1901 Velp Ave Green Bay, WI 54303 920-498-8499

Pearl Harbor Day Dive December 10, 2006

     This year’s Pearl Harbor dive had a great turnout. There were 21 divers altogether who braved a reported 39/40 degrees. Before heading up to Fish Creek divers met up at Country Kitchen for breakfast and tanked up on coffee and food. When we arrived at the boat launch divers each contributed one dollar to the pot, geared up and walked through the snow and into the water (whoever brought up the best item won the pot of money). I was the first one out. I grew up diving California waters and have never experienced anything like this before. I was in a 7mm with a 3mm wetsuit underneath. I had mitts and a DUI hood, and I even had Paula Benbow pour hot water down my suit prior to the dive. One minute after going down my head was struck with pain from the cold: I just couldn’t continue. I am going to try diving again this weekend. I will soak a beanie hood in boiling water and put it on underneath my DUI hood. I hope it will work! Dave Bornemann was the last diver out. He stayed in the water for an hour. The average diver spent about 25 minutes diving. Dave doesn’t really surprise me. I took the Rescue Class with him and he was out parading in shorts and a t-shirt while the rest of us were bundled up and shivering in frigid winds.

    The divers who participated that day are as follows: Dan Milquet, Rob Jerome, Kevin Beck, Jim Harper, Mike Gauthier, Tom Kaminski, Dave Bornemann, Jac Jepson, Gary Cihlar, Dan Kramer, Steve Radovan, Jim Bach, Fred Reneis, Fred Woite, Niles Holmgran, Chuck Larsen, Gregg Schaller, Brian Buckles, Dave Schaete, Fran Frye and Mark Stoeger. Excellent land support and photography was provided by Jim Baye, Bob Hazelwood and Paula Benbow. Some really interesting items were brought up. Jac Jepson found a cell phone, some bottles and a plate. Rob Jerome and Dan Milquet found antique bottles. Jim Bach recovered a tea-cup. Lures were found by several divers. At first it appeared Gregg Schaller was going to be the winner when he brought up a large anchor, several pairs of sunglasses and some bottles. However, Chuck Larsen wound up walking away with the $21.00 after he produced a man’s titanium ring.

After the dive we went to a pub to have some beers and watch football.

Dan Milquet, Paula Benbow and myself ended the day by wine tasting on our way home. Even though I felt like a little sissy girl in the cold water I still had a great time, and I will try to keep diving this winter in the hopes that my body will adjust to the temperature.