January 21, 2017. This was a great weekend for classroom work if you were not able to get out diving. Several Muddies attended three PADI & DAN specialty classes at Wolfs’ Marine in Benton Harbor. Primary instructor for today’s classes was Dave Tonneman (Benthic Adventures)
The three classes were:
1) DAN Basic Life Support: CPR and First Aid
2) DAN Emergency Oxygen for Scuba Diving Injuries
3) PADI Enriched Air /Nitrox
Jan 18: Checking out some of the heavy-duty equipment needed to keep the runways clear of snow (or mowing the grass in the summer) at the Benton Harbor (KBEH) MI airport.
In January, if you have a chance to fly, you take it. It was a nice day to do a little local flying along the shoreline of SW Lake Michigan. This picture is above Tiscornia Beach off of Ridgeway Drive in Saint Joseph, MI. I always wonder how many of these home owners wish they might not have built their mansions so close to the high water mark.
January 9, 2017 (PM) Spent my afternoon having fun with Jim Scholz helping to assemble his Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV). It’s always nice when you’ve finished soldering all the various wires connecting the three motors, lights, camera (with tilt) are all correctly interfacing with its controlling laptop.
It was a nice day to be checking ice build-up on several of the lakes that are part of the Sister Lakes Chain in Dowagiac, MI. This one, Round Lake, has good access and a bathroom suitable for changing in if the weather is bad. 
Jan 2: For those who do not like cold water the YMCA pool offers a very nice alternate.
January 1, 2017. Seemed like a nice day to fly – until you were up in the air. It was very hazy with multiple smog layers. There were a good number of fair weather VFR fliers up today, and even saw an ultralight. Air temperature was in the mid 30’s (on the ground) with only a 7 knot SW wind. Checked all the local lakes and noted most had some degree of ice coverage but one of the sister lakes had no visible ice accumulation.
Jan 1: After midnight January 1, 2017. This was the last dive of 2016, the first dive and first Ice dive of 2017. We had good ice, 5 ft. visibility, air temp a balmy 32° F, water temp 34 °F, four divers & one snorkeler in the water supported by three tenders. A BIG Thanks to Mary Beth Thar for all the surface photos of tonight’s activities.
December 19: Since we were in Niles it was decided to look at possible alternatives for the New Years Dive in the event we do not have good ice to dive thru. At the launch we had a fair amount of snow covering and the river had a few small icebergs flowing downstream. The shore line ice buildup was not bad and only extended 10 to 15 feet or so off the shore. The ice near shore was solid enough to walk on but near the rim it was not. Did a test dive to check the visibility, current and how easy it would be to break ice from under it. Visibility was ok, meaning +3 feet, but the current was such that a surface line and tender were necessary.
Now, for those who are curious about breaking ice if you’re caught under it. If you are shallow, meaning in about 3 feet of water under the ice shelf and with your feet on the bottom, then raising yourself forcefully up using your tank to hit the ice, you would be out of luck breaking through. That’s why you ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS have a line and tender when working on and under the ice.
Ok, dive – but not at night with 6 or 8 divers in the water.
December 19: Today we went to Niles to see what the ice build up was on Hidden Valley Pond and to check out the access road with new snow upon it. The drive down and back was uneventful, though it appears that some of the tree branches over the road will need to be trimmed before bringing down the toy box. Unfortunately the snow blanket has insulated the pond surface and the ice formation is progressing very slowly. We measured only 2″ of ice at the desired entry point. The day time air temperature for the next 10 days is steadily rising and has been projected to hit 47°F with rain forecast on the day after Christmas. Even though the nighttime temps are to be below 30°F, for the most part, it’s not looking good for good ice on New Years Night.
