gaskin/Parsons or do Muscallonge and either Gaskin or Parsons. Would like to do Muscallonge based on more marine life but how much harder would this dive be compared to the others?

 

[AngloFish]

Ha now I'm going to convince you to do the wrecks requiring a passport If you grab a charter through islanddivers you fill out all your info (passport etc) 24hrs before departing. They send all the info over the night before and clearing customs is just a verification process, usually pretty quick.
I know you're probably jonesing to use that shiny new drysuit but like the others have said you'd probably have more fun going wet. Once you get it nailed a drysuit becomes second nature but that requires several dives to get that comfort level. A lot of people severely underestimate the current in the SL in places, couple that with low vis and it could add unnecessary stress. Another thing you may not have thought of.. Getting used to a drysuit will pretty much kill your buoyancy and reduce your air consumption by a good margin. Remember you're no longer sleek and streamlined but rather wearing a loose fitting (compared to wetsuit) bag of air. It takes a little more effort to move it through the water. All these issues will disappear after 15-20 dives but it is a consideration when your new to them. If you're in the GTA area I'd be glad to run you through some pointers at any of the local quarries around here if you want.
Now onto the wrecks..
The muskie.. Aside form the fish I never understood the appeal of this dive. I've done just over a thousand dive in the SL and have only done the Muskie once. Just never wanted to go back.

Gaskin is a fun little dive, most folks do it from shore but first timers without a guide would probably be better off with a local charter..

One that I didn't see mentioned is the kingshorn, just outside of rockport. It's a very nice wreck, think Gaskin but in much better shape.

Lilly is a decent wreck, I enjoy poking around inside and doing the circuit from bow to stern plus the drift after is amazing. Just keep to 40-80ft or less and close to the wall. Drifting too far from the wall could get you into some of the crazy upwells and downwells which I would avoid at all costs. It's not pleasant tooting along at 40 (honestly the shallow drift is better since there are more critters), getting caught in one and getting sucked down to 100+ in mere moments isn't fun but it's actually better than getting caught in the reverse and an ascent that's going a lot faster than you want (again this is a risk so stick to the wetsuit!!).

What you'd miss on the yankee side.
The Keystorm, awesome wreck! Stern is down at 130 and the bow up at 25, plenty to see in between:


The America, big steel freighter sitting upside down just outside the shipping channel. This is a good wreck for fish.


And of course the Daryaw since it was mentioned, really like this wreck. Too bad it's gotten to the point engine room penetration is no longer a good idea (too unstable), a very pretty wreck inside the twisty places but still loads to see in the open areas. Lots of fish as well.


Make sure to switch playback to HD, youtube defaults to 320 or some nonsense now a days.

So there is brief review of some of the wrecks out that way. If you want info on the shore dives (lost villages etc) just let me know.

I think you all convinced me to stay on the Canadian side for our first trip there so we don't waste time dealing with US customs, etc. My dry suit should be coming anyday now so I expect to do a pool session plus at least 2-3 dives out in Humber Bay with it before going to Brockville. And since I paid so much for it, I would like to use it as I do get cold easily.

Now it's deciding whether to stick with Gaskin/Parsons or do Muscallonge and either Gaskin or Parsons. Would like to do Muscallonge based on more marine life but how much harder would this dive be compared to the others?