Notes about things regarding scuba diving that I have come to know.
Pete's Southern Maine Regional Dive Site Guide
September and the following weeks bring 2 things to Maine divers, hurricane season and colder water. This site is a nice refuge from storm churned seas. It is also a nice spot to catch some truly comfortable diving especially if you are diving wet. By about October 10th the quick cooling pond will be down close to ocean temperatures making it less attractive.
Depths of over 50 feet can be found heading north up the center of the pond but that's not we come here for. At that depth the water will be icy cold. Without doubt there will be artifacts in the deep silty murk but we're usually looking for a brighter come comfortable dive. As such our typical dives skirt the rim of the basin where the temperatures are moderate and the boulders and fish are plentiful.
Since the eastern shore is usually still in the shade we usually make our first dive heading for the western shore. The far shore is well adorned in boulders and the area makes for very 3 dimensional diving and good artifact hunting. Between bottles and lost fishing and boating gear coming back with an empty catch bag is unlikely. In making this (green) dive consider staying in the 20 foot range as you cross the pond. This will save some air and treat you to green lawn like bottom growth and fish sightings are likely. On a bright day this is very pretty. As you make your way across cut the corner to check out some deeper water before arriving on the far shore to explore.
When it's time to return we usually make a wide swath and approach the ramp from the southwest. A lot can change in the course of this dive so you don't really want to be popping up right in front of the ramp. This can be a 90 minute dive.
In the afternoon heading right up the eastern shore (yellow) at the depth of your choice is a very nice dive. On some dives there was a never ending parade of keeper fish approaching us as we explored. The most comfortable water is usually above 30 feet but it's fun to wander deeper from time to time as the terrain beckons you. There are some convolutions in the bottom so it probably won't be a straight north / south dive.
The access is down a steep paved layout that gets you from the highway down to the water. The facility is optimized for vehicle & trailer parking. Conserve spaces.
This is some of the clearest fresh water I have seen locally. In this photo the ramp can be seen running down under water.
Like most ponds the most intersting dives are along the side slopes but articafts may be anywhere.
Trickey Pond at the RT 114 & 11 Boat Ramp, Naples
This is a nice freshwater site but it must be approached with care. By purpose it is a state boat launch facility and some level of boat traffic cannot be avoided. For this reason we only consider this site in the off season starting after mid September. I have never been here in the spring but I suspect the daily fishing traffic may be heavier. As such remember that we are secondary users of this facility. ALWAYS use a dive flag and keep it with you. In the fall much of the ramp activity consists of seasonal pull-outs. a boat and trailer will meet at the ramp to go home for the winter. As such even if no trailers are parked at the site the ramp can have a boat on it in a jiffy. We usually see one every hour or 2 while there. If you arrive as more than one vehicle pack into as few spaces as needed. they are long deep spaces designed for vehicles with boat trailers. With all of that said if you happen to have a boat from which to dive from you're good to go. So lets talk about the diving!
This page created October 2009