Ever in a water well?

[XJae]

I was just wondering if anybody has ever been diving in a water well.
There are many old hand dug, stone lined, water wells by where I live.
Many have been capped off for years and I'm always wondering what's at the bottom.

[SueMermaid]

You know you are a hardcore diver when...
:hehe:

This topic was covered in "The Last Dive", and I remember thinking to myself as I read it: "That guy's a fruitcake"!

[Rick Murchison]

The last time I was in a well I was a teenager, trying to get the pump back on line. My "supervisor" neglected to secure the power and I got a really good 220V jolt when I put the wrench to the conduit underwater.
I was not a happy camper.
Rick

[Bob3]

I was down a new drinking water well outside of Cedar Rapids Iowa, have been in some similar in St Louis when changing out valves, etc.
Been in a lot of water intakes too.
How about water towers?

[zeN||]

NT

[norcaldiver]

Bob3 once bubbled...
How about water towers?
Man, every town in Iowa has a water tower. That would be ufn for a change, except I'm deathly scared of heights so getting there would be the challenge.

[hunter991]

I have been up a few intakes and discharge pipes. Our city has a discharge pipe that is about 48" and is bascically just a transfer pipe to transfer water from one lake to another. There is a good bit of pressure coming out of it, so you sort of have to climb against the current and when you are ready to come out it blows you back out. The water was cold and clear after 12 miles of being underground.

I have also flown a ROV all the way up to the pump intake in the actual water intake, not somewhere I would want to dive but the ROV didn't seem to mind.

[Pez de Diablo]

There is a good dive here in Alberta in an old water well.

The well was dug back in the early 1900's and lined with wood. The wood is very well preserved and the whole thing is quit intact. Max depth in the well is 20'

Okay, so your thinking "what an idiot."

Here is the rest of the story: The well was located near a damn that was also built in the early 1900's across a canyon that backed up the water to a depth of 25' and the workers at the dam used the well for their drinking water and this went on for a few years, then in the late 40's (I think it was the 40's) a new larger dam was built across the valley and when put into operation formed Lake Minniewanka and subsequently flooded the old dam, well and town site.

So a great dive is to descent to 45' and search out the old water well, when there you descend 20' feet first and look up and out of the old water well. The cold water has helped to preserve the old boards that line the well, but one day could prove to be a problem.

[db8us]

In France there is well where a cave starts. It is called
"Landenouse".
The problem is getting in and out when the waterlevel is low.
You need a ladder and a winch.

I like it !

Michael

[Albion]

might be an idea to breathe off your scuba before your underwater, a lot of these wells have a layer of toxic or at least oxygen lacking gas at the bottom

[DA Aquamaster]

I have been in an old log covered cistern that happens to be under 60 ft of water. It's kinda creepy doing a pentration dive under an 1800's vintage log roof. Wood hold up very well in cold fresh water, but it still makes you think about the what ifs.

There is also a well in about 90' of water that was discovered in the process of searching for a body. If we ever manage to locate the well again we will probably explore it.