Scuba Fest---Wilmington OH

[Divin'Papaw]

I was able to attend both days. Since this is my first ScubaFest, I can't really compare it to previous years. I really had a good time and enjoyed the seminars. Wasn't too enamored with the exhibits.

I attended several wreck diving oriented seminars that I enjoyed. One on Lake Erie shipwrecks presented by Carrie Sowden (an Archaeological Director with the GL Historical Society) and one on wreck diving off Whitefish Point by Rick Kruzel, an avid wreck diver and instructor. I also attended a couple of dive-medicine related sessions that I found to be both good review (session on DCS) and interesting with new information (Neurological Impacts of Scuba Diving).

The drysuit undergarment session presented by Faith Ortins from DUI (VP of Sales) was very good. I picked up a couple of new tips (plastic grocery bags on the feet underneath your socks!) and there was some interesting information on where the industry is heading with new technology. Specifically, they are working on a new passive undergarment that will keep you warm at depth in 38 F water for 6 hours! It should hit the market the middle of next year and be approximately 2-3 x the cost of current high-end thinsulate undergarments.

I enjoyed both of Gary Gentile's slide presentations. He's a unique guy and has a really dry sense of humor, but I found his sessions interesting. His first session focused on the marine life typically seen on eastcoast shipwrecks and his second session covered a bit more on eastcoast wreck diving along with a montaineering trip he took to WA state a few years ago. Regardless of your views on Gary and the things he's written, I found him to be a really interesting guy to both talk to and hear speak. He clearly is a very accomplished and knowledgeable wreck diver right up there with the best in the field.

I came away with a new dive location I'm realling looking forward to diving someday ... Brockville, ON, and the 1000 Island Region. I had heard a little bit about this area previously, but attended a seminar by one of the local dive shops and charter operators and it really sounds like a great place for a 3-4 trip.

All in all a nice, relaxing scuba-oriented weekend.

NOTE: I edited this a bit at approx. 8:10 pm to fix typos and add a few more details.

 

[Land Locked]

Thanks for the update Jim, now I'm wishing I had made the trip!

ON=Ontario?

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Thanks for the update Jim, now I'm wishing I had made the trip!

ON=Ontario?

Yea. It's on the St. Lawrence.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Oh ... I forgot the most important part! I had an awesome lunch visiting with WT and Min. Always a treat spending time with them.

WT, Min ... I'm really looking forward to meeting up again soon. Good visiting with you!

 

[Land Locked]

Oh ... I forgot the most important part! I had an awesome lunch visiting with WT and Min. Always a treat spending time with them.

WT, Min ... I'm really looking forward to meeting up again soon. Good visiting with you!

Delightfull couple! I always enjoy meeting them even though WT thinks we only enjoy Min's company. Far from the truth, I always enjoy conversing with WT.

So did you collect some information on trips to ON?

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Delightfull couple! I always enjoy meeting them even though WT thinks we only enjoy Min's company. Far from the truth, I always enjoy conversing with WT.

So did you collect some information on trips to ON?

It looks like Brockville is about a 12 hour drive from Indianapolis. Would definitely be a 4-5 day trip. I'd say maybe a day there, 2-3 days diving and a day back. Being a river they have no thermocline. The temperature is uniform. In July and Aug it is typically 75-80 F all the way to the bottom! Most people are typically diving either 3mm or 5mm suits in July and August, even on dives to 100'+. Also, thanks to the zebra muscles, they typically have viz in the 60'-70' range and 100' is not unheard of!!!

It is a river environment (St. Lawrence), so some sites are more advanced due to current. However, they have quite a few sites good for those new to river diving that are blocked from the current by the geography of the river. You start on those and then move up to the more intermediate sites. They also have a site that has current predictable enough they actually do a wreck dive followed by a river drift dive! It sounds very cool.

Another thing that sounds really neat is the fish. For those of you who have dove the wrecks of the Great Lakes, you know about how sparse the fish can be. Just not alot of fish on the wrecks in the Great Lakes. However, for some reason the fish congregate on the wrecks in the St. Lawrence. It sounds like most of their wrecks are just loaded with fish.

The woman that gave the presentation on Brockville was Helen Fowler, one of the owners and the charter boat captain for Abucs/Scuba. Here is their website.

 

[wb416]

We talked with Helen at length at her booth and she was very informational about the diving and the accomodations. I look forward to getting a small group up to Brockville to do some diving with Abucs.

 

[pennypue]

Well I certainly wish that I had been able to run into all of you!!!
I did enjoy the show even though we did not attend any of the presentations.

I did like the facilities at the Robert's Center in Wilmington. I had been to one other ScubaFest in Columbus and the display spaces where disjointed, scattered and in hallways. It just felt cramped.

I'm hoping to plan a trip up to Brockville with the Fowlers.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Well I certainly wish that I had been able to run into all of you!!!
I did enjoy the show even though we did not attend any of the presentations.

I did like the facilities at the Robert's Center in Wilmington. I had been to one other ScubaFest in Columbus and the display spaces where disjointed, scattered and in hallways. It just felt cramped.

I'm hoping to plan a trip up to Brockville with the Fowlers.

We need some sort of ScubaBoard sign, hat or name tags to wear when we go to these things to find folks we haven't met before. It would have been great to meet both Penny and Bob. I had meet Hoosier (WT) and Min previously, so finding them was easy.

I agree about the facilities. I thought the location was outstanding. One of the presentation rooms was really small (can't remember which one), but all of the other rooms were adequate in size. The exhibition area was very nice. I ate at the food area Sat and that was very nice and convenient. Hoosier, Min and I ate at the Max and Erma's on Sunday for lunch. The location was perfect, it was a nice atmosphere and the food was good. Very attentive service.

If I could make one suggestion, I would have really liked a nice coffee shop nearby. I'm a coffee addict and really like a nice cup of coffee after lunch. Wasn't really anyplace to meet that craving (aka addiction!) of mine.

 

[eckybay]

I didn't go, but the Brockville trip sounds interesting. Please post trip reports after you go!