Treasure Divers WI

That's a wrap. The 2023 Treasure Dive season has ended. It's been a fun season. Lots of great finds. Lots of weird finds. Lots of trash, too.

Now, the planning begins for 2024 and our next adventures. New locations? Same locations, different access points? Planned recoveries with lift bags? Longer dives? Two dive days? Deeper dives?

Our planning always includes a review of the season that just ended. What could we have done better? Different? What works, what doesn't? Safety improvements?

Every individual dive gets a plan. A buddy check. A dive debrief. But after the season has concluded, it's nice to have time to reflect and look back on things.

On a personal note, one of my favorite things about diving with this group is the constants.
✔️We know who's going to lead the dive. 🧭
✔️We know who's towing the flag/float. 🏴‍☠️
✔️We know our underwater formation. 🦆🦆🪿
✔️We know where to look for each other. 👀
✔️We know when to lend a hand. 🤙
✔️We know there will always be fun. 🤪
✔️And we know not to steal each others treasure! 👑

Dive time: 61 min
Max Depth: 25ft
Water trmp: 45°F/7.2°C

Props to the team!

Chilly day. Chilly dive.
Drysuits & hot chocolate optional.

Dive time: 70min
Max depth: 40ft
Water temp: 47°F/8.3°C
Air temp: 🥶🥶

Have we been here before?

Rainy? Yep. Windy? Lil bit. Bit chilly? Yep. Welcome to fall diving in Wisconsin! We don't let the weather ruin plans unless it's a safety issue or it's just not smart.

Dive time: 87 minutes
Max depth: 27ft
Water temp: 57°F/13.8°C

Treasure lost. Treasure found. Treasure lost. Treasure found?

Dive time: 82min
Max depth: 29ft
Water temp: 59°F/15°C

It's not a bad thing when there's not much treasure....

Dive Time: 87min
Max Depth: 16ft
Water Temp: 58°F/14°C

frag·ment
noun
plural noun: fragments
/ˈfraɡmənt/
a small part broken or separated off something.
"small fragments of pottery, glass, and tiles"
Similar:
piece bit particle speck chip

Accurate description of the dive.

Dive time: 97min
Max depth: 20ft
Water temp: 67°F/19°C

We don't call it Treasure Diving for nothing....

Just when you least expect it....

Nearly 60 minutes into the dive, and we thought it was gonna be a dud. Then, out of nowhere, a shadow! Signals sent. Team responded.

A tool chest 🧰 FULL OF TOOLS!!!

What a find! YaY team!!! 🗜🪛🔧

(And don't ask about the bones. We don't have an answer for those.)

Thanks to the mate that volunteered to clean up the fabulous find! Can't wait to see the results!
Dive time: 94min
Max depth: 23ft
Water temp: 67°F/19°F

One of the team members has a knack for cleaning things up! These look fantastic! If interested in procuring one of these, let us know! ⚓️⚓️⚓️

A planned dive with a planned recovery and a surprise find!

By planned recovery, we mean using a lift bag and discussing details of recovery.

We don't just go in and hope for the best.

We discuss the approximate weight of the item, the appropriate size lift bag (we each have a different size), the appropriate rigging, and the positioning of divers.

We always dive with a flag/float.

Safety is always first.

One diver always manages the flag/float at a safe distance so as to not get caught up in any lines but still close enough to react if needed.

Two work the item for recovery.

And just like magic...our item is released from the bottom and can be safely taken ashore.

Went in to recover one anchor ⚓️ ✔️
Ended dive finding another ⚓️ ✔️

Lots of interesting stuff on this dive...hard to pick a favorite.

Dive time: 95 minutes
Max depth: 29ft
Water temp: 53°F/11°C

Bottles and cans, and yes, we pulled an anchor. Fishing line, lures, cups, and a golf ball.
Max depth: 26ft
Dive time: 82min
Water temp: 63°F/17°C

_NOT RDY
_U STAY HERE
_FOUND SOMETHING
_I'LL STAY HERE
_USE BUDDY ROPE
(...and the B side...)
_RTR HUNG
_BUG CHECK
_OUT OF FUNDS $$

Guess there's not much else to say after all that, except...
Dive time: 84 min
Max depth: 30ft Avg depth: 17ft
Water temp: 52°F/11°C. However, when we got out of poor vis and a bottom full of nothing, it warmed nicely and swiftly. From 28ft to 19ft temp went 52° to °57°. From 19ft to 17ft temp went 57° to 67°. I'd say there was a bit of a thermocline. The remainder of the dive was done in 12 feet at 73°F/22.7°C

What a haul! Exciting day at the lake! Happy to pull so much off the bottom. Shocked by how much we had to leave (anchors, we're looking at you) and ecstatic by what we got to keep! Pssst, a good/unique bottle is always a keeper!

And to the fishermen who saw our flag coming but still cast in our direction anyway, thanks for using a dead fish as bait, was *way* easier to see your line, thanks. But please know, we couldn't see you, though you could clearly see us. The right thing to do would've been to pull your line until we passed. You were seconds away from having your line cut as we got caught in it. PS, there were no fish in that part of the lake!!!

Max depth: 21ft
Dive time: 92 minutes
Water temp: 70°F/21°C
Air temp: same, though warmed quickly!

Treasures keep treasuring....
Max depth: 24ft
Dive time: 70min
Water temp: 63°F/17°C

Hangin out with the gang...doin trashy things.
Oops, I mean treasure things. Treasure. Not trash.
Dive time: 73min
Max Depth: 23ft
Water temp: 67°F/19.4°C
Air temp: toasty

Cool anchors make cool doorstops. Or paperweights. ⚓️

The ladder was a known entity, so this dive was a recovery dive. Yes, we got to use a lift bag.... That ladder was half in the muck.

All the other goodies were bonus items! Like a really neat milk bottle.

There really are treasures when treasure diving!

Max depth: 20ft
Dive time: 101min
Water temp: 72°F/22.2°C

Treasure Divers were treasuring yesterday. Water temps not what we're accustomed to for treasure diving, but this was no ordinary treasure dive. We did a second dive at
annual picnic. This is what we came up with.

Note, our first dive was also successful. Each of us came away with something special. A new flashlight, dive log binder, dry bags, baseball caps, wet/dry suit shampoo, dive flag w/float. And we happily rehomed items to newer divers that were duplicates in our own kits. It was a win-win day!

Dive Time: 85min
Max Depth: 24ft
Water Temp: 80°F/26.6°C

Treasure diving never gets old. Even when what we find is.

Hello? Is it me you're looking for?

I just called to say I love you. I just called to say how much I care.

Calling Gloria.

Okay. Okay. Enough of the song lyrics. Couldn't resist. The phone jokes are easy. Especially with an oldie. Can you hear me know? (Ahhh hahaha that was from a commercial, not a song)

Lots of treasure on this dive. Sad to see. But happy to be able to clean it up.

Dive Time: 85min
Max Depth: 27ft
Water Temp: 52°F/11.1°C

The number of anchors we pull every year never ceases to amaze. ⚓️
Dive Time: 70min
Max Depth: 23ft
Water Temp: 66°F/18.8°C

Even at work, we pick up what we can! This treasure was found while teaching in Bonaire.

Once a treasure diver, always a treasure diver.
Even on vacation, the search never stops. This was from a quick snorkel in the Caymans.

Sometimes, a dip in the big lake yields treasure! Not often, but at least once a year, the team aims for the big lake. Got lucky with conditions. So much more to account for in planning. Definitely fun to be back!
Dive Time: 63 min
Max Depth: 22ft
Water Temp: 65°F/18.3°C

Another treasure dive, more treasures...
Max depth: 18ft
Bottom time: 79min
Water temp: 55°F/12.7°C

We plan a dive and dive our plan. This is what the Treasure Divers team looks like after a dive. Sometimes, we can't even wait to get out of our gear before looking at the haul. Sometimes, we linger over it in awe. We sort through it. We wonder about it. We'll make up stories. We'll keep the keepsakes. We'll properly dispose of the rest. Another successful dive complete. Always a fun day with the team! 😎

Yesterday: first treasure dive of the season! Complete with donuts, hot chocolate, and random finds. ⚓️ 🕶
Air temp: 54°F Water temp: 45°F
Dive time: 55min Viz: 15ft
Max depth: 33ft Avg depth: 23ft

Earth Day 2023. Dry treasure diving. Rather than doing our own thing, we joined for a clean up at Emmber Bridge Boatyard. Don't let the name fool ya. The clean up was from the recycling plant next door. You'd think the facility would pick up their own.

I didn't get a total bag count, but it's 4 trucks/suvs long. 🌎🛻🛻🛻🛻🗑

🛑⚠️ Lake Michigan shore dive (future) site recon. It's a no go. Permanent rip current warning posted. No dive site is worth the risk, no matter how easy it looks. 🛑⚠️ Always safety first. The team agreed. 🤙🤿

🛑The Great Lakes are not to be trifled with. They *are* great, but also mighty.
⚠️Diving in a great lake is *not* like diving in the ocean.

👀Knowing your dive site/environment before you dive, or diving with someone who does, is so important.

🙏We don't take anything for granted.
🤔We never assume just because we've been deep diving to look at wrecks off a boat means we can shore dive.
🤯The two dives are *not* the same!
🧠Assess, evaluate, research, discuss.

🥳It's all part of the fun of planning a team dive!

Treasure Divers

📷: a new lake friend

Ever done a night dive during the day?

Saturday. There was a diving window. Before all the big wind and rain.

Turns out viz was maybe 3-5ft. It was definitely a need your flashlight kinda dive.

Treasure diving is NOT a night dive activity! The pressure of always needing a light and the limitations on the field of view...that's not our style of treasure diving. Wasn't our best dive. As you can see by our haul, only 10 items after a 65 minute dive.

Dive depth: 26ft Avg depth: 19ft
Pre-dive air temp: over 60°F/15°C
Post dive air temp: same
Water temp: 52°F/11°C
Viz: Night Dive and maybe 3-5ft

When the treasure divers step up their treasure game....

What's better than Trick or Treat? Finding what was lost/dropped the previous week. 🔪 Never mind the cool bottles or the anchors found this week....

Dive time: 72 min
Dive depth: 30ft Avg depth: 20ft
Predive air temp: Brrr
Postdive air temp: Ahhh
Water temp: 53°F/11.6°C

Attention peeps! Need some help & sleuthing! The peeps in this picture lost something in a Wisconsin lake. We'd like to return it to them. Do you know who they are? Send them our way! We'd like to reunite them with what was lost.




.grigg.5 .graf.12 .h2o.girl

Sorting through the treasure after a dive is like Christmas morning. Sometimes we can't even wait to dry off before we dive back into the bags! Yesterday was quite the haul.

Quack! Quack! An entire roll of duct tape found yesterday. 🦆📏





.graf.12 .h2o.girl