in almost freezing water
Technically correct...as I didn't break through ice - as I DID at PCC earlier that morning - although the WARMEST that water can be in a pond that has even a little ice on it (as did parts of Tully that day) is 38F...and it could be a few degrees colder.
IT WAS BLANKING COLD !
Although I believe my hands have totally thawed out now (2 days later). And talk about shrinkage...
As for where I dive compared to where I "find" discs, don't even start to think that where you see your disc hit the water is where (vertically-speaking) I'd find it. One, the disc might "plane" downward (kind of like hyzer out), 2) there are currents there, and 3) the pond is probably about 25' in the deepest section where I dive. The VAST majority of discs I find in Tully are DEEP (meaning VERY near the dam proper) in the trough / channel and NOT out even close to the fake-log-boom. Meaning disc 'migrate' (sort of like lobsters and ducks). They'll 'come in' with the current, etc.
And y'all will have to wait until spring I reckon as 1) when the sun is SO low in the sky that it can't even get over the trees on the right side of 1 (and thus give zero direct light to the water in the channel), anything past ~12 feet deep is 100% zero visibility (due to the tannins in the water) and 2) it being "rather" cold.
But keep the faith, as there are LOTS of discs down there still. I just couldn't risk NOT being able to 'untangle', etc., myself down 20' (if something bad happened) and NOT have close to full dexterity of my hands (to get me out of the jam). So I'll live to dive another day.
Karl
Ps: Thanks to Titan for keeping me company while I was freezing my ask off and fighting with the local pond monsters.
Pps: If you ever wondered why people who couldn't get a life boat on the Titanic just couldn't "...hold onto some floating wood or tread water until help arrived...", you can join me some day diving in Tully or PCC when there's a slight layer of ice on the water
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