I get lots of questions on the details of the exit plan, from the time that you arrive at the third crib at the end of the Hydroelectric Plant route (or you make your way to that spot from any of the other routes). Most times, divers have a general knowledge of the territory but …
Tag: Drift Diving Morrisburg
Tin Plate Power House Guide Up
I have finally completed the dive guide to the Tin Plate Power House, located on the berm upstream from the locks. I divided it into two parts since there is a lot of information to share. It's located under the heading "Upstream Sites", which now includes The Rapide Plat CanalThe Tin Plate Power House: Finding …
Why is the Water Still Low?
Lake Ontario and the upper St. Lawrence River have been in drought conditions since early June. The International River Board had therefore slowed flows in our area throughout June to prevent levels from dipping even lower. This has been to protect municipal water intakes, hydro power and safe navigation. It also explains why current at …
New Posts Coming
Hi All. I've just added a page on diving the Park - the parkland area outside the south wall of Lock 23. A special thanks goes out to Frank Vieni for sharing his videos from his Pandemic 2020 dives here! This completes the detailed posts/pages on the dive routes within the lock area itself. Next …
2021 Canada Day Dive
Virtually all of our dive friends dove elsewhere on Canada Day this year - charters are opening up and groups can get together a bit more freely in other spaces... Morrisburg's waterfront park and beach were packed with sun-lovers but Larry and I had the river below all to ourselves! The current was very mild …
My First Dive of 2021 – June 9
I went on my first dive of the season last evening on Lock 23. Conditions are now pretty much “normal” with the exception of low water. Current was moderate throughout the dive, though it felt strong heading south at the start and then again north at the end, largely because of low weed growth. Stride …
Dive Conditions Oct 12, 2020
Weather and water temps have been pretty much the norm for the middle of October: sunny, cool days punctuated by regular rain and thunderstorms and the river dipping below 15C/60F. The main event of this Thanksgiving weekend has been the International River Board's raising of the water level in Lake St. Lawrence (the area between …
Exit Plan: Getting to the Beach
Directions for getting back to Canadian soil have changed a bit since some landmarks have been altered or disappeared altogether with the dramatic upstream flooding of 2016/2017. However the general exit strategy remains the same. Most of the videos are from my 2019 dives. The three basic routes through the locks include Lock 23 (outer), …
Lock 23 Conditions: June 4, 2020
The water is slowly warming up: 12.5C/54.5F, comfortable for only the most hardy wet-suiters. Most divers (of the few that are out there now) are still wearing drysuits. Current is quick - the dam in Cornwall is wide open to continue reducing levels in Lake Ontario. Water levels are low but not ridiculously so - …
Lock 23 Conditions: May 15
This should prove to be an interesting season at Lock 23. COVID-19 aside, let me first review the current state of spring river conditions. Recall that Morrisburg's Lock 23 sits in the middle of "Lake St. Lawrence", the 1959 body of water between Cornwall and Iroquois created when dams were constructed at either end. The …
Morrisburg Dive Sites 