Waterton Lake National Park

[Pez de Diablo]

My first dive of the year was last weekend in Waterton Lake. Waterton is located in the South West corner of Alberta and borders on Glacier National Park in Montana. Dives in the lake typicaly take place in 4 locations, Cameron Bay where the depth reaches over 100', Emerald bay where an old paddle wheeler sunk, wood reef (not really a reef) where the max depth is about 55' and you explore amongs numerous sunken trees and the old garbage dump.

Our first dive was on Wood Reef with a single tank down to 48 feet followed by some bag deployment practise. We were planning to go for a mountain bike ride in 15 C (59 F) weather but soon after we got out of the water it began to rain and the temprature fell, so we did a bit of a road trip followed by sitting in the cook shelter around the fire drinking Rum and Coke.

Day two we did a couple of training dives on twins over in Emerald bay while on the wreck (50') in 2 C (35 F) water. It wasn't too bad, but the 17 min simulated deco stop almost did me in. Our second dive (about 1 1/2 hours later) was just as cold and more miserable because we were putting on cold hoods and gloves.

All in all, I would rather have been in the cold water than not diving. Now if my finger tips would regain feeling in them.

 

[Pez de Diablo]

Here is another photo.

 

[Pez de Diablo]

Group shot, just mulling around.

 

[jbm]

Waterton is a great park.....pristine wilderness......bountiful wildlife......quaint townsite.......but.......you never know what you are going to wake up to! In our case, it was 5 inches of fresh snow....and we were in a tent!

Here's the kicker........the date was August 16,2002!!

First came denial....then anger...then acceptance.....and then we did a dive on the "Gertrude"in Emerald Bay.


jbm

 

[Pez de Diablo]

Snow can fall 12 months of the year in the mountains or in Calgary, each time it happens I go through total denial then frustration. Yah gotta love the Northern lattitudes.


Because I didn't attach the photo in my last post here we go:

 

[jbm]

Pez de Diablo once bubbled...
Yah gotta love the Northern lattitudes.

Actually the weather straightened out, and we had a great long weekend of camping, hiking and diving. Planning on doing it again this year.....hopefully minus the collapsed tent.


jbm

 

[thomasrossiter]

this is my first time using a service like this, so please excuse me if I'm not following proper etiquette (sp?)

I hope to dive waterton, emerald bay, this coming monday, June 14th, '04 and would appreciate any/all info you could provide re: location/coordinates of the "wood reef" and "garbage dump" you mentioned. also any info you might have re: "supply wagons" I've read about which supposedly fell through the ice and remain today as a dive.

thanks for any assistance you might provide

tommy

 

[JeffG]

this is my first time using a service like this, so please excuse me if I'm not following proper etiquette (sp?)

I hope to dive waterton, emerald bay, this coming monday, June 14th, '04 and would appreciate any/all info you could provide re: location/coordinates of the "wood reef" and "garbage dump" you mentioned. also any info you might have re: "supply wagons" I've read about which supposedly fell through the ice and remain today as a dive.

thanks for any assistance you might provide

tommy

Check out this website (goto the Southern Alberta section)
Scuba Diving in Alberta