I came back from a Cave Diving trip to Florida on February 10, 1999... here are my dive reports (in french only at this time).  Photos are available by clicking here.

DIVE LOG!

Here are a few dive sites that I had the pleasure to dive.  Because of an acute lack of time, I was not able to include many very beautiful areas such as Les Escoumins, Seven Islands (Sept-Îles), the Champlain Lake, the Willoughby lake, the St-Lawrence River in Ontario and the Kingston area.   I will update this page when I have more time.

Memphrémagog Lake

Located in the beautiful region of Eastern Township, this lake presents many diversified dive sites for divers of all levels.  I accomplished several hundreds of dives in that lake between 1987 and 1991 and many dives after that.   Considering the countless number of underwater walls and attractions, it is evident that someone can't get tired of diving there.  Jacques Boivert, with over 5,000 dives in the lake could say a lot about that.  In 1996, I accomplished a long-term objective by diving to the bottom of the Molson Island's wall.  You can read my dive report (in french) by cliking here.   I still dive regularly from Bryant Landing Friday nights to relax.  These dives generally are of 60 to 120 minutes of duration with a maximum depth of 15 feet.

Below is a photo of my me when I did my first night ice dive.  We were diving near Georgeville.


 
 

The Gaspésie

The regions of the Gaspésie and of the New Brunswick present many experiences that will not be forgotten.  It is possible to dive with seals at the Bonaventure Island (Percé) and at the Parc Forillon.  These sites present a variety of underwater scenery that could satisfy (and better) the needs of many southern divers.   Don't miss the annual Scallops' hunting contest organized by the dive club Les Oursins of Anse Bleue.  Me and my girlfriend won the second prize back in 1988.  Click here for a photo album.

Click here for more photos...
 
 

Ontario Caves' System

John Reekie, Alternative Dive Product President and friend of mine, invited me to dive this place back in 1994.  This was just after I completed by Full Cave Diver training.  This cave system is shallow, but quite extensive with more than 10 kilometers of underground passages.  David Sawatzky, the main explorer of the system, invested more than 360 hours in exploring and mapping the caves.  Many other divers contributed significantly to the realisation of the maps.  Me, besides a tiny contribution of 1h40 minutes, I simply enjoy the efforts of the ones who worked intensively to install the permanent lines.  By clicking here, you'll be able to read some dive reports that I wrote for my buddies of the "Plongée Québec" mailing list (this is in french only).

Dive Reports written for the Quebec diving mailing list (French only):


 

Flintkote Quarry

This water filled quarry near Thedford Mines makes divers happy since many years.  The good visibility is certainly the main factor that brings hundred of divers to that site every year.  I accomplished many dives in the quarry since 1986.  During the dive seasons 1996 and 1997, I visited it many times with the goal of exploring its bottom.  My last few dives were in the range of 276 to 318 feet of depth.  For that purpose, I used a special blend of gases that allow me to avoid the toxicity of oxygen and to limit the severity of nitrogen narcosis to an equivalent air depth of 125 feet.  (this mix was composed of 12% of oxygen, 50% of helium and 38% of nitrogen)  I also used one of my scooters for the purpose of exploring greater distances over a single short dive.

 Florida

I had the chance to swim with manatees earlier this year.  Bill (Bird) and Diane Oestreich, my guides, introduced me to this endangered animal at Crystal River.  I was impressed by the friendly behavior of the manatees.

I dive the Florida Springs since 1993, the year during which I became certified as a trimix diver.   The "springs" are excellent places for cave diving training.   May sounds funny, but I never dove the ocean (in Florida).   Below, you can see the sinkhole leading to DiePolder III.  Bill Oestreich is one of the few dive guides qualified to bring qualified divers (full cave and trimix).

My dive report for March 5 and 6, 1997 dives is available in french... click here.  For more photos, click here.

For my dive reports for the January-February 1999 trip, click here (in french only).  Click here for the photo album.