"Uncharted" Diving?

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sonofzell

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Messages
46
Reaction score
29
Location
Philadelphia, PA
# of dives
25 - 49
Greetings, everyone - new member & first post here, looks like a great community!

My daughter and I are new divers, NAUI certified in 2017 with just 8 dives logged each. We're both absolutely in love with it... the only downside being that our schedule just doesn't quite allow for us to get wet nearly as often as we'd like!

The question I'm posing is: What are the guidelines/restrictions/safety concerns in diving in "uncharted" lakes? I may not be using the proper terminology, so hopefully this example will help to clarify:

Friends of ours own a home on the shore of beautiful Lake Wynonah in Eastern PA. We typically visit them once a year, spending most of our time in (but not under) the water. As we've snorkeled and swam in this lake so often over the years, the obvious question is "can we dive here?". Unfortunately, my research has been inconclusive, both for this specific lake and for "public" bodies of water in general. So while I don't expect anyone here to have a definitive answer about this particular (privately owned) lake, here's some more broad concerns that I'm hoping I may find some guidance with:

1. Legal Restrictions: I surely appreciate respecting any restrictions on privately-owned waters, however, for public lakes, rivers, bays, etc., what is the "rulebook" for understanding if they can be dived legally / safely? It's surprising to me that I haven't found any clear governance - if it weren't for the frequent comments on boards like this suggesting "go practice in your local lake", I would just assume public waters were off-limits.

2. Safety Considerations: To date, all but one of our dives have included a DM or were part of an organized group. Ideally, I would like to invite some other, more experienced divers to join us, but if that doesn't work out, what specific concerns would I need to consider? A surface buoy, compass & first aid kit are obvious items, but I'd surely hate to omit anything critical.

3. Disclaimer: Perhaps this should have been listed first LOL - I do want to stress that I have no intention of jumping into every lake or river I can find, and my common sense would surely not allow me to dive without the proper information to be safe. This is really just an inquiry about one particular lake with which I am familiar. Lake Wynonah is a crystal-clear, 175-acre beauty with depths to 90' and tons of freshwater fish; IF I can verify that I can dive it legally and safely, it would be an incredible opportunity to get dive/practice time during our visits there.

I appreciate any advice or guidance anyone has to offer!

Cheers,

Kirk
 
There can be lots of plant life in a freshwater lake. Easy to have several feet of long plants sticking up from the bottom. Potential for entanglement. You and buddy definitely want to carry a couple of cutting tools for everything from plants to spider wire fishing line. Might be good to get under water and practice cutting line and weeds and etc. before exploring. With entanglement. Stop, do not fight it. Assess the stituation. You have air. Often better if buddy cuts the line if in a hard to reach place.
 
One thing that comes to my mind is how much fishing is there? Boat traffic? Fishing line is hard to see and an entanglement hazard.

Excellent point! I hadn't mentioned it in my original post, but I do carry a small cutter and would make sure any buddies did as well. While the lake is known for its fishing, it is a gated community, so there's not typically a TON of lines in, just owners fishing from their personal docks. That being said, we have observed quite a bit of bottom debris while snorkeling (everything from submerged piers to swingsets!), so entanglement would be a very legitimate concern.

As for boat traffic, again - it is limited to property owners, but it's not uncommon to see 10 or more cruising at any given time during the summer - mostly at high speed (skiing/tubing). There is a very liberal "no wake" zone that extends about 50 yards from the shore around the entire perimeter of the lake. PWC's are also required to respect these no-wake areas and they are strictly monitored/enforced by the "lake cops" who are on almost constant patrol in the summer months. In the areas that I'm familiar with, there is a very pronounced drop-off approximately 20 yards offshore, providing an area out of the main boating lanes. I haven't gotten to the point of actually planning a real dive there, but that's where I would intend to be.
 
There can be lots of plant life in a freshwater lake. Easy to have several feet of long plants sticking up from the bottom. Potential for entanglement. You and buddy definitely want to carry a couple of cutting tools for everything from plants to spider wire fishing line. Might be good to get under water and practice cutting line and weeds and etc. before exploring. With entanglement. Stop, do not fight it. Assess the stituation. You have air. Often better if buddy cuts the line if in a hard to reach place.

Another great suggestion - thank you! My cutter has never left its sheath underwater.
 
Everyone said what I was gonna to say.
Fishing line will be an issue and you will not see it.
I would carry two cutting tools. It is very easy to drop one.

Also do not touch any ropes or anchor lines (without gloves) - there is a high potential for fish hooks to be inbedded in them.

One last thing, if there are any drain or overflow areas. Stay well clear of them.
You do not want to be sucked in/trapped underwater.
 
Excellent point! I hadn't mentioned it in my original post, but I do carry a small cutter and would make sure any buddies did as well. While the lake is known for its fishing, it is a gated community, so there's not typically a TON of lines in, just owners fishing from their personal docks. That being said, we have observed quite a bit of bottom debris while snorkeling (everything from submerged piers to swingsets!), so entanglement would be a very legitimate concern.

As for boat traffic, again - it is limited to property owners, but it's not uncommon to see 10 or more cruising at any given time during the summer - mostly at high speed (skiing/tubing). There is a very liberal "no wake" zone that extends about 50 yards from the shore around the entire perimeter of the lake. PWC's are also required to respect these no-wake areas and they are strictly monitored/enforced by the "lake cops" who are on almost constant patrol in the summer months. In the areas that I'm familiar with, there is a very pronounced drop-off approximately 20 yards offshore, providing an area out of the main boating lanes. I haven't gotten to the point of actually planning a real dive there, but that's where I would intend to be.

I would also talk to the "Lake Cops". Makes sure that they know what a flag/float is, and that they can make boaters aware. It seems like the traffic is a small number of regulars, so education might actually work.
 
You are both really new divers so don’t plan on going deep. If you stay in the shallows it sounds like a great place to practice the skills you just learned. As far as keeping boaters away besides a float and flag maybe a friend on boat, kayak or canoe can help, and it is also nice to have some surface support in general. It will probably be a lot colder down there than on the surface so make sure you have enough wetsuit and weights.
 
As for legal restrictions, I can’t answer that, but I do have a philosophical position: it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission… Especially from gated communities! Why over complicate this. You’re just swimming with some extra gear on, LOL.
 
I’m not knocking gated communities, some of my favorite people live in gated communities, it’s just that this is how it works: if you ask anyone (owners, committees, insurance companies, lake cops) for permission they will probably say no, because saying yes might create a liability for them. If you just do it responsibly and safely, they will smile and wave, or maybe ask friendly questions about your dive gear, seeing nothing more than another private individual enjoying their private property.
 
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