SAND DOG XI
JULY 18-20, 2014
ALEXANDRIA BAY, NY
Sand Dog XI will be held this year in the beautiful St Lawrence Region of New York State. The date for the event is July 18-20, 2014. July was chosen to allow the water temperatures to reach their normal summer warmth of 72-76 degrees Fahrenheit. Diving will be in the St Lawrence River, arguably with some of the best fresh water wrecks anywhere.
Our base of operations will be in a small village named Alexandria Bay. It is located about 5 miles NE of I-81. Alexandria Bay is extremely convenient to all forms of transportation. The closest airport to Alexandria Bay is Syracuse, which is approximately 1 hour south of the St. Lawrence River.
The tentative schedule for the event is as follows:
Arrival can be any day as this region is famous for worldwide vacationers. To get an idea of things to see and do, check this website: www. http://visitalexbay.org
A short, 15-minute ride from Alexandria Bay is the quaint town of Clayton. Alexandria Bay is more of a fun, party town where Clayton is laid back, just a pleasant riverside village. However, it offers some exceptional activities.
See: http://www.1000islands.com/clayton/
The diving will begin officially on Friday, July 18 at the dive sites located in Alexandria Bay and Clayton.
In Alexandria Bay, behind the hospital directly across from Boldt Castle lies the Islander.
http://www.seawaytrail.com/dive/#Islander
In Clayton, a shore dive can be done on either end of the business district.
Friday’s shore dives are beginner level with depths up to 65-70’.
Saturday diving will consist of boat dives on 3 or 4 wrecks. They could be the Vickery, Keystorm, or Americas.
Use this website for info on the wrecks. Click on DIVE SITES and the name of the wreck.
http://www.divebrockville.com/divingbrockville.html
Diving is considered to be intermediate to Advanced as the depths can range up to 120’ with occasionally a moderate current. Some sort of surface flotation is highly recommended when diving these wrecks due to the St. Lawrence River being an international waterway.
On Sunday, we will return to some of the boat wrecks or shore dives depending on number of divers/desires.
Saturday gathering meal is to be determined, but a BBQ is a primary choice.
For those arriving earlier in the week, a plan for Canadian diving is in the works for Thursday, July 17. We can do a 3 dive/wreck charter or 3 wreck shore dives.
Accommodations are being investigated. A motel with dockage is being considered. Campsites near Alexandria Bay are very nice.
As the Sand Dog XI plans are solidified, notices will be made via the VDH site. There will also be deadline dates to be considered.
Simonbeans, aka Allan and Scubapeter aka, Pete, are organizing the Sand Dog XI event. Both divers have been to Alexandria Bay, Clayton, Brockville, Ontario many times and are available via http://[email protected] for answers to any questions you may have.