Buddy and/or site suggestions near Cambridge

[lcl]

I want to get more dive experience in, and it seems the most practical way to do that is to go to somewhere handy, if less scenic or exciting than more popular sites. I'm guessing that places like the Mystic Lakes or possibly Spy Pond might work. Do folks have suggestions for sites (how nasty *is* the Charles?) and/or would anyone like to buddy up with me?

Hey, if I don't get diving more often, my ScubaBoard posts will soon outnumber my dives. The horror! ;-)

 

[pdive]

how nasty *is* the Charles?

Charles River Watershed Assoc

 

[crlavoie]

The upper Mystic might actually be interesting. As you can see in the attached topo, it's possible to get a bit of depth in the middle. I would think access might be an issue with all of the sailing competition and the 3 boat clubs all take it VERY seriously. If anything, I would do it off season, like late October and look for the first pull out you can find after the Medford Boat club. Much more than that and you will be at Sandy Beach which looks like it would be a long swim to get anything over 10 ft.

A buddy of mine does some moring work at one of the clubs and says it's all sand but with the number of people that use that lake, I've got to believe there's a few things to be found.

 

[lcl]

An acquaintance gave me a little more information which seems worth passing along:
1) While people do swim in Spy Pond, it has weeds which grow on long stems from the bottom. Every few years a swimmer gets tangled in one and dies.
2) Water draining from a Superfund site feeds Mystic Lake. The acquaintance suggested not touching stuff on the bottom or stirring the bottom up.

I don't know how bad the Spy Pond diving would be, assumed one's equipped with a knife (or two). Could someone who's familiar with dealing with vegetation enlighten me?
Given all that, I'd be interested in trying one or the other if someone wanted to accompany me. Would anyone be interested?

 

[MSilvia]

I want to get more dive experience in, and it seems the most practical way to do that is to go to somewhere handy, if less scenic or exciting than more popular sites. I'm guessing that places like the Mystic Lakes or possibly Spy Pond might work. Do folks have suggestions for sites (how nasty *is* the Charles?) and/or would anyone like to buddy up with me?

There are a lot of good sites withing a 40 minute drive that aren't gross, boring ponds.
If driving isn't an option though, you could take the ferry to any one of several boston harbor islands.

 

[crlavoie]

There are a lot of good sites withing a 40 minute drive that aren't gross, boring ponds.
If driving isn't an option though, you could take the ferry to any one of several boston harbor islands.

The name Spy Pond is misleading. It's actually pretty big but it tends to be shallower and the abundance of Carp would suggest that the water will be less than pristine. As far as the entanglement issue is concerned, I've heard that about every body of water that I grew up around (including Spy Pond) yet nobody ever seems to be able to point to a real case.

The Medford Boat Club publishes statistics on the Upper Mystic every year and it's actully quite clean. It occassionally gets its rap from poor oxygenation resulting from lower rain fall which can lead to "fish kills" and algae blooms. Some areas are better than others but I would imagine that there would be much less vegetation in the deeper parts and better visibility as well.

The Super Fund thing - I guess that to some degree we would have to say that Boston Harbor and much of the surrounding coastal areas are in fact fed by Super Fund sites in some way. Just look at the tasty lobster it gives us.

Regardless, if it's distance you're worried about, I would agree that there's lots more places within a short drive of Cambridge before spending too much time in these places.

 

[Dragon2115]

I've lived within walking distance of Spy Pond and the Mystic Lakes for over 40 years now and of the two I would only consider swimming in Spy Pond.

First, Spy Pond does not have an abundance of carp. That's the Mystic Lakes. Spy Pond does have an over abundance of Blue Gill (Sunfish) though. And that's what feeds the Tiger Muskie population. Fishermen have pulled out some scary sized TM out of there from time to time. I think the current record holder is around 40 inches and is hanging on the wall of the Arlington Bait & Tackle shop in East Arlington.

Spy Pond does have some hazards though. One is debris near the shore such as old chain link fences etc. Swimmers have gotten caught up in these from time to time but they shouldn't present too much of a hazard to a diver. The weeds that usually snare swimmers are out near the island mostly and people that try to swim out there do get caught up in them from time to time. Otoh, like most FW ponds it has a dark bottom which doesn't do anything to help the vis and therefore might make it a poor choice for someone just starting out.

The Mystics otoh you couldn't pay me to swim/dive in. There is a very large weed and algae problem there from around mid-summer on. And I'm not surprised that the Medford Boat Club puts out a glowing (no pun intended) report. Unfortunately, like the Charles River, it's not the entire story. The truth is that they are polluted but the pollutants are currently trapped in the bottom sediment. That means that as long as you take the water sample without disturbing the bottom it'll come back fine. Stir up the bottom though and you're swimming in a cesspool.

 

[crlavoie]

I don't buy it but that's probably just a Medford vs. Arlington thing. I mean, you guys ARE the "Spy Ponders" - talk about a biased opinion

The Mystic River Water Shed Association, made up of the MWRA, EPA and Tufts are the ones that monitor and publish the results. I only referenced the Boat Club because that's where I originally came across the data.

Back in the day, it certainly had a well deserved reputation but that has definitely changed. Either way, I'd be pretty damned desparate to suit up and waste a good fill on either one.

 

[lcl]

There are a lot of good sites withing a 40 minute drive that aren't gross, boring ponds.
If driving isn't an option though, you could take the ferry to any one of several boston harbor islands.

I do have a car (such as it is), so I can drive if need be. Still, it's good to know about sites accessible by public transportation. Perhaps we should gather information on such sites and make it a sticky somewhere. Meantime, though, I would very much like to know of the sites whereof you speak. Where can one go to get some extra practice in? Also, would anyone be interested in buddying with me for such a dive?
Even if they're easy dives, I don't wish (or plan) to dive alone.

 

[MSilvia]

A short and grossly incomplete list of sites I'd consider good spots for car-accessable practice dives from shore:
Pebble Beach, Old Garden Beach, Back Beach, and Front Beach in Rockport, MA
Stage Fort Park, Niles Beach, and Folly Cove in Gloucester, MA
Gun Rock Beach in Hull, MA
Brant Rock Beach and Burke's Beach in Marshfield, MA

There are an assortment of other beaches that might be worth a look too, but that should get you started. I'm pretty sure that you'll find any of those sites will be more interesting than the ponds you mentioned.

I'd be happy to buddy with you for a dive, but for the rest of this season I'm unfortunately having to put home repairs and renovations ahead of diving. Look me up in the spring though!