Tankful Tuesday – Michigan Underwater Divers Club (AKA: MUD Club)
Niles River Dive Grubbing Dive – Pictures say it all!
Tankful Tuesday – Michigan Underwater Divers Club
Tag Archives: River Diving
Saint Joseph River- Niles Drift Dive
Aug 30: Diving the Saint Joseph River – Niles, MI
The specific reason for today’s dive in the St. Joseph river was to determine if there were enough items/ trash to support the need for a 2019 Ecology Dive.
We explored the right side for the river as it flows downstream from the upper Bond street park and boat launch down to and under the Grant and West Main street bridges all the way down to the kayak launch behind the Wonderland theater.
Today the visibility averaged 3 feet in most areas of the river. There were a number of fallen trees and debris in many places near shore and out to deeper water that were definite snag, impalement, and entanglement hazards.
The current in many areas was manageable, especially if using a river stick, BUT in several areas approaching the bridges and bends in the river the current was very fast, and you had little control of your movement or path.
We have determined that the river conditions are hazardous for the inexperienced river diver and there is no way we can mitigate these risks and feel comfortable with inviting divers to dive this section of river at this time.
Based on these safety issues the Michigan U/W Divers club is NOT going to have the planned September 2019 Ecology Dive in Niles this year.
With that said, If you need a cell phone just dive the St. Joseph River in Niles. Recovered 4 in today’s drift dive. Almost 5 except the fisherman on the docks went in the water to get his after he dropped it.
Thursday Thirsty – River Dive
Today was a rare day in that it appears that the St. Joseph river, as it flows along Riverview Park in Niles, MI is finely available for diving.
Normally, we are in the river at least once a week by this time in the summer but last year’s river flooding and this year increased rain fall has resulted in high water levels, lousy visibility in the water and extremely fast currents.
Add in the extreme riverbank erosion and resultant embankments being under washed has resulted in unheard of numbers of uprooted trees and riverbank shrubs in the water’s edge. This has increased the dangers of impalement and entanglement and entrapment.
But with that said today we cautiously entered the waters from Capt. John boat along the far shore embankment.
There were 4 of us diving, all experienced in fast river current and aware of the entrapment hazards. It was noted that the usual use of an inner tube float and basket with diver down flag was not feasible in today’s dive as the basket would act as a sea anchor and drag you down stream and most likely in an uncontrollable manner.
We securely anchored the boat about 15 feet from shore in water about 7 feet deep. We put dive flags on the boat and two trailing 20 feet behind the boat. Then put out a line from the front of the boat to the rear.
One diver went in first with his river stick and made it to the shallows and stood up and gave us a report on the current effect and bottom features felt or seen. With that information the remaining divers suited up and entered the water.
By keeping close to the shoreline, usually in less than 5 or 6 feet of water one could see 2 to 4 feet if not in someone’s silt path. The river is very strong and there were lots of snags, tree limbs and shoreline brush BUT being slow and very careful it was dive able.
Grubbing resulted in several nice bottles, china, and misc. ceramic items recovered.
The river is open BUT with the current is ripping, visibility 2 to MAYBE 4 feet, with the riverbank full of snags and sharp pointy things we strongly recommend only experienced rivers divers entering the waters at this time.
Mid-Way Baptist Church – Annual Sportsman’s Dinner
As a member of the Michigan Underwater Divers club, we always like taking the opportunity to talk about diving the waters of the Great Lakes as well as its inland lakes and rivers.
This was the weekend the Mid-way Baptist Church, in Watervliet, MI, held its annual Sportsman Banquet. There are displays setup by local businesses that are involved in outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting and camping.
For the past several years they have invited us to have a table where we have displayed samples of current dive equipment including underwater scooters, some time we display dive equipment from the 60’s and 70’s which many attendees can relate to.
This Saturday we did things a little different by just displaying bottles recovered from the local lakes and rivers as well as having a slide show showing all the various items recovered by club members during last year’s “Ecology Dive” held in Niles, Mi. along Riverview Park.
The slide show answered the question that everyone wants to know and that is “What do you find on the bottom of the St. Joseph River.” So today we showed them.
MUD Club Turkey Dive
Saint Joseph River , Fisherman’s Park – Where the grass is green (unless covered in snow). The building is the new Whirlpool Office Complex on Main street in Benton Harbor, MI.
On Saturday, November 25, I participated in the Michigan Underwater Divers (MUD) Club Annual “Turkey Dive”. The event notice specifically said to expect cold water, very low visibility, steep river side, moderate current and you will not be disappointed. Something to do with truth in advertising. It also mentioned that Bubble Watchers (surface support personnel) and anyone offering manual support were welcome.
Now, there is some debate as to why its called a Turkey Dive, though most believe it’s because it’s held the weekend after Thanksgiving. Others think that it’s because many do not consider the turkey to be very intelligent and therefore the same goes for divers who are going to dive in a cold river in November. Especially when it’s known to have limited visibility (zero to maybe a foot), usually a fast current, and hazardous rip/rap along its banks.
With all that said, the dive has been a MUD club annual event for 25+ years.
Now the site is not always at Fisherman’s Park in Benton Harbor. Sometimes the current is too fast or the river is covered in ice. So, when that occurs, we find an area with slower current or thinner ice.
The specific site depends on the river conditions that week. This year, it was held along the banks of Fisherman’s Park (by the new Whirlpool building) right off of Main Street in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
The hardcore divers come early and setup ice shanties with heaters to enable them to don & doff their dive suits, and stay warm while doing so. That part’s real critical if you’re diving in a wet suit – especially after the dive and you’re all frozen up. Some of us older divers have gotten smarter as we’ve gotten older and figured out that dry suit diving is a great deal warmer. And just because we always use to do the dive in wet suits doesn’t mean we still have to do so to maintain our macho image.
This year, the divers had a warming trailer available that allowed 6 divers at a time to don & doff their gear in absolute comfort and have warm clothing to put on afterward.
Club members who chose not to dive, but came out to show support for the turkeys – I mean divers – are always appreciated because they provide extra hands and muscle to help divers set up their gear and assist them getting in to and out of the water. People on the shore line provide an important safety factor for the divers in the event of a diver problem or emergency.
In addition to the heated trailer, this year we also had a warming shelter/windbreak set up with hot drinks and sweet treats to keep everyone fortified against the elements.
We had two divers diving rebreathers, one doing sidemount, and the remaining divers using standard scuba gear. Other than being very breezy, it was a very nice day for a dive, though the visibility could have been a tad bit better. Hats off to Rhonda, who did the dive wet, unlike the rest of us old guys going dry. After the dive, and with all the gear stowed, we adjourned to the local Pizza Hut to continue discussion on the day’s dive and those planned.
Here are a few pictures from the 2017 Turkey Dive.
