Post by SeaRat on Jun 30, 2019 16:56:39 GMT -8
I dove on Saturday at Big Eddy on the Clackamas River. It was a great dive, but solo as the Oregon Scuba Club members whom I was trying to dive with had finished and left by the time I got there. Here's my entry on their Facebook page.
The water was clear, and fairly cold too. I took my Hammerhead unit in too, and did some swimming using the Sea Turtle/Dolphin technique in current. But when I could not go forward, I got down on the rocks and pulled myself ahead.
This was my first dive at this site, and I wanted to get some GoPro video, but my camera ran out of charge. I really enjoyed my Trieste II regulator, this time on my twin 45s, and in the correct position for a double hose regulator. It breaths well, and even under some fairly hard exertions delivered all the air I needed.
I also used my compass for one of the first times this year. The current led to some disorientation, and I found myself going downstream away from the eddy. The compass (on a Scubapro analog counsole) kept me going in the right direction. The lure and lead weights were given to a fisherwoman once I got out of the water.
She had asked as I was exiting whether I needed help, and I said, "No, I take my time and stay down when on slippery rocks."
She said, "I'm wearing flip-flops, and they are not good on rocks!"
So I told her, "I always use a three-point-of-contact technique on slippery surfaces when exiting; I always have three points of contact on the rocks."
This is an accepted mountaineering technique that I use in the rivers when exiting. In this case, I was crawling out at first, moving only one limb at a time. Then I stood up and and kept one hand down on the rocks as I exited. I did this, I explained to her, until I was on dry rocks which were not slippery.
John
John
Well, I actually got there, but at 11:30 AM (I am a late sleeper, and didn't see the times until about 8:30 AM; then got to turn around when I forgot my BCD). So no one was there when I got to the Big Eddy picnic area. I made a 30 minute solo dive there, and talked to two fishermen while there too. Found a Rooster Tail lure, a hook with weights on it and a 2 oz lead weight. Saw some fish too, mostly suckers and three schools of salmon fry. It was a very nice dive, though I probably should have worn my gloves. I was trying to get o GoPro video, but my battery died. I also wanted to see if there were any freshwater mussels there, but there were none (I've kinda been following those critters since the 1980s when I photographed them spawning in the North Umpqua River).
Charles Buck John Ratliff - Hey John, it must have been you who I saw there! Were you diving with a double tank setup? I was also late (just after 11 AM) & saw nobody. Left a returned when I saw you getting ready for a dive. Looks like it was not a well attended dive - a pity since it is such a cool site.
Jason L Flint Charles Buck sorry, Charles, I thought you might be there by 10 so I waited a bit then headed home.
John Ratliff Charles Buck Yes, that was me. I have twin 45s that I like to dive with my AMF Voit Trieste II double-hose regulator. I have made several upgrades of that regulator over the years, but bought it new in the 1970s. Are you the guy I told would need to pay $5 for parking at the Big Eddy Picnic Area?
Charles Buck John Ratliff - nope, not me... You have a very cool setup!
Charles Buck John Ratliff - Hey John, it must have been you who I saw there! Were you diving with a double tank setup? I was also late (just after 11 AM) & saw nobody. Left a returned when I saw you getting ready for a dive. Looks like it was not a well attended dive - a pity since it is such a cool site.
Jason L Flint Charles Buck sorry, Charles, I thought you might be there by 10 so I waited a bit then headed home.
John Ratliff Charles Buck Yes, that was me. I have twin 45s that I like to dive with my AMF Voit Trieste II double-hose regulator. I have made several upgrades of that regulator over the years, but bought it new in the 1970s. Are you the guy I told would need to pay $5 for parking at the Big Eddy Picnic Area?
Charles Buck John Ratliff - nope, not me... You have a very cool setup!
The water was clear, and fairly cold too. I took my Hammerhead unit in too, and did some swimming using the Sea Turtle/Dolphin technique in current. But when I could not go forward, I got down on the rocks and pulled myself ahead.
This was my first dive at this site, and I wanted to get some GoPro video, but my camera ran out of charge. I really enjoyed my Trieste II regulator, this time on my twin 45s, and in the correct position for a double hose regulator. It breaths well, and even under some fairly hard exertions delivered all the air I needed.
I also used my compass for one of the first times this year. The current led to some disorientation, and I found myself going downstream away from the eddy. The compass (on a Scubapro analog counsole) kept me going in the right direction. The lure and lead weights were given to a fisherwoman once I got out of the water.
She had asked as I was exiting whether I needed help, and I said, "No, I take my time and stay down when on slippery rocks."
She said, "I'm wearing flip-flops, and they are not good on rocks!"
So I told her, "I always use a three-point-of-contact technique on slippery surfaces when exiting; I always have three points of contact on the rocks."
This is an accepted mountaineering technique that I use in the rivers when exiting. In this case, I was crawling out at first, moving only one limb at a time. Then I stood up and and kept one hand down on the rocks as I exited. I did this, I explained to her, until I was on dry rocks which were not slippery.
John
John
