Dive Report - Kettle Cove, 10/19/08

Well guys, my buddy Sean and I did manage to get a nice dive in this past weekend despite forecasted conditions (10-12ft seas of cape ann, 7-9ft seas off Cape Elizabeth). We chose Kettle Cove on Cape Elizabeth, Maine based in part on Spectrum's recommendations. This was my first dive in Maine and I must say it was very enjoyable. I'm originally from Maine, so it was nice to get back home and dive!

I began by checking the conditions at nearby two lights state park. There were huge rollers (6-8ft) coming into the cove, so I thumbed that location. There were however, four divers getting ready to head in to complete some technical training. I hope their dive went well!

We headed over to Kettle Cove and were greeted with favorable conditions:



No chop, and an occasional swell. That was it, thanks to the southernly exposure. We also observed a class of about 10 divers completing their open water cert. Fortunately they were staying in the middle of the cove and were not going to be in the area we were looking to dive.

Parking and entry was as easy as its gets: About a 20ft walk to the beach. Here's the entry:



We began our dive on the right side of the cove per Spectrum's recommendations and made our way to the left side of the cove. We ended up heading out a little too far out towards the middle of the cove. This site is shallow. Our max depth was 28fsw, but we averaged 18fsw. We surfaced, got our bearings and headed back to the point to explore.

We saw three good sized sculpin in the grass:



I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of star fish in may different colors. I have not seen any this big off cape ann.





At the bottom of the center of the cove, we came across a pile of bones from some type of fish:



Here's the skull:



Does anyone know what this was? We have no idea.

Our total dive was approx 80 minutes. Water temp was 52deg and viz was about 20 feet and very clear. Overall I liked this site with its ease of entry and the pleasant surroundings. The shallow depths make for a nice easy dive with a lot of light. I would recommend this site when conditions are like what they were yesterday (strong NE winds) when others are not favorable. However, I felt like we had seen everything after one dive there and therefore did not do another on the same day.

Thanks to spectrum for his recommendation!

Nice report and very nice pictures. I am glad the conditions were good over at Kettle Cove.

Yes, our dives at Two Lights went well. The visibility was fairly poor, but manageable.

The waves inside the cove were not too bad. The only exiting part was after we shot some buoys outside the cove (were it gets a bit deeper), the waves/ rollers were a lot larger. After retrieving our lift bags/ SMB, we couldn’t wait to go down fast enough.



Added:
My last post on this link is in part about yesterday’s dive.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/vi...atest-technical-diving-regulator-phoenix.html

I'm glad you enjoyed the site. It's a wonderful place to be for a sunset dive!

I saw those bones earlier this summer. I'm not sure just what they come from.

Great pictures!

Pete

Very helpful dive report, thanks! Nice pics, too. I like seeing topside shots of the dive site. Gives a real sense of what to expect.

I was surprised to hear of the halfway decent vis at Kettle Cove while rollers were coming in just mile away at Twin Lights! The ocean never ceases to amaze me!

Satellite imagery seems to indicate a shoal in the middle Kettle Cove and scattered patches of rocks on the bottom elsewhere. Looks like it could be interesting, even if shallow.

I've been looking for an excuse to head further north for diving. Now I've got it!

Dave C

The opposing exposure of Kettle Cove makes it a perfect bookend to 2 Lights, If neither is divable you should probably be doing something else that day.

Some divers put the site down because they get taken in there for training dives and spend most of their time in center which is fairly barren except for the cove wide field of eel grass. If you are into exploring eel grass this is the most significant field I have come across. The left side up and over into the next cove makes a very nice dive.

This year we have ventured to the right, out in front of the grassy promenade more than in the past. The right side gets into ledges that are more interspersed but are nice too. You will also come across the many moorings and can find lost boat hardware. Sometimes you can spot the leftover parts from an onboard repair job!

The property is plowed in the winter and 1 of the 2 toilets remains open.

Kettle cove is also the sighting of our Poco encopunters.

Remember to bring your C-Card. If the ranger is on duty he will need to issue you a free scuba permit.

Pete

Remember to bring your C-Card. If the ranger is on duty he will need to issue you a free scuba permit.

Click to expand...

I did not see a ranger during the three hours we were there (not including bottom time of course). I also looked at all the cars that were parked there(8) (mostly OW cert. divers) and only one of them had the permit. We had no issues at all. The site is so pretty and well maintained. Even the toilets are clean! Really a nice change of pace for me as I've been diving Cape Ann almost exclusively.

Kettle Cove is a great place to bring non-diving family members to; my wife will sun herself while my 6 year old son can play in the sand/surf. After diving, it's a nice place to have a picnic or cookout. Parking can be tight in the summer, but it's not so bad in the spring/fall. Clean bathrooms are also nice.

I've only had one run-in with a ranger, but it wasn't bad. We all had our cards and claimed that we didn't know the permit policy. Since it was a slow day and we were half dressed, she took our cards, hopped in her golf cart, and drove back to the ranger station and filled out our permits for us. When we got out of the water after our first tank, our cards were waiting on the front seat of one of our cars; she slipped them in through an open window.