Divers in morgantown
- Thread starter cwilson
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cwilson,
My girl friend also lives in Morgantown and I live at Deep Creek Lake about 40 min away. I don't know of any dive clubs per say but I do know a fair amount of people from that area and Washington, PA that dive. If you are looking for someone to dive with let me know. We dive Deep Creek, Mt. Storm Lake, and some others all well within driving distance from Morgantown. We also make trips once or twice a month to some of the more popular quarry spots like Dutch Springs.
My girl friend also lives in Morgantown and I live at Deep Creek Lake about 40 min away. I don't know of any dive clubs per say but I do know a fair amount of people from that area and Washington, PA that dive. If you are looking for someone to dive with let me know. We dive Deep Creek, Mt. Storm Lake, and some others all well within driving distance from Morgantown. We also make trips once or twice a month to some of the more popular quarry spots like Dutch Springs.
I don't know about clubs, but...
I'm down in Clarksburg, I dive once or twice a week down at Summersville Lake. Deep temps are still in the 50s, a drysuit is nice if you wanna go deeper than 30 feet. There is a dive shop at the lake marina for your air fills.
There is a great dive shop (Washington Scuba) about 30-40 minutes north of you in Washington, PA, who organizes many trips to Mount Storm reservoir and other places. They can do air and Nitrox fills.
There is another dive shop in Wheeling, but every time I've been to the shop there was a sign on door "closing early today," so I've never been able to find anything about that place.
PM me if you want to do some diving...
I'm down in Clarksburg, I dive once or twice a week down at Summersville Lake. Deep temps are still in the 50s, a drysuit is nice if you wanna go deeper than 30 feet. There is a dive shop at the lake marina for your air fills.
There is a great dive shop (Washington Scuba) about 30-40 minutes north of you in Washington, PA, who organizes many trips to Mount Storm reservoir and other places. They can do air and Nitrox fills.
There is another dive shop in Wheeling, but every time I've been to the shop there was a sign on door "closing early today," so I've never been able to find anything about that place.
PM me if you want to do some diving...
Thanks for the replies. I'm just getting back into diving so i'm still putting together my kit. I'd love to go out some time when I get set up. Should be soon.
I've heard alot about mt. storm and some one was talking up deep creek lake for sailing the other day. Is there a reason why no one seems to dive cheat lake? It looks a bit murky but it's still water. I haven't heard of or seen anyone diving there. It's literally 5 min away from me so I have to ask.
thanks
I've heard alot about mt. storm and some one was talking up deep creek lake for sailing the other day. Is there a reason why no one seems to dive cheat lake? It looks a bit murky but it's still water. I haven't heard of or seen anyone diving there. It's literally 5 min away from me so I have to ask.
thanks
WVUdiver
Guest
hey im from morgantown too!
its great to see someone else from morgantown is on here too.
i dont have much of my own gear, but im always up for being in the water.
its great to see someone else from morgantown is on here too.
i dont have much of my own gear, but im always up for being in the water.
One of the things about the Cheat in addition to the vis is that the people on it think dive flags are for slaloming jet skis around. Although you can find a lot of interesting things in it if you know where to look. Appliances, cars, old water heaters, sometimes a boat motor or anchor. If you ever want to try it give me a shout. Only problem is finding a good entry point that is not on private property and where your car will not be stolen/stripped while you are under.
About Deep Creek Lake. The same thing Jim was talking about regarding Cheat (people using our dive flags to slalom their jet skies around) takes place on Deep Creek. Only instead of jet skies going around the flag your likely to have 20 foot BaHa boats and Cobalts flying by. I wrote a letter to a local newspaper about deep creek, Ill post it here.:
_____________________________________
Scuba dive on Deep Creek reveals 'underwater junk yard'
To the Editor:
As a scuba diver, I have the unique privilege of viewing a body of water from a fish's perspective. Since only a small percentage of the population are certified divers, many people's relationship with water lies only on the surface; and perhaps this is the reason that many of the world's waterways are so mistreated and polluted. On a recent weekend when I took a dive on Deep Creek Lake, I was astonished at what I found. My assumption, when reading all the rules and regulations put into place by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources that are to protect the lake as a natural resource, made me assume that Deep Creek's bottom and water quality would be in tip-top shape.
Once I cleared the highly stained and murky water and reached a depth of 30 feet I found myself at Deep Creek's bottom. It was, as is typical of most lakes, a mud bottom with a thick layer of silt on top. Once visibility cleared to where I could see something I found myself in an underwater junk yard. Over the course of our dive we found trolling motors, fishing line, children's toys, televisions, and a well silted beer can paradise. What the bottom was devoid of was what you typically expect to see in a lake; fish life, plant life, crustaceans and perhaps some amphibians. Even in areas that typically house copious amounts of underwater life, (tree stumps, fallen trees, etc.) there was nothing. Perhaps we were missing all the aquatic life because the highly stained, silted water was only allowing for about 8 feet of visibility.
Interestingly enough there could be a way to clean some of the junk laying at the bottom of Deep Creek Lake and take a serious underwater survey of just how the lake's eco-system is affected by tourism and trash dumping. Programs like Reef Check and Project Aware have utilized recreational divers to do just this in areas where coral reefs were declining. Why couldn't the same thing be done on local bodies of water like Deep Creek Lake? Perhaps the fact that the lake is so populated with high speed boats and wave runners is the answer. A diver is literally taking their life into their own hands when making a dive on Deep Creek Lake. To make matters worse boaters, (especially those who have little to no boating experience and have rented boats) do not know what a dive flag is and are going way, way too fast to even see one. The dive flag and diver would be nothing but tangled debris in a boat's prop considering the way many Deep Creek boaters choose to travel the lake. Maybe the State of Maryland could have designated scuba zones on Deep Creek as many other lakes across the country have. Perhaps even on certain days coves or areas of the lake could be closed (for at least several hours) to boaters so divers could clean-up the lake and take comprehensive aquatic life surveys.
It has become obvious that Deep Creek Lake is now a giant aquatic playground for those who have lake homes, boats and wave runners. With each passing summer the lake loses more and more of its value as a natural resource. After seeing Deep Creek from the bottom up, I fear that in addition to a playground our lake has become a landfill for vacationers and those who utilize its recreational value. Implementing the dive community has been highly successful in cleaning up other waterways and would likely yield the same success here at Deep Creek. Sure it may frustrate a few boaters that they can't use certain coves at certain times, or that an area is scuba access only, but wouldn't the lake be better kept as a thriving underwater community and natural resource as opposed to a giant inland cesspool?
Jeremy
Oakland
_____________________________________
Scuba dive on Deep Creek reveals 'underwater junk yard'
To the Editor:
As a scuba diver, I have the unique privilege of viewing a body of water from a fish's perspective. Since only a small percentage of the population are certified divers, many people's relationship with water lies only on the surface; and perhaps this is the reason that many of the world's waterways are so mistreated and polluted. On a recent weekend when I took a dive on Deep Creek Lake, I was astonished at what I found. My assumption, when reading all the rules and regulations put into place by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources that are to protect the lake as a natural resource, made me assume that Deep Creek's bottom and water quality would be in tip-top shape.
Once I cleared the highly stained and murky water and reached a depth of 30 feet I found myself at Deep Creek's bottom. It was, as is typical of most lakes, a mud bottom with a thick layer of silt on top. Once visibility cleared to where I could see something I found myself in an underwater junk yard. Over the course of our dive we found trolling motors, fishing line, children's toys, televisions, and a well silted beer can paradise. What the bottom was devoid of was what you typically expect to see in a lake; fish life, plant life, crustaceans and perhaps some amphibians. Even in areas that typically house copious amounts of underwater life, (tree stumps, fallen trees, etc.) there was nothing. Perhaps we were missing all the aquatic life because the highly stained, silted water was only allowing for about 8 feet of visibility.
Interestingly enough there could be a way to clean some of the junk laying at the bottom of Deep Creek Lake and take a serious underwater survey of just how the lake's eco-system is affected by tourism and trash dumping. Programs like Reef Check and Project Aware have utilized recreational divers to do just this in areas where coral reefs were declining. Why couldn't the same thing be done on local bodies of water like Deep Creek Lake? Perhaps the fact that the lake is so populated with high speed boats and wave runners is the answer. A diver is literally taking their life into their own hands when making a dive on Deep Creek Lake. To make matters worse boaters, (especially those who have little to no boating experience and have rented boats) do not know what a dive flag is and are going way, way too fast to even see one. The dive flag and diver would be nothing but tangled debris in a boat's prop considering the way many Deep Creek boaters choose to travel the lake. Maybe the State of Maryland could have designated scuba zones on Deep Creek as many other lakes across the country have. Perhaps even on certain days coves or areas of the lake could be closed (for at least several hours) to boaters so divers could clean-up the lake and take comprehensive aquatic life surveys.
It has become obvious that Deep Creek Lake is now a giant aquatic playground for those who have lake homes, boats and wave runners. With each passing summer the lake loses more and more of its value as a natural resource. After seeing Deep Creek from the bottom up, I fear that in addition to a playground our lake has become a landfill for vacationers and those who utilize its recreational value. Implementing the dive community has been highly successful in cleaning up other waterways and would likely yield the same success here at Deep Creek. Sure it may frustrate a few boaters that they can't use certain coves at certain times, or that an area is scuba access only, but wouldn't the lake be better kept as a thriving underwater community and natural resource as opposed to a giant inland cesspool?
Jeremy
Oakland
Nice to see there are a few divers around. Also cool that you're thinking about how to make some improvement to the dive scene aquaman. Deep creek lake has so many nooks and crannies, it's hard to believe that you couldn't eke out one of the little fingers coming off of the lake for a divers only area. Same goes for the cheat to a lesser extent. Lots of private property around both lakes though. The cheat has at least one publically owned park. Not sure whether that might be available.
Of course, developing the dive environment can also make economic sense. No reason a private lake front owner couldn't turn an easy buck by providing a niche for divers. Just allow access and a little space for a prep area and charge a nominal fee/rent.
I wonder if anyone has looked at ecologically neutral ways to improve visability in fresh water lakes. Not stirring up the bottom of course. But someone must have looked at this problem in more detail than that.
Does anyone know if depth charts exist for the cheat or deep creek lakes?
Of course, developing the dive environment can also make economic sense. No reason a private lake front owner couldn't turn an easy buck by providing a niche for divers. Just allow access and a little space for a prep area and charge a nominal fee/rent.
I wonder if anyone has looked at ecologically neutral ways to improve visability in fresh water lakes. Not stirring up the bottom of course. But someone must have looked at this problem in more detail than that.
Does anyone know if depth charts exist for the cheat or deep creek lakes?
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