Going Deep
7:02 AM
Feather Duster worn
Divb buddy Gary
Our second dive of the day was to a boat wreck in a channel between an island and shore. It was only in 50 feet of water but what you had to submerge by the island and follow a rope to the wreck, then follow the rope back. There was too much boat traffic to surface at the boat so safety was an issue if something happened and someone had to emergency ascend to surface. It was erie with boat noise overhead and some murky water conditions at this site. The wreck not so impressive , just a stripped out 45 foot boat with no real features left on it.
On a later trip to the lake I managed to break the 100 foot mark on a dive near the first one. The water was dirty above 60 feet so a light was needed to go deeper. Below 60 feet the water was nice and clear so the light would illuminate what looked like a barren moonscape of rock and logs on a steep slope. I got passed 100 feet and began feeling some mild effects of nitrogen narcosis. I was nervous about what I had read abpit it but it turned out to be just some mild tunnel vission and a little extra paranoia mixed in. I noticed it took a little extra effort to breath due to increased pressure on your lungs to expand. I maxed out at 126 feet on that dive. Still my deepest lake dive to date. This was nowhere near the bottom of this lake which is supposedly around 250 feet. Way to deep for my training level to get me.
Hawksbill turtle feeding
Onother dive there is perhaps one of my most memorable of all the freshwater dives Ive ever done. To this day it is still etched in my mind. We went to a place called Enchanted Forest a short ways from the dam. It is stand of giant old forest trees standing upright in 130 feet of water. We stayed at about 90 feet swimming through the branches still strong and reaching out into the water , just as they would look in a winters' forest with no leaves. The water was a green haze from the lack of sunlight and there were miles of fishing line strung between all the branches from fisherman getting snagged. There arent any fish at 90 feet so I dont know why the fisherman were fishing that deep. I had to use my dive knife to cut my way through it or else get stuck myslef, like a fly in a spiders web. I would compare this to waking through the woods at dawn but with a green sky above. Someday I would like to go back an do that one again .
I leaned about the physiological and psychological effects of deeper diving that summer. To dive safely at depth (any depth really) you have to be able to keep your wits about you because things can go wrong FAST down there and a panicky person could get themselves in serious trouble if they are not able to stop and think about what is wrong and how to remedy a situation. The effedts of nitrogen narcosis only amplify those reactions in people. Ive seen divers panick and almost get themselves hurt pretty bad when they could have easily resoved their problems by thinking them through.
I dont have any pictures from those day so I'll jus post more form other trips.
I had been diving for a couple of years and had logged quite a few dives in all kinds of conditions but still hadnt been any deeper than 50 feet or so. My dive buddy Don and I got involved with a local group of divers and one of the couples had a place at Table Rock Lake in Southern Missouri and they invited a bunch of us out to dive there. We jumped at the chance to see some new waters. We had heard that the lake had some good diving, with ledges, walls and even a few boat wrecks.
Mark and Helen had a great set up for diving and water sports. We had aquired a couple of pontoon boats to dive off and great accomodation to stay at for a weekend of diving. Our first dive site was at a place named Breezy Point. A rock outcroping where boaters like to stop, climb up a cliff and jump int0 the water. We tied up just down from the jump point and dove along the steeply dropping bottom. I easily surpassed my 50 foot mark (my previous depth maximum) to 80 feete as we cruised along a jagged rock and log slope towardss the point. We got to the jumping point and settled to a smaller ledge at 90 feet where there were several divers already sifting through the bottom looking for whatever the jumpers might have lost. As usuall they were finding sunglasses, money and some watches. Just like my home dives at The Offsets.
Mark and Helen had a great set up for diving and water sports. We had aquired a couple of pontoon boats to dive off and great accomodation to stay at for a weekend of diving. Our first dive site was at a place named Breezy Point. A rock outcroping where boaters like to stop, climb up a cliff and jump int0 the water. We tied up just down from the jump point and dove along the steeply dropping bottom. I easily surpassed my 50 foot mark (my previous depth maximum) to 80 feete as we cruised along a jagged rock and log slope towardss the point. We got to the jumping point and settled to a smaller ledge at 90 feet where there were several divers already sifting through the bottom looking for whatever the jumpers might have lost. As usuall they were finding sunglasses, money and some watches. Just like my home dives at The Offsets.
Divb buddy Gary
Our second dive of the day was to a boat wreck in a channel between an island and shore. It was only in 50 feet of water but what you had to submerge by the island and follow a rope to the wreck, then follow the rope back. There was too much boat traffic to surface at the boat so safety was an issue if something happened and someone had to emergency ascend to surface. It was erie with boat noise overhead and some murky water conditions at this site. The wreck not so impressive , just a stripped out 45 foot boat with no real features left on it.
On a later trip to the lake I managed to break the 100 foot mark on a dive near the first one. The water was dirty above 60 feet so a light was needed to go deeper. Below 60 feet the water was nice and clear so the light would illuminate what looked like a barren moonscape of rock and logs on a steep slope. I got passed 100 feet and began feeling some mild effects of nitrogen narcosis. I was nervous about what I had read abpit it but it turned out to be just some mild tunnel vission and a little extra paranoia mixed in. I noticed it took a little extra effort to breath due to increased pressure on your lungs to expand. I maxed out at 126 feet on that dive. Still my deepest lake dive to date. This was nowhere near the bottom of this lake which is supposedly around 250 feet. Way to deep for my training level to get me.
Hawksbill turtle feedingOnother dive there is perhaps one of my most memorable of all the freshwater dives Ive ever done. To this day it is still etched in my mind. We went to a place called Enchanted Forest a short ways from the dam. It is stand of giant old forest trees standing upright in 130 feet of water. We stayed at about 90 feet swimming through the branches still strong and reaching out into the water , just as they would look in a winters' forest with no leaves. The water was a green haze from the lack of sunlight and there were miles of fishing line strung between all the branches from fisherman getting snagged. There arent any fish at 90 feet so I dont know why the fisherman were fishing that deep. I had to use my dive knife to cut my way through it or else get stuck myslef, like a fly in a spiders web. I would compare this to waking through the woods at dawn but with a green sky above. Someday I would like to go back an do that one again .
I leaned about the physiological and psychological effects of deeper diving that summer. To dive safely at depth (any depth really) you have to be able to keep your wits about you because things can go wrong FAST down there and a panicky person could get themselves in serious trouble if they are not able to stop and think about what is wrong and how to remedy a situation. The effedts of nitrogen narcosis only amplify those reactions in people. Ive seen divers panick and almost get themselves hurt pretty bad when they could have easily resoved their problems by thinking them through.
I dont have any pictures from those day so I'll jus post more form other trips.
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