Powell River, B.C., Canada
Is a 38 ft. diesel powered, 8 knot heavily laid up fiberglass displacement hull vessel built in 1980 to an Edwin Monk design as a west coast troller. Converted to a personal west coast exploration vehicle and day tour dive charter vessel in 2008-2009. GRADIENT operates on the North Sunshine Coast from her home port of Powell River. She moves between being based out of Powell River, Lund, Saltery Bay, Okeover Inlet and sometimes Pender Harbour. Gradient is a good stable dive platform with an easy to use custom dive ladder, large swim grid for cameras and gear, boom and lifting gear for 500 lb. and under ROV's and tech gear, that carries up to eight divers comfortably. Contact by email at bmckinn@telus.net for more information regarding rates and charter availability. We can also be found on Facebook as Bill McKinnon

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Two strobe two-step. More light more learning!

 Sold a few lenses from old rig and invested in another slightly more powerful strobe to cut the murk. Grabbed a couple dives yesterday with Bruce Waites and Jim Rossi  trying to duplicate the dive with Bruce and three stellars . We got skunked again on the sea lions at the Malahat. Lots of California's around in the area just not anywhere near us.  Jim and I got another one in at Mermaid wall before he returned to Sechelt. Temp 45 deg F, Vis  soso 70 ft with more particulate in water than recently .
There will be lots of learning coming up getting the two strobe steps more fluid mentally and their light wash more flattering beyond  the more light on subject stage. Learned that two light sources equals twice as many backscatter opportunities .

Closest we would get to the sea lions are the two on the breakwater in far backround!