Posted by Kevin on August 27, 2001 at 16:05:44:
In Reply to: Re: Empress of Ireland posted by MHK on August 27, 2001 at 13:59:52:
I did my own thing my own way wrt the diving, and found boats and dive shops and oxygen and helium and everything else I needed throughout the provence. Speaking French helps a great deal. Its the difference being being a tourist and paying the price or blending in as a Quebecoise and getting the low down digits. I saved all the phone numbers and names and made some great friends. You can do the diving DIR or stroke hard, and everything in between. I saw some amazing stuff in the tech circles up there, like pre-manufactured plastic signs that you can put on your hoses that say : " 80% mix, for use by trained divers only ! "
It also wasn't just a dive trip, I also explored Quebec and Montreal and met some Canadian Navy divers and partied with them in the countryside. I used Gary (www.technicaldivingops.com ) with Alps Maritime for tanks and gas and used Jean-Pierre " le pirate " Boullange for his boat. I slept at his house. Both are really nice guys. He was one of the hard core salvagers back in the good old days. By renting my own car I was able to get to all the sites with all my gear on my own schedule.
Would love to put together a group for next season, and by not going with one of the big expedition companies from the east coast, you're not spending 2 grand for four days of diving. I have a lead on an entire locomotive from 1910 that is sitting on the bottom of the Saint Lawrence in 50 feet of water. That would be an amazing series of dives.
As for the "doing diving differently" thang, I figure I can have fun till October 5, then I pummeled into submission. . . .
Kevin