Author: macado

Trip Report: Awesome Diving in Presque Isle, Michigan (Lake Huron)

macado

It’s been a few years but I have finally gotten back up to Presque Isle, MI in Lake Huron. It’s been far too long! I realize that I just went on-and-on about how Isle Royale is some of the best diving in the Great Lakes but honestly so is Presque Isle. I would say Presque Isle diving in Lake Huron is just as good as Isle Royale diving, some may even like it better. I still like seeing the mussel-less shipwrecks in Lake Superior but Presque Isle is pretty extraordinary…

Trip Report: Diving Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior

macado

I wanted to get back to writing more trip reports or just about diving in general so I figured I would start with Isle Royale in Lake Superior. This was my 4th diving trip to Isle Royale. I first went in 2021, twice in 2022 and finally just finished up my most recent trip there the end of August 2023. I’m by no means an expert on the wrecks or the location but I honestly feel it is some of the best wreck diving in the Great Lakes. I could…

The diving industry is one giant pyramid scheme.

macado

The diving industry is one giant pyramid scheme. The truth of the matter is the SCUBA diving industry (recreational, professional instructor and even in some cases technical diving) is one giant cluster fuck of a pyramid scheme solely designed to sell you cute little plastic cards (well ok now eCards™!) while separating you from your paycheck.

Trip Report: Wreck of Patriot with Gauntlet (Stellwagen Bank)

macado

My gear is barely dry and rinsed from two weeks of Great Lakes diving but I had almost forgot that Annie and I were scheduled for a Gauntlet charter this Sunday on the wreck of F/V Patriot which sits in about 105′ of water in NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Massachusetts. If I can be completely honest the F/V Patriot is kind of a small and uninteresting shipwreck. By that I mean it’s not a historical, very large or unique wreck. It is a 60′ modern…

My compressor and fill panel setup (updated)

macado

Not a lot has changed with my compressor setup. I’m still running my Alkin W31 compressor and have about 250 hours on it. I bought it brand new in mid-2019. So far the only maintenance I’ve done is regular oil changes and filter changes. Full disclosure: I did have 2 issues. The 240v to 12v transformer on mine failed (broken wiring/ bad contact) but Alkin shipped me a new one overnight. Also the pneumatic valve on my autodrain was sticking closed but that’s more general maintenance. It was very easy…

Trip Report: Roy A. Jodrey on Dec 11-12

macado

I decided to get one last trip on the wreck of the Roy A. Jodrey before the end of the season. “End of the season” is of course a bit of a misnomer. There is still plenty of diving to be done in the St Lawrence river in the winter but most charter boats are out of the water by mid-December and the ice starts to become an issue by February. If you get really desperate you can shore dive at the Islander or Bonnie Castle but you may have…

Scootering to the OJ Walker in Lake Champlain

macado

Is the OJ Walker in Lake Champlain a shore dive? It is now.. 🙂 With DPVs anything can be a shore dive it’s just a matter of motivation and perspective. Ok maybe it’s a little more than that but I personally like a good challenge. For those that are unfamiliar with diving in Lake Champlain the OJ Walker is a wreck dive that is north of the Burlington Breakwater in about 60ft. It is typically a dive that you need to a boat to get out to. When I told…

New content coming soon for 2019

macado

I haven’t really been updating this blog but I am going to try to start adding some new content, DIY articles and reviews shortly. Last fall in early November, I switched over to a ScubaForce SF2 rebreather.  I have been diving it all winter, taken 2 trips to Florida (Cave Country) and another trip to Missouri to dive some mines with the unit, in addition to some local diving.  I just broke 100 hours / 6 months on the unit and hope to write about my transition from the rEvo…