Diving the Congamond Lakes in Southwick MA?

[Mark Carrig]

Good afternoon all, new diver here.

I grew up in Southwick in the 70's, about 1/2 miles from North Pond, Congamond Lakes, and always swam, snorkeled, and ski'ed as a teenager.

Now at 60 my bucket list item is to go home and dive North Pond.

I've got the Bathy maps of the lake, deepest depth is 40', and was wanted in to know if anyone's dived here before and what I can expect.

Thanks folks !

 

[EdC]

Mark, best to remember Congamond as it was when we were kids (I’m 55 and grew up on the Suffield side of middle pond).

If I was going to dive it a full face mask would be a must it is closed to swimming often due to bacteria levels. I’m not sure what you would see, I talked to a firefighter on a body recovery a year or two ago and at 15 feet it was a feel around kind of dive, lots of algae.

I did consider using it for those equipment testing type dives but my great niece and nephew who live on the lake have caught ringworm and other skin conditions from the water.

 

[Mark Carrig]

Hi Ed, thanks for the prompt and informative response.

I spoke with one of the Southwick police divers yesterday, (He was pretty new, only had done 3 dives and they were on middle) and he said pretty much the same thing. They were trying to recover a boat in 20' and not only couldn't see it, but what he thought was the floor was actually mud. Deep mud with a constancy of glue. Said you dont want to get stuck in that stuff.

Also said it was VERY dark, and with North being a 40' at the deepest, there's no way any natural light going to get down there.

I will be speaking to one of the Sargent that has dived the lake many times and has done North Pond tomorrow night, so I'll get the real feel for it, but yeah, it doesn't look too promising.

But you always fantasied when you were a kid as to what's down there, and as the decades go by, that interest grows deeper.

I've got pictures of when the great flood happened in 1955 and washed out North Pond. It was taken facing the Kings Beach / Birchwood Marina (East side of North) and you can see how it graduates like a soup bowl.

You know there's gotta be many cars and snowmobiles that have fallen thru the ice over the years, and it's possible that there are cars down there that go back to the 50,s, 40's and 30's perhaps. but with deep mud, the reality is they have long since sunk down into that, so probably not much to see, even if you brought lights.

Do you know if Quabbin is diveable, or as its a reservoir is it off limits? Word has it on a clear day you can still see building foundations of the old town down there.

Hope you don't mind me asking all these questions, and I've gotta say its nice meeting up with someone from back home.

Not too many people know of Southwick, and living in Memphis TN for the last 33 years, its a breath of fresh air to come home again.

Thanks !

 

[Damselfish]

They don’t allow swimming in the Quabbin. Or much of anything.

 

[EdC]

Quabbin in is strictly off limits to swimming/diving, I agree that would be a great dive.

Unfortunately there are only a couple places in the area that I know of to dive and they are not great except for classes and satisfying the urge to get underwater. I’m sure there are some secret spots but most of us head to R.I., Gloucester MA, or 1000 islands NY/Ont. depending on what type of diving your into.

 

[Mark Carrig]

I kinda figured that on Q.

Do you know if there are sites in the Berkshires ?

I've gotten into coming home for a week or two each year, so it would be cool to find something clear as far as lake or quarry in that area.

But I'm not adverse to the western CT / RI area. As a former submariner stationed in Groton, I always spend a couple days there and the Missquamicutt RI area when back home.

(Great being stationed there, from the subbase to my door was 72 miles. Can't beat that! )

 

[EdC]

FT. Wetherill state park in RI is a popular spot, easy entry and exit, easy slope, visibility is a crap shoot but I have seen amazing pictures taken there. If you check out SECONN divers I know they do dives off the CT Shore. Also as far as quarries go there is Brookstone in Portland, it’s a quarry with a water park and an area for diving, I’ve never been so no advice there.

There are definitely some places to get wet but there is also a reason so many NE divers spend so much time and money going elsewhere.

 

[Mark Carrig]

I spoke with Sgt Westcott of the Southwick Police department Friday night night about diving North, as he was recommended and has done many dives on it, and he was very positive about it.

North is spring fed, and does not have the boat traffic as Middle and South so visibility is much better. He was saying 15' - 20' is possible in good conditions, best conditions being right about now when there isn’t any boat traffic and its prior to the freeze.

So, to do it right early spring, late fall.

The main point he put across was that it’s a cold lake. After you get past the thermocline (Approx. 20 on North) It gets really cold.

I asked if a 5 mm suit would work, and he said they only go down in dry suits now.

So, a hood and gloves are at the minimum.

Here’s where it gets better. According the bathy maps, the deepest spot is in the middle of the lake at 40’.

The Sgt tells me that there is also a 60’ trench from the washout of 1955 when the flood overflowed the lakes and North darn near emptied.

The water exiting with that substantial force cut that trench.

I had never heard about that in all of Southwick’s history.

Did you know that the Kings Beach / Birchwood Marina area isn’t that “Soup Bowl” contour that it was in the 70’s ?

Nope, after all the cabins were removed and the land went wild, the entrance road deposited large amounts of sand, so the “Soup Bowl” topography no longer exists.

He says its now a sloped contour due to the run off sand down to the 60’ trench.

I’ve gotta see this !

As a side note, part of being OW certified is to accomplish a lifelong ambition, but tangible goals are to satisfy a decades long question, “What’s Down There”

 

[EdC]

Now you have me intriqued.

 

[Danny D]

I have dove Congamuck several times over the years trying to recover fishing poles etc for friends and family ( No luck ever). I have never experience such viz as the Sgt speaks of.

My experiences are not being able to see my hands in front of me and being surprised when I have hit the mud bottom. Silt-up and finning techniques arnt an issue because you can’t see once your head goes below water. Huge, HUGE algie issues, old septics, etc. should be considered a hazmat type suited dive . I can appreciate your affinity for wanting to dive back home, but I would highly suggest you seek other dive locations.

Gloucester/ Rockport Ma or Newport/ Jamestown Ri areas. Would be my picks!