Crazy Delaware River Dive Today

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Trace Malinowski

Training Agency President
Scuba Instructor
Messages
2,759
Reaction score
3,776
Location
Pocono Mountains
# of dives
5000 - ∞
Al Pacino's voice from the film, "Any Given Sunday" was in my head this Sunday while underwater telling me we win by inches! Dove the Delaware River today at the Water Gap. River stage is 7.96 ft meaning:

6-8 feet: High. Not suited to open canoes. Waves up to 6 feet. Hydraulics (undercurrents) noticeable. Very swift river current, 3 mph. Higher skill level recommended for canoes/kayaks; rafts recommended for for less experienced paddlers. It is required that all boaters wear a PFD at all times when on the river.

> 8 feet. Very high +. Not recommended for recreational boating. Properly equipped rafts or closed boats only. Extreme danger, highest skill level necessary.

Water temp was 51 F. Visibility was 2 - 3 feet in FAST water. It took me 50 minutes to swim ... er ... move forward 100 yards by pulling along the bottom. Suitable hand holds were few and far between. I surfaced along the bank at the 50 minute mark to find I had traveled from the boat launch to the area Kittatiny Canoes uses to launch/recover canoes and kayaks. It took just a couple minutes to drift back to my starting point. Lost a double ender bolt snap while banging my float/flag spool off the bottom. I left it in place as a little handle for my dry gloves, but using my fingers to cling to whatever might keep me from being blown down river found it unclipping itself somewhere. Saw a nice catfish. A fisherman was cutting heads off fish somewhere upriver. Never had large fish heads roll past me before. Kind of weird. Took all my skill to create an enjoyable dive. At one point, I found myself in nothing but sand and rolling rocks losing ground as if I were a cat being moved along a tile floor toward a bath tub. Comical. Used the dive to treasure hunt. Didn't find anything except the Fountain of Middle Age through exercise.

 
Interesting to hear that someone is diving there. I worked on that bridge at the Gap several summers of college doing maintenance and toll collecting. Helped pull a drowning victim out with a grappling hook. They had me, a college student, taking toll money to the bank with a .38 strapped to my waist and checking car accidents on the night shift. That wouldn't fly today.
Wouldn't have thought it was good for diving but is pretty country. Sounds like it's more developed than when I spent time there.
 
When the river isn't flowing like a cranky banshee the diving is quite nice. Gentle meandering currents to none at all. The train wreck on the Pennsylvania side is interesting. Visibility can be 15 - 20 feet.
 
The fish head comment was good for some chuckles.
 
Hey all. Was doing a search for recreational divers who dive the Delaware and found this forum. Does anyone know a helpful recreational diver who visits the Poxono area of the Delaware? I lost a GoPro 5 today complete with the headband. I was doing river trials on a newly acquired Hobie Mirage Oasis kayak. It’s a “Seagrass green” two seater and my lady friend was sitting up front. We had just cruised into the 27 foot deep canyon at the Y in the river heading south. My fishfinder was reading 22 plus feet deep when it slipped off my head (complete with the headband) and out of my reach and under it went. This happened around 4;30 pm on the 6th of October, 2018. . Would be great to somehow get it back. I was thinking of trying a treble hook next weekend to try and snag the headband somehow
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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