Randy g
Contributor
We did the Potomic River from Westmoreland St Park last summer. Lots of sharks teeth in the area. Camping was fun too. Having a small boat makes it handy to get around the shoreline. We dove the Pahmunky (sp) last season also.
Can you dive the Rappahannock River ?
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AIRdoesWork
New
Got wet in the Rappahannock yesterday (4.13). The current was extremely strong, so I did a "drift dive" in about 4' of water, occasionally grabbing a rock or root to slow me down. Viz was about 5', and did see bass and bluegill. Never made it to the deepest "pool" area; probably drifted right by it. The workout going back was tough; pulled myself along the bottom, and sometimes walked backward. I was completely exhausted by the time I returned to the entry point. Getting wet and doing a gear check were the best parts; just had to scratch the itch!
Also need to mention that I spoke with a guy fishing closeby who said that there's a "no swimming" sign at the parking entrance that I totally missed. He made it clear, however, that he didn't think scuba diving fit the swimming category because he believed the prohibition is against "party" swimmers; young kids who drink and go crazy and dump trash and bottles everywhere without picking up after themselves. I need to get clear on that, so I'll contact local authorities just to be sure before taking another plunge.
Also need to mention that I spoke with a guy fishing closeby who said that there's a "no swimming" sign at the parking entrance that I totally missed. He made it clear, however, that he didn't think scuba diving fit the swimming category because he believed the prohibition is against "party" swimmers; young kids who drink and go crazy and dump trash and bottles everywhere without picking up after themselves. I need to get clear on that, so I'll contact local authorities just to be sure before taking another plunge.
Barnaby'sDad
Contributor
I hit the Rappahannock River today. Bumping this thread rather than starting a new one, as the previous poster is the person that posted up the information below on Divebuddy.
Rappahannock River - Fredericksburg VA | DiveBuddy.com
A few things:
-I started from the entry point that the previous poster mentioned.
-The water was 78*.
-Use a diver down flag or safety sausage (I did the former, but will do the latter next time). It's shallow and there are a LOT of kayaks and canoes around. While the current wasn't ripping... if you pop-up to get your bearings without a surface marker (it's only ~4-5' deep at most spots), you could get brained by a human powered a boat.
-The water was relatively low, so the spot that I found 7' at would likely be ~10' during rainy season.
-The visibility averaged ~5-10', though some spots dropped below that. There were a bunch of kids in the water maybe 100 yards upstream, so I doubt that did the visibility any favors.
-Not a lot of critters today. I crossed over to the opposite bank and skirted the downed trees. I only saw one smallmouth bass, but it was a good sized fish. He/she hung around to see what I was up to for a few seconds. See if you can spot the fish (center of the image and towards the top). This gives you an idea of the average visibility.
-Wear gloves. Even if it "looks" calm from the shore, there's still some current once you get out there. Heading downstream is a "drift" dive. Getting back upstream will likely involve pulling yourself along the bottom rock to rock. Either that or completely exhausting yourself by kicking against the current. I opted to go with the crawl along the bottom option, which I think was a good way to go.
Rappahannock River - Fredericksburg VA | DiveBuddy.com
A few things:
-I started from the entry point that the previous poster mentioned.
-The water was 78*.
-Use a diver down flag or safety sausage (I did the former, but will do the latter next time). It's shallow and there are a LOT of kayaks and canoes around. While the current wasn't ripping... if you pop-up to get your bearings without a surface marker (it's only ~4-5' deep at most spots), you could get brained by a human powered a boat.
-The water was relatively low, so the spot that I found 7' at would likely be ~10' during rainy season.
-The visibility averaged ~5-10', though some spots dropped below that. There were a bunch of kids in the water maybe 100 yards upstream, so I doubt that did the visibility any favors.
-Not a lot of critters today. I crossed over to the opposite bank and skirted the downed trees. I only saw one smallmouth bass, but it was a good sized fish. He/she hung around to see what I was up to for a few seconds. See if you can spot the fish (center of the image and towards the top). This gives you an idea of the average visibility.
-Wear gloves. Even if it "looks" calm from the shore, there's still some current once you get out there. Heading downstream is a "drift" dive. Getting back upstream will likely involve pulling yourself along the bottom rock to rock. Either that or completely exhausting yourself by kicking against the current. I opted to go with the crawl along the bottom option, which I think was a good way to go.
Sean Walberg
Contributor
I canoed there two weeks ago. Ripping current. I was wondering about diving, especially since we dumped our canoe twice in the rapids and I lost my sunglasses. Wondering what other goodies are down there!
Barnaby'sDad
Contributor
I was very surprised by the lack of items on the bottom of the river. I expected to see some stuff...to include trinkets, litter, etc.. I only saw only one bottle and one fishing hook (removed and discarded).
The way the current rips through there...I think anything that gets lost is going to wash downstream, unless it happens to fall between the few rocks that are here and there.
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