Lake George shore diving - need info!

[BEM]

My wife and I are visiting Lake George this weekend and would like to do a shore dive. I’ve looked for information and found that this is possible at either Hearthstone Park or Rogers Park. Other than that I can’t locate any more information.

Can anyone tell me if shore diving is permitted, where exactly are the sites, any costs and any information on the sites themselves (can you just drive up and get set up and enter? boat traffic, best times etc) I know we need a dive flag!

We just want to do one dive as we want to do other things also. We’re bringing our drysuits and just got back from diving 37 degree salt water in the St. Lawrence (Les Escoumins), so cold water isn’t a big issue. If we decide to do 2 dives is there a place to get fills in

Any info would be appreciated!

 

[Jwood]

The shop I'm associated with has been booking trips to Lake George for 25 years now.
Although thats not my kinda diving (I like Jersey diving) I did however go one year.
Its very nice and this time of year shouldn't be too crowded. The shop just returned last week from their annual visit...........one of the divers came up with musket balls (he was using a metal detector though) when I visited a couple years ago, a wooden tooth brush in a glass jar (appeared very old) and a very ornate ink well came up.
Lake George is glacial and the water is cilly in Summer and cold most other times.
During the start of our country it was used to travel and transport and there are loads of artifacts to be had. There are some areas protected and be careful not to remove any items from these places. Regarding the where's and what's for your diving I recommend contacting Paul Highland @ 215-361-8181 he has been going there for 25 years now and should be able to point you in the right directions. You can tell him Jim refered you to him. Good luck and have fun!
PS: There's an Island in the middle (it was told to me its called diamond Island)
where you can find quartz crystals in 10-15 feet of water, they are very pretty
and not a bad way to while away the day.

 

[BEM]

Thanks,
Appreciated!

 

[cfdfirediver]

Sorry, just saw your post!
Hearthstone is the most diver friendly site on the lake, (LDS use it for all classes). There are other sites but those are only accessed by boat. Closest shop is Rich Morins in Glens Falls (like 12 miles from Lk George), next nearest are in Albany. Morins is the place for info and equipment, and they have the best staff!!!!! Sorry I didn`t see yor post sooner! hope you had a good weekend!

 

[BEM]

Lake George dive

Well we went down to Lake George and did get in a dive…..

We arrived on Friday, 21 September and went to the Chamber of Commerce to find out any information on diving and local parks. We found out that Hearthstone Park and other state parks closed after labor day. We got a pamphlet on Lake George dive sites and drove to Hearthstone Park anyway – maybe we could get in! No luck - the park gates were closed and there was no access.

We then went to the Million Dollar Beach, found the beach open, but info/change building closed for the season. The beach is very nice, but with boat traffic, not conducive to diving.

My wife pointed out that the “Sunken Fleet of 1758” was near the shoreline, so we drove to a place called Wiawaka Holiday House, off Dunham’s Bay Road. The house is on a large parcel of land bordering the lake, directly opposite the wreck site. We were given a tour of the grounds and buildings by a really nice lady, Veronica. She gave us a history of the house and allowed us to dive off their dock.

We geared up and took notice of the boat traffic. There wasn’t too much, but some boats did come close to shore – and between the diving boat mooring and shore! A large paddlewheel boat runs along the shoreline and we made note of her schedule. We swam out to the buoy, made sure our float was visible, and dropped down. The water appeared to be fairly clear at the shoreline, but as we dropped below 10 feet, it became obvious that the visibility was not very good. By the time we reached the bottom (48 feet) the vis was about 5 feet. The temp was OK – 58 degrees. There are lines between the sunken boats. We followed a line to one, but we inadvertently kicked up some silt and the vis went to 6 inches behind us. The silt didn’t drop or move – it looked like a cloud. We went around the boat and decided that we should call the dive. The only way we could find the line was to go back into the silt cloud and feel for it. We were trying to avoid silting up things, but it was almost impossible. We found the line up after we went through the silt and followed it up to the surface. It wasn’t a great dive, but I enjoyed it.

Lake George is a very scenic (touristy) place and we enjoyed our weekend. The fireworks on Sat night were impressive and there are lots of restaurants. We stayed in the Heritage Cottages and were impressed with the cleanliness of the cottage and hospitality of the owners – and it was only $85 / night!

 

[bogrady]

If you're interested in another Lake George Report:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/texas-swamp-divers/203094-swamper-bogrady-does-ny.html