In August 2003, several
friends and I (from the U.S.) enjoyed a
one-week wreck diving vacation in Nova Scotia.
Our diving operations and accommodations were coordinated by Terry Dwyer of
Atlantic Dive Tours in Halifax. Fate dealt us a week of foggy weather, but we
didn't let that dampen our spirits, and we did our diving and sightseeing
anyway.
We spent the first few days around Halifax, where we dived
local wrecks in the mornings and did sightseeing in the afternoons. Halifax is a
sophisticated and fun city. Later in the
week, we joined up with a group of Canadian divers on rugged Cape Breton Island (the
northern part of Nova Scotia) and spent a
day diving wrecks at a remote and beautiful place called Saint Paul Island. All in all, the trip was great fun
and we made several new friends. Below
are some of the pictures we took. Click on the
thumbnails to view larger images in a new window. Close the window to return
here.
To help you get oriented, here's a map of Nova Scotia We arrived on a ferry
in a morning fogHere's the ferry dock at
Digby, note the Bay of
Fundy's huge tide rangeWe stayed for several
days at the Sheraton on
the Halifax waterfrontAnd visited the
Alexander Keith breweryThe ocean tugs of Halifax
are built to handle the
stormy North AtlanticThese tugs are waiting
for a callNote the sturdy constr-
uction and the sizeWe visited the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
in HalifaxHere's Palmer by a torpedo
in the musumAnd here's Dave
checking out a mineThis is a breeches buoy Here's a model of the
Famous Halifax tug Foundation FranlkinAnd here's a model of
a triple-expansion
steam engineAll wreck divers
would love to find
a nice builder's plaqueHere's an engine-order telegraph - many were
made by ChadburnA diver's hardhat And some tackle blocks
and linesThe SS Atlantic
was wrecked near Halifax
in 1873Here's a picture of the
Atlantic wreckOver 500 people died in the Atlantic disaster We dived the HMS Tribune wreck - sunk near Halifax
in 1797And we dived the HMCS
Saguenay, deliberately sunk near Lunenburg in 1994Cape Breton Island is the rugged northern part of
Nova ScotiaAfter several days in
Halifax, we drove to
Cape Breton in the fogThe Strait of Canso
separates Cape Breton
from mainland Nova ScotiaEveryone uses the Canso Causway to cross the Strait This is the Englishtown
ferry in the far northDivers get to Saint Paul
Island on a serious lobster boat from DingwallWe stayed for several days
at this bunkhouse/ museum
in DingwallThe museum in Dingwall is
full of shipwreck goodiesHere's a wreck chart of Halifax Harbour And here's a display of
Saint Paul Island pictures
and artifactsAfter 3 hours of steaming
this was our first view
of Saint PaulFirst we unloaded our
small inflatableSaint Paul Island is small
and has been uninhabited
for many yearsFormer Saint Paul resident Ron Lang returned for his first visit in 60 years Here's Palmer adjusting Terry's neck seal And two divers preparing
to dive on a wreckThere were 14 people
on the boatWe used the small
inflatable to shuttle people
to the islandHere's Ron going "home"
for a 3-hour visitThousands of shipwreck victims are buried on
Saint PaulThe big inflatable was our diver chase boat Here's Palmer relaxing And Sam, our divemaster Saint Paul's cliffs make the island almost inaccessable Here's Brian from Maine And Craig and company Here's John and
Captain ScottCape Bretoner Harvey
climbs back aboardDave, Sam, Steve and
Palmer - just back from
Saint PaulSam worked hard all day Palmer, Terry and Dave
at the Dingwall museumThe day we left for home
the fog liftedThis good boy keeps watch over the bunkhouse Even the bunkhouse looks better in the sun We drove south through Cape Breton Highlands National Park The dramatic coastal road
is called the Cabot TrailPalmer enjoys the view Heading south over the causway and back home That's the schooner
Bluenose on the
license plateWe had a great time and
hope to go back again soon!
