Opening Day at Millbrook

Yesterday was the first day of the 2009 diving season at our local mudhole dive training site, Lake Millbrook.

It was a bright and clear spring day, though very windy. Air temperature was in the 50’s (F), and the water temperature at the surface was 53F (for the first six feet – below that, it was 39F all the way to the bottom). We had had a lot of rain this past week, so visibility near the surface wasn’t great, varying between 5 and 15 feet. As we got below 50 feet, though, everything was much clearer, and the visibility was around 30 feet. We spotted several small Bream in the shallows, as well as a couple of 12 to 15 inch Bass.

It might be hard to understand the allure of this disused quarry, but it’s convenient and a good place to hone skills or learn new ones. I’d estimate that between 40 and 50 divers turned out for the day.

I had one Dry Suit student, Rick Albert, who came to complete his certification, and I was assisted by my good friend and Divemaster, Ken Chotiner. We got in two dives, with a maximum depth of 83 feet, and a total bottom time of 61 minutes. Everyone remained comfortable throughout, so I’d call it a success.

It was good to be back in the water, though I’m certainly feeling the aches from it today.