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Post by Antonio on Mar 17, 2005 14:29:38 GMT -8
Hello all Vintage Divers. Would anyone be interested in doing a vintage dive trip in oregon this summer around the coastal lakes . It's still in the planning stages and I'm just trying to figure out how many people are interested. Bryan Pennington, if your reading this, it's me Anthony Morrell who's trying to put this together .
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Post by Antonio on Mar 17, 2005 14:33:24 GMT -8
Sorry about this one . It didn't show up right away when I first posted it so I posted it again. Sorry for the inconvienence .
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Post by SeaRat on Mar 21, 2005 18:19:19 GMT -8
Well, I found where this is not residing, and I am interested in a vintage dive here in Oregon.
As I said earlier, my choice would be Clear Lake in the Cascades, the one that is the head of the McKenzie River. It is beautiful, even if it is cold (just under 40 degrees F year-round). I have wanted to Dive Clear Lake for several years. I haven't been there since the 1980s. Visibility is about 200 feet, with some really wonderful sights.
Antonio, you were mentioning Wohink Lake. I've been there too, and it is not too interesting to me. It is great for novice divers, as it is very protected. But the bottem is mud; I haven't seen the boats sunk there, but also hear that there is a locomative in the lake (Midge Cramer, OSU diving instructor in the 1970s). I dove it in the 1980s, and there are some interesting (to me) freshwater shrimp on the bottom.
I also like Yaquina Bay, on the south jetties. I had a research project there in the 1970's, and gathered some commensal amphipods from a sea anemone in the 1980s for a Norweigen scientist. It has a lot more to see, but it also has some pretty heavy tides, and usually one dive per day. Visibility is 2-6 feet, with 12 feet being a great day.
Just some thoughts.
SeaRat
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Post by Antonio on Mar 22, 2005 8:22:52 GMT -8
If Clear lake works for you it'll work for me . There's just one problem . I can't get up there unless my dive shop is headed up in that directon for an altitude course When I find out if and when they are doing a course I'll post again .
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Post by SeaRat on Mar 24, 2005 9:56:18 GMT -8
For those who have not seen Clear Lake, McKenzie Highway in the Oregon Cascades, here's what it looked like in the 1980s when I last visited: Photo by Lynn Herbert As I said above, 200 foot visibility, petrified trees, springs with algea sheaths over them forming delicate tunnels, just a whole lot to see, and a great place for photography. Dan, would you be willing to head up there for a vintage dive? John
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Post by Jack Wilhelm on Mar 24, 2005 15:37:20 GMT -8
John, that lake looks incredible. 40 degrees is real cold though; what thickness of wetsuit did you have on it the photograph above. How deep is the lake and what's the average depth on a dive, thanks, Jack.
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Post by SeaRat on Mar 24, 2005 18:34:47 GMT -8
Jack, For that dive, I was wearing a full 1/4 inch (what is that, 6.35mm) Farmer John wet suit with a pull-over top and attached hood. I also had on three-finger mitts, which I favor in cold water (but don't currently posses--mine have worn out bicycling;)). At times I also have worn an Aquala dry suit. For those who are selling the vintage dry suits, this would be a good place to show them off. My Aquala was great, but nearly always leaked a bit. I'm enclosing a photo that was taken earlier of me in Clear Lake in the Aquala dry suit circa 1974. Photo by Bruce Higgins I used to go there all the time when I lived in Salem and Corvallis. We did two dives per day too, but took our time between dives to reheat ourselves. One of my first dives there was with a very old style wet suit by White Stag (my first suit), and this was before nylon lining. It ripped in back, about a foot-long rip, and youngster that I was I did a dive with the ripped suit (those days are over though). I got out pretty cold then. Concerning the depth, the best place to dive is in the headwaters, and that has a max depth of about 60 feet. When diving in the main lake, there is less visibility, but the depth can be in excess of 100 feet. According to my dive logs, we stayed at about 40 feet and 50 feet during my two 1974 dives in Clear Lake. My note on "Water Conditions" stated, "Very clear and cold (150'/38 degrees F)." This would also be an altitude dive, and altitude tables would have to be used (or a correction on the computer if you are using it). The altitude would either be of Clear Lake (I'll check that), or the pass over which the diver would have to travel within 12 hours (I'll check that too). John
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Post by JES on Mar 25, 2005 3:41:00 GMT -8
John, Jack was right, your lake looks incredible (and cold). But then we're just Florida boys and anything less then 70 degrees is cold to us. Thanks for the pictures and the detailed decriptions. - Joe
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Post by John C Ratliff on Mar 30, 2005 16:25:45 GMT -8
Antonio started this thread, and he really wanted to have a vintage dive in his area on the coast. He mentioned Wohink Lake as a possibility. He wants to get other divers interested in the vintage gear.
I think this would also be a great idea. Why not two vintage dives this summer. One in the late Spring (Wohink), and one in the late Summer (Clear Lake).
One other thought came to mind, and that is that Antonio was hoping that he could get an altitude diving course going to justify his going to Clear Lake. I know it has been since the 1970s that I looked at the altitude tables. Maybe we could hold an altitude diving course in conjunction with the vintage dive in Clear Lake.
Anyone have any other thoughts?
SeaRat
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Turtleguy9
Pro Diver
Padi MSDT, IDEA INST TRAINER, SDI OWSI, NASE
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Post by Turtleguy9 on Mar 30, 2005 19:17:11 GMT -8
What date in the late summer would be your choice? I have to visit Seattle in late summer and might be able to make that one. Aloha Turtleguy9
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Post by Antonio on Apr 1, 2005 12:47:44 GMT -8
It's me again ;D. there's still no word on the altitude coarse, but I'm still digging .
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Post by SeaRat on Apr 1, 2005 20:59:59 GMT -8
Hi Antonio, Thanks for the reply. I was hoping you were still interested. Since this is your thread, next time you are in the computer could you see whether you can change the title to something like "Oregon Vintage Dive Trips"? It would signal anyone looking over the information that we have an Oregon thread going (or maybe Linda could do it for us;D. I'm going to wet people's appitites for both areas with a few more photos. The next one is my favorite of Clear Lake (and no, it's not of me--it's just that those above were the ones I had readily at hand). Photo Copyright 2005, John C. Ratliff The diver is going over a lava flow that extended into the lake. There are wonderful lava fields around, and an interesting terrestial lava cave just up the road from Clear Lake. There is also a very beautiful, fairly large spring on the far side of the upper lake, which would be interesting either just to look at or for snorkeling (it's not too deep). Now, lets talk about Oregon coastal lakes. They form a unique aquatic environment, with its own native and introduced species. The one in this photo is an introduced species, one that is prevalent in the Oregon coastal lakes and streams. This photo was from the North Umpqua River, but there are many of this species in the various lakes, including Wohink Lake. Can you guess what it is? That's right, it's a Micropterus dolomieui Lacepede, the smallmouth bass. These fish were introduced, and have proliferated in these waters. I have seen them in rivers and lakes, and took this photo in the same visibility typical of Wohink Lake. They are there, if we can find them. John
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Post by Antonio on Apr 2, 2005 20:51:13 GMT -8
Hey Sea Rat, I cant figure out how to change my thread to "Oregon Vintage Dive Trip" and I can't seem to get ahold of linda . Any way, I do have some good news . I might be able to make it to clear lake without the Altitude course and I'm going to try to get my divemaster (Mike Hollingshead, Owner and operator of Eugene Skin Divers Supply) interested in both these trips . He's been divin since he was 4 but hasn't dove vintage since the seventies. Still I think he could be a huge help. By the way, there are a few smallies in Wohink that i've seen and tons of crawdads we can catch .
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Post by John C Ratliff on Apr 3, 2005 0:20:33 GMT -8
Antonio,
Talk to Mike, and mention that John Ratliff is in this with you. I've known Mike for years, and used to go exclusively through Eugene Skin Divers Supply in the 1980s and 1990s when I lived in Roseburg. I still dive a Calypso regulator I bought from Mike when he was getting rid of them to update his equipment. He also has several of my vintage regulators in the basement, that I may want to buy back from him sometime soon (specifically, a red Jet Air, and a Healthways Scuba Delux that has a NAUI sticker on the front of it instead of the regular Healthways sticker). There is also a DA Aquamaster that I sold to him which has a stainless USD ring instead of the clips attaching the two boxes together, that is probably still in his basement.
If you are in Eugene, then Clear Lake is not too far away from you either (closer than for me, in Beaverton). I asked Mike a few years ago about whether there are any new restrictions on diving in Clear Lake, as there was at one time a proposal for that. I think that was dropped, but if you would it would be good to know about anything of that nature.
Concerning Wohink Lake, I'm open to that too, but would like to know more about where in the lake we would dive. It's a pretty big lake.
Right next door to Wohink is Cleawox Lake, if memory serves me right. It is right on the dunes, and there is a really high sand dune on the south side of the lake. People like to come running down the dune, and jump into the lake. They also fly all sorts of things off the dune, and they end up in about 20 feet of water. I've snorkeled there, and picked up all sorts of frisbys and other things people loose while having fun. It has about the same visibility as Wohink, but has changing facilities, good parking, showers (I think--it's been a while), and a aquatic plant bottom which may be more interesting than Wohink (but it doesn't have the freshwater shrimp that Wohink has, which I'd like to photograph sometime).
Anyway, say "Hello" for me to Mike.
SeaRat
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Post by Linda on Apr 3, 2005 8:31:03 GMT -8
Hey Sea Rat, I cant figure out how to change my thread to "Oregon Vintage Dive Trip" and I can't seem to get ahold of linda . It's easy to get me - just click on my name to email me, or you can I.M. me right here on the forum. (I changed your subject for you.)
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