Harbor Divers, Bass Harbor, Maine
Charlie Hammond
My wife and I spent last week in Acadia National Park on Mt Desert Island,
Maine, USA. Although this was not a "diving vacation", we took our SCUBA
gear along and got to use it several times. Based on a listing we got from
PADI, we looked up Harbor Divers, operated by Chris and Elaine Eaton, on Route
102A in Bass Harbor, Maine.
They spent time talking to us about dive sites for shore dives, as a result of
which we dove in Somes Sound off Sergeant Drive. The bottom was very silty --
even keeping several feet of the bottom we stirred up lots of silt. The area
had quite a variety of sea anemones. Although we were within an hour of high
tide, we experienced some current -- 15 minutes swiming into the current, only
5 minutes back to our entry point. The sound is said to be 165 feet deep;
most of our dive was at 40-60 feet, working back to around 20 feet toward
the end.
Two days later Elaine took us on a boat dive. We went to Little Duck island,
about 5 miles out of Bass Harbor. The island is a nature presserve; no one
may actually go onto the island.
Our first dive was on a wreck -- a fishing boat, about 60 feet in length at
60 feet depth. It was largely broken up, but interesting. There were also
some interesting canyon formations along the wall that lead up to the island.
On the canyon walls were some fairly large Starfish -- about a double hand
spread accross the points. Also many, many Sea Cucumbers in the area.
Next we went around to the other side of Little Duck and tried to get some
seals to come out and play with us. From the boat, we saw them both sunning
on the shore and in the water. Elaine said that she saw them swimming all
around our bubbles, but we only caught one or two glimpses of them in the
water as we waited patiently on the kelp covered bottom. For this dive, the
boat anchored in just under 30 feet of water; most of our dive was between
15 and 20 feet depth.
Harbor Divers' boat it a working boat -- not just used for pleasure diving.
This is a polite way of saying that it showed the effects of hard use, but
this appeared to be cosmetic only. It was completely reliable. Exit/re-entry
was via an open transom with a sturdy ladder, long enough to make the climb
back in pretty easy.
Cost for the two-tank dive trip was $40 per person; tanks included, other gear
available for rent. Two divers is the minimum they'll take out; six is the max.
there were a total of four on this trip.
So, if you like, or at least can deal with cold water, and your om Mt Desert,
look up Elain and say "Hi".
Harbor Divers -- (207) 244-5751
Chris and Elaine Eaton
Route 102A
Bass Harbor, ME, 04653
Haror Divers bills itself as a "FULL SERVICE DIVE SHOP" offerint "Air, Sales,
Service, Rentals, Instruction, Charters". The appearance of the shop was
consistent with this. One of the divers with us was fully fitted out in
rental gear, which appeard to be in good condition.
They are about 1/4 mile from where the western end of 102A re-joins 102.
Follow the signs for the Swans Island Ferry; Harbor Divers is on your left
after you turn left on 102A.
--
Charlie Hammond -- Digital Equipment Corporation -- Nashua NH USA
All opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect
my employer's position.