Diving Minnewanka -- How important is Altitude diving training?

[Hawkwood]

Minnewanka is Stoney for “Lake of the Water Spirit.” According to legend, one of the first aboriginals who saw the lake viewed it from the summit of one of the highest mountains that surround it. From this vantage point, he noticed a fish in the water that appeared to be as long as the lake, leading him to call the lake “The lake of the Evil Water-spirit.”

It is a beautiful place to dive.

Minnewanka


Two Jack - you cannot beat this for the view!

 

[Token]

Dear folks: Thank you for your very quick and helpful responses. It was a lot more than I expected from just overnight.

Hawkwood: Yes, I am still below 25 dives, mostly in warm water. One of the reasons I want to do local diving is to get that number up. I did a few dives a year ago off Hornby Island, but they were complicated by challenging conditions and unfamiliar equipment [note that the relative cold did not bother me]. Any diving I do here or in the Park will be in the company of much more experienced divers, and probably won't happen until July at the earliest. I could, of course, have asked my friends my original question, but it occurred to me late at night, and hey, Scubaboard is right here! Thank you for your pictures...they show about what I would expect the lake conditions to be.

Crush: I am generally aware of the considerations involving dives at higher altitudes, but you lay it out well. If our paths ever cross, I'll buy you a [post-dive] drink or two. I can't imagine any of the lake dives I'm considering even approaching any kind of redline...40-50ft.for 20-30 minutes sounds about right to me. I did a dive in one of Calgary's man-made lakes last summer and didn't come close to emptying my tank, as I regularly do in the tropics.

Jim LaPenta: Having just paid full fare for the PADI nitrox course, I'm not in a hurry to spend more for a second course. Thanks for detailing some of the calculation involved in planning altitude dives.

Nadwidny: There isn't a huge difference in altitude between Calgary [alt. 1049m] and Lake Minnewanka [alt. 1450m] so I can see what you're saying [Edmonton is at 668m...so sayeth Google]. I suspect the Altitude course is a lot more important for people who live and dive mainly at sea level, or close to it.

Again, thank you all.

 

[Hawkwood]

Token,

Chaparral perhaps?

Feel free to send me a PM any time you want to discuss local diving.

Bill

 

[Token]

Token,

Chaparral perhaps? Feel free to send me a PM any time you want to discuss local diving.

Bill

Thanks Bill, I'll do that. I'm planning to do the Lake Sundance Clean-up dive in early June. I'm hoping to get out to the Park with the Aquasport group at least a few times this summer. Two or three weekends over the summer is all I ask...

 

[Crush]

PM sent in case you want to do any local dives.

 

[nadwidny]

Brian,

I'd agree - I would suggest that more important are the diving conditions specific to the locations, which just happen to be at altitude - including all the fun stuff at the surface including the goats, busses, mobs of cyclists, some "fun" entries, etc. Big changes to happen at the sites this year as well which will ease the surface crowding.

Hopefully the stairs at the dam get put in by next year.

 

[Hawkwood]

That would be nice. The changes this year will not affect the diving public, only those instructing. Parks changes won't affect the stair project.

 

[nadwidny]

I thought the bidding for the instructing permits doesn't start until next year? Last time we (AUC) talked to Parks, they told us that all stores will have the proper permit for this year (this would mean that Harcus's shop will now be able to teach in Banff) but next year there would only be 2 permits that will be awarded on a tender. Have they moved up the schedule?

 

[Hawkwood]

Brian,

The "bidding" is on hold until next year, but they have put tough rules in place for this year that apply to classes only, not the individual recreational diver. If we can all get along and play nice, the tender process for next year will be put on hold. This is serious stuff for the shops in the Calgary area. I cross my fingers that individuals will heed the new rules and play by them. Parks also expects us to "self-police".

General Rules:

Parks Canada will be strictly enforcing the terms of the business licenses. That means that there will be no teaching without the instructors' having their Interpretive Guide Permit with them at all times - not a new rule, but not often followed. Note that this will preclude Instructors and stores who do not have the licenses, and their instructors the guide permits, from teaching in the park. That would mean for example, if a shop from Edmonton wanted to come down for a trip and also teach, they are not allowed. If an Instructor from Calgary does not have an Interpretive Guide Permit they cannot teach in the Park - again, these are not new, but not often followed.

No sandwich boards. We are asking for clarification regarding signage for Rescue Classes.

The rules are in place 24 hours per day and every day. That means, for example, if you are teaching a night class at Two Jack or the Plaque Site, you still have to abide by the rules outlined below. Teaching night classes in the Park is going to be prohibitive, or at the very least "tricky".

Two Jack:

No instructor or student vehicles are allowed on the beach area or even the lower parking area. You are allowed 15 minutes to offload and then put your vehicle in the upper parking lot. No equipment of any type allowed on the shore. Classes must keep themselves to the picnic area on the north side only. No structures, i.e. eazie-ups, etc.

Plaque Site:

Two vehicles per shop MAXIMUM at the Plaque Site. Doesn't matter if your shop is teaching AOW and OW with two different instructors, there are only two vehicles per shop allowed, period. No student vehicles are permitted. They will have to park in the main Minnewanka Lake parking lot. No tarps and no structures.

Dam Site:

No restrictions there. However they will be ticketing for vehicles parked the "wrong" way, i.e. you had better have your vehicle pointed "north".

Cliffs:

The Cliffs will be open for instruction use.

Are we having fun yet?

Regards,
Bill

 

[nadwidny]

Thanks for the update. It should make things better for the average diver just out for the day, but the parking restrictions at the plaque are going to be a pain for the instructors.