Project Logs 2010-2011
Pre 2011 Activity:
Spring/summer 2010. A number of dives conducted by a group of loosely connected local divers at Main Beach, Entrance Bay, Spring Bay and the Jumping Cliffs. By the fall of 2010 a plan for a more systematic approach to seeking information regarding Cottus sp. began to take shape with a number of issues being highlighted for further work. These were:
Fall of 2010. A more systematic approach to the project goals began to develop, targeting a number of potential dive sites with the intention of recording Cottus sp., the topography encountered (to be added to an overall dive guide). When diving these sites, potential Cottus sp. den sites were to be noted for future observation with marking flags.
Contact was made with DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) researchers and photographs were obtained for use on the blogsite and for laminated underwater ID slates.
Discussions with Lindell Beach officials were planned to seek special parking permission while conducting research shore dives off Lindell Beach.
This Blogsite was developed to inform other divers about the project and to encourage them to participate in it.
Nov. 8th. Jade Bay. Dive to the south of boat launch to determine topography. Spawning salmon encountered at 30' just south of boat launch. Vis. 20'.
Nov. 13th. Jade Bay. Seven divers return to observe and video spawning salmon. Vis 15-20'.
Dec. 8th. Spring Bay. Dive to seek out potential den sites. Vis. 10'.
Dec 16th. Jade Bay. Dive to the south of boat launch to continue exploration of topography towards Spring Bay. Discovered panels of a Bailey Bridge at 43' about 100' south of the boat launch. Vis. 5-8'.
2011
Jan. 28th. Jade Bay. Three of us dove south from the boat launch with the intention of marking potential den sites with flags. Encountered terrible visibility throughout depth that precluded any attempts to do so. Could not even find Bailey bridge. Vis. 3'.
Feb. 27th. Jade Bay. Returned to check on Vis. Found Bailey bridge panels again and marked its position from the surface. Vis. 8'.
Mar./Apr. Did several dives these months but the vis was so bad that no meaningful observations could be made.
May 8th. Jade Bay. Dove south from the boat launch at the 50' depth contour but no sightings of Cottus sp. were made. Some small groupings of juvenile fish schooling under logs. At the end of the dive I decided to descend deeper to test my regulator WOB and located some wreckage. No BT to examine it but swam directly up slope to mark its location relative to the shoreline.
May 16th. Jade Bay. Returned to wreckage site and identified it as two small boats connected by a girder section oriented upsidedown on the bottom. Known collectively as MkIII bridging equipment these WWII era plywood boats and road bed components were transported to bodies of water and connected with others of the same design to create medium loadbearing bridges. Cultus lake is an Army Engineer training site and these boats, along with the bailey bridge panels were apparently (?) lost during a training exercise. I tried to take pictures but my camera malfunctioned at depth.
Sighted one Cottus sp. at 60'. It was resting on a silt based bottom, in the open, with no den in the vicinity. It did not appear to be startled by my presence and did not move up into the water column.
May 16th. Delta Grove. Did an exploratory dive to determine the topography. Entered at the south end of the campground and swam north along the 30' depth contour, returning along the 15' contour. The slope was aprox. 30 degrees and consists of small to medium size rock rubble. Saw a larger school of sticklebacks and one adult salmon.
May 26th. Jade Bay. Dove the MkIII site again and recorded the markings on both boats.
Boats #203 and #91
20/EO 1210
Folding Boat Mk3
4ESD
Jan 55
RCSME
Also noticed several Cottus sp. laying on the wreckage and on the silt bottom. Benthic, not limnetic. No egg masses.
May 26th. Entrance Bay. Dove south from the northern dock at the 30-40' contour. Sloping bottom with little littoral life between the docks. Beyond the southern dock I encountered schooling massings of large scale suckers Catostomus macrocheilus numbering in the hundreds. Many had dark stripes running along their flanks indicating they were in breeding condition. They appeared sedate and did not swim away when I approached. The schools ranged south from the southern dock to beyond the Jade Bay boat launch. I have never seen these fish school before and not flee when approached. Many exhibited curiosity towards me.
Also gained permission from two Lindell Beach residents for parking access.
June - Sept. 2011.
Conducted a series of ongoing dives along the eastern shoreline to investigate and record topography. Dives from Jade Bay, Spring Bay, Honeymoon Bay and Maple Bay. Also did a number of dives to the MkIII site with members of the UWASBC (Underwater Archeological Society of British Columbia). Considered diving the Lindel beach area but boat traffic was too high and decided to defer investigating this zone until the tourist season is ended.
Visibility during the summer dropped to 3-5' in the shallows and perhaps 10' at depth. Best vis was in Spring Bay above 30' in Sept. (20-30').
Spring/summer 2010. A number of dives conducted by a group of loosely connected local divers at Main Beach, Entrance Bay, Spring Bay and the Jumping Cliffs. By the fall of 2010 a plan for a more systematic approach to seeking information regarding Cottus sp. began to take shape with a number of issues being highlighted for further work. These were:
- No detailed guide to dive sites for reference.
- Lack of information regarding Cottus sp., in particular, a lack of descriptive photographs for divers to refer to in order to make accurate underwater identifications as well as using a "hit or miss" approach to sighting Cottus sp.
- No shore access to Lindell Beach.
- Lack of dive community awareness as to the project.
Fall of 2010. A more systematic approach to the project goals began to develop, targeting a number of potential dive sites with the intention of recording Cottus sp., the topography encountered (to be added to an overall dive guide). When diving these sites, potential Cottus sp. den sites were to be noted for future observation with marking flags.
Contact was made with DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) researchers and photographs were obtained for use on the blogsite and for laminated underwater ID slates.
Discussions with Lindell Beach officials were planned to seek special parking permission while conducting research shore dives off Lindell Beach.
This Blogsite was developed to inform other divers about the project and to encourage them to participate in it.
Nov. 8th. Jade Bay. Dive to the south of boat launch to determine topography. Spawning salmon encountered at 30' just south of boat launch. Vis. 20'.
Nov. 13th. Jade Bay. Seven divers return to observe and video spawning salmon. Vis 15-20'.
Dec. 8th. Spring Bay. Dive to seek out potential den sites. Vis. 10'.
Dec 16th. Jade Bay. Dive to the south of boat launch to continue exploration of topography towards Spring Bay. Discovered panels of a Bailey Bridge at 43' about 100' south of the boat launch. Vis. 5-8'.
2011
Jan. 28th. Jade Bay. Three of us dove south from the boat launch with the intention of marking potential den sites with flags. Encountered terrible visibility throughout depth that precluded any attempts to do so. Could not even find Bailey bridge. Vis. 3'.
Feb. 27th. Jade Bay. Returned to check on Vis. Found Bailey bridge panels again and marked its position from the surface. Vis. 8'.
Mar./Apr. Did several dives these months but the vis was so bad that no meaningful observations could be made.
May 8th. Jade Bay. Dove south from the boat launch at the 50' depth contour but no sightings of Cottus sp. were made. Some small groupings of juvenile fish schooling under logs. At the end of the dive I decided to descend deeper to test my regulator WOB and located some wreckage. No BT to examine it but swam directly up slope to mark its location relative to the shoreline.
May 16th. Jade Bay. Returned to wreckage site and identified it as two small boats connected by a girder section oriented upsidedown on the bottom. Known collectively as MkIII bridging equipment these WWII era plywood boats and road bed components were transported to bodies of water and connected with others of the same design to create medium loadbearing bridges. Cultus lake is an Army Engineer training site and these boats, along with the bailey bridge panels were apparently (?) lost during a training exercise. I tried to take pictures but my camera malfunctioned at depth.
Sighted one Cottus sp. at 60'. It was resting on a silt based bottom, in the open, with no den in the vicinity. It did not appear to be startled by my presence and did not move up into the water column.
May 16th. Delta Grove. Did an exploratory dive to determine the topography. Entered at the south end of the campground and swam north along the 30' depth contour, returning along the 15' contour. The slope was aprox. 30 degrees and consists of small to medium size rock rubble. Saw a larger school of sticklebacks and one adult salmon.
May 26th. Jade Bay. Dove the MkIII site again and recorded the markings on both boats.
Boats #203 and #91
20/EO 1210
Folding Boat Mk3
4ESD
Jan 55
RCSME
Also noticed several Cottus sp. laying on the wreckage and on the silt bottom. Benthic, not limnetic. No egg masses.
May 26th. Entrance Bay. Dove south from the northern dock at the 30-40' contour. Sloping bottom with little littoral life between the docks. Beyond the southern dock I encountered schooling massings of large scale suckers Catostomus macrocheilus numbering in the hundreds. Many had dark stripes running along their flanks indicating they were in breeding condition. They appeared sedate and did not swim away when I approached. The schools ranged south from the southern dock to beyond the Jade Bay boat launch. I have never seen these fish school before and not flee when approached. Many exhibited curiosity towards me.
Also gained permission from two Lindell Beach residents for parking access.
June - Sept. 2011.
Conducted a series of ongoing dives along the eastern shoreline to investigate and record topography. Dives from Jade Bay, Spring Bay, Honeymoon Bay and Maple Bay. Also did a number of dives to the MkIII site with members of the UWASBC (Underwater Archeological Society of British Columbia). Considered diving the Lindel beach area but boat traffic was too high and decided to defer investigating this zone until the tourist season is ended.
Visibility during the summer dropped to 3-5' in the shallows and perhaps 10' at depth. Best vis was in Spring Bay above 30' in Sept. (20-30').