Do Underwater Cities Exist???

[DivingCRNA]

Here in SW Mo they say there are some flooded towns from making table rock, Beaver, and Bull Shoals lakes.

I want to dive them, but have been slow on getting around to it. I should try to do it this summer, because the lake levels are really down this year-like 15 or 20 feet.

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Actually, there are already 5 in China in the Zhejiang province. You can read more about this at: http://www.asiandiver.com/magazine/05feb_mar/thousand_island_atlantis.htm

However, the issue is more about getting there, permits to dive, and all that. :chinese:

I've been working (although I have to admit, not very hard ) to get everything in order to do this, since I live so close, but with no results yet.

Guess I better get back to work :1poke:

If anyone on the board from China has leads, or knows about how to get this sorted, information woud be much appreciated. :god:

Hi there -

I've dived lion city twice in the past year. Sinoscuba, who is on this board, is the only person running regular trips to the lake. Email him at steven@sinoscuba.com for more details.The diving is cold and can be very low vis: so its not for everyone.

As the Asiadiver arcticle points out its an old-style city with a large city wall that was flooded in the 50's. The date of the flooding preserved some relics that were otherwise destroyed in above ground cities during the cultural revolution. Around 95% of the city remains unexplored - apparently there’s a church in there somewhere as well. The exploration aspect of it is what makes it such a great dive: only a handful of divers make it to the lake every year and only a few percent of the town has been explored so far. Theres another two cities in the lake as well, but deeper (>50 meters).

From what I've heard only a few people have so far managed to do a few test dives at the 5 gorges area - most cities and towns (100's of them) were apparentlysavaged and the area bulldozed flat, however some temples and other features of cultral importance were left untouched and should be divable. Its a diving frontier that is just starting to be explored - expect some dive reports on the area next year....

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[Don Burke]

well are there ANY underwater citie that exist don to say 300'??? NOT 2-6 tructures that have fallen apart, but a complete town, Existing buildings and homes

Raystown Lake in Pennsylvania has some stuff.
Lake Jocasee in South Carolina has some buildings.
Lake Anna in Virginia has some bridges that are supposed to be intact.

A call or scouting trip to Raystown would probably be worth your while as there are some books sold at the Seven Points Marina that would be very handy for dive planning.
http://www.7pointsmarina.com/

I doubt you will find an entire town anywhere in the US.

 

[Dugongberbulu]

Rohan, thanks very much for the information!

 

[diverjed]

Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee is supposed to have some underwater structures as well, such as a schoolhouse, a church, some other remnants of an 'underwater city'.

 

[Taipeidiver]

You can also check out Yonaguni. There is some debate as to whether it is man-made or natural but current popular opinion is edging toward the former.

Top vis and the possibility of hammers or mantas too.

Take a look at www.diveoki.com for details of trips.

 

[popje]

There's apparently one in Thailand as well. Don't have all the details, but I was asked if I wanted to join in on an expedition. Very remote and accessible only by long tail and would have been decompression dives. I didn't fancy lugging 8 tanks cross country for 2 dives... The other divers would have all been using rebreathers.

 

[mushymom]

In NM at Truth or Consequences in the Elephant Butte Resevoir, the original town is underwater, don't know anyone who's dove there, but there is an outfit out of Las Cruces NM that takes divers up there. Also there is supposedly alot of cliff dwellings and such in Lake Powell. Not much more info to give you, sorry.

 

[wedivebc]

There's apparently one in Thailand as well. Don't have all the details, but I was asked if I wanted to join in on an expedition. Very remote and accessible only by long tail and would have been decompression dives. I didn't fancy lugging 8 tanks cross country for 2 dives... The other divers would have all been using rebreathers.

Do you have any more info on that. I was asked to join a rebreather expedition there myself

 

[mikeh1982]

you can always try Lake Lanier here in Ga. Its a man made lake that sunk the town.
You can still see where some roads drice straight into the water. Many of which are used for boat entry. There are many underwater forest here as well so youwould need
to be very careful. vis is limited and the water gets very cold here