What to do while diving a lake with bad visibility?

[RayfromTX]

The way I look at it is that before I was a scuba diver I enjoyed swimming in the local lake always wishing I could breathe under water. I too got spoiled to the Caribbean diving experience but I can still have fun swimming in the local lake and now I can breathe under water! The viz clears up when I go deeper but my lights become more important.

 

[Lorenzoid]

The lake I sometimes dive in has objects planted in it expressly for divers. There are sunken boats, platforms to facilitate training/classes, and an assortment of oddities, such as a Halloween "graveyard," an airplane wing, a Coke machine (actually, I think it's Pepsi), etc. Lines connect the various things to aid diver navigation. And then there are many curious fish that like to come up to your mask and look you in the eye. (@victorzamora knows what I'm talking about.) I know this doesn't help your situation. Germany is probably too eco-conscious to allow people to plant objects in the lakes.

 

[Kevo88]

Research the local fish and then go about trying to track them down! I'm a fisherman, so I have a lot of fun figuring out the patterns and stages the local game fish are in. I've taken to bringing a slate with me so I can make note as to where the bass, walleye, and big panfish are hanging out. I'll record the species, depth, temp, time, and spawn state if I can figure it out.

A few weeks back, my buddy and I were lucky enough to catch the bluegills just as they were finishing their beds for spawning. It was an amazing sight to see hundreds of these little guys, each with their own clean circle in the silt.

 

[leadduck]

Living in southern Germany local diving is usually limited lakes with usually quite bad visibility and more or less nothing bud mud to see. Having done most of my dives during vacations in the Caribbean I am probably quite a bit spoiled. When me and my girlfriend go to a local dive in one of those lakes we are usually done within 30 minutes as we simply don't know what to do without becoming bored. We really would like to enjoy diving there as well and get some more experience ... not only during our vacations.

I am probably not the only one with this kind of experience and would like to hear what others do diving under such conditions!

If you just randomly jump somewhere into some lake, you'll likely see nothing but mud. There are nice places with good visibility if you know where to go. Try Echinger Weiher and Blindsee for easier dives, Starnberger See and Walchensee for more advanced (deep, walls). Attersee is good.

EDIT: also try Plansee, and river scuba in Traun.

 

[arew+4]

There are things couples can enjoy while diving too that might extend your bottom time a few minutes as well. ; )

Regards,
Cameron

I was thinking the same thing but would have been less eloquent.

 

[Moor3061]

If there are lots of loose rocks, try rock stacking, just don't where it could tumble down on somebody. When your bored with that, try lift bag rock stacking.

 

[claymore]

Maybe I am in the minority but I enjoy just being under water. I find it relaxing just to cruise around with no real expectation of seeing any thing special, that's a bonus or accomplishing a specific task. If the dive has no planed objective, go to the 130' hole, find the whatever attraction, I just cruise along with my buddy, maybe practice some skills, but generally just relax, get away from the distractions of the above water world and enjoy the freedom and solitude. I can enjoy an hour in the pool just playing and pracicing skills almost as much as a "real dive." The world tends to go away and it is just me and the water.

 

[oldschoolto]

Diving in murky lakes can be fun and is great for building buddy skills... It's really easy to miss place your buddy and then find them.. I dive a lake that was a vacation spot in the early 1800's to the 1900's... It takes time to find stuff.. I've found ink wells, 100's of old bottles and even a crystal whale oil lamp from 1810... Oh, and the fish love it when we feed them clams and other shell fish.. Nothing like a school of 20 trout looking for a hand out...

Jim...

 

[WantSomeScuba?]

Maybe I am in the minority but I enjoy just being under water. I find it relaxing just to cruise around with no real expectation of seeing any thing special, that's a bonus or accomplishing a specific task. If the dive has no planed objective, go to the 130' hole, find the whatever attraction, I just cruise along with my buddy, maybe practice some skills, but generally just relax, get away from the distractions of the above water world and enjoy the freedom and solitude. I can enjoy an hour in the pool just playing and pracicing skills almost as much as a "real dive." The world tends to go away and it is just me and the water.

Yes! I spent the weekend diving in murky lakes with my brother. Ten feet of viz on the best dive. We got to practice skills, hang out, enjoy the sun, etc. When we're just cruising around, I love the calm, meditative aspect. Plus, on Sunday, he found a nice hatchet and I found an iPhone that is soaking in rice and actually may still be viable.

Sure, 100 ft viz and eye-popping coral reefs are greats, but we love diving because we both just enjoy diving.

 

[claymore]

Diving in murky lakes can be fun and is great for building buddy skills... It's really easy to miss place your buddy and then find them.. I dive a lake that was a vacation spot in the early 1800's to the 1900's... It takes time to find stuff.. I've found ink wells, 100's of old bottles and even a crystal whale oil lamp from 1810... Oh, and the fish love it when we feed them clams and other shell fish.. Nothing like a school of 20 trout looking for a hand out...

Jim...

We have been on dives where dive buddies will be tethered together on a rope so we wouldn't get separated.
We spent a hour on one dive squashing snail shells and feeding the snails to the sunfish. We were in about 3' to 4' of water.