where can I dive?

[Paladin]

Have you tried Summersville Lake in West Virginia or Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia (south of Roanoke)?

 

[fish-tanked]

Actually, I have looked at Smith Mountain Lake because I'm there working at least once a week. There's supposed to be a whole town sunken at the bottom, and some interesting stuff to see, but no dive operations that I'm aware of. I have asked around a bit, and all I could get from anybody was that I shouldn't dive it. Lots of boat traffic, Zero viz, and sunken trees & power lines make it treacherous. I'm wondering if there are any areas in 15-20 feet near a shore that I could explore from a boat though. I'll go if I can find anybody that is knowledgeable and has experience diving there.

 

[robint]

look here:
United States - ScubaBoard
you will find lots of good info on your area, and maybe even an area close enough by that you would want to visit.

 

[Scuba31]

Hi fish-tanked! I know your pain, I'm your neighbor in Roanoke/Salem. I have been going to Blanch Quarry in NC. If you find any other spots, let me know.

 

[Paladin]

I have dove Smith Mountain Lake on the Blackwater side a few times. It really wasn't bad, visibility-wise; about 12 to 15 ft. It is true that the lake bottom was not cleaned before the lake was filled and there is a lot of stuff down there. Personally, I thought it made my dives more interesting.

I don't know anything about a town being down there, but I did come across a few crumbling buildings. Someone once told me that, instead of tearing down structures, they just tied them down with heavy chains and let the lake fill up.

If you dive the areas in the upper parts of the lake on either side, especially in the coves, the bottom slopes are pretty gentle and it's easy to stay in relatively shallow water.

http://www.smithmountainhomes.com/news/2007/05/scuba-diving-at-the-lake/

Summersville is a nice lake to dive with very good visibility in most places. Contact Sarge's Dive Shop for info.

 

[DannyB1977]

ok im new also but i think what tanked is asking is there a set printed set of rules that say what types of water bodies you or canot dive in?

 

[Paladin]

ok im new also but i think what tanked is asking is there a set printed set of rules that say what types of water bodies you or cannot dive in?

I don't think so. As far as I know, any body of water open to the public for recreation (boating, fishing, swimming, water skiing, etc) is also open to SCUBA unless specifically posted as closed to swimmers. Basically, if people swim and water ski at a place, you can dive there. Just remember to follow the dive flag regulations. If it's closed to surface water sports like swimming and water skiing, then it's closed to divers. As far as privately owned bodies of water, do the same thing that hunters do: ask the owner for written permission and promise to do no damage.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

... or just move to the Pacific Northwest. That way you get both year-round diving and mountains whenever you want them ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[diver 85]

Trespassing is one of the biggies along with government laws----here in Louisiana , Toledo Bend reservoir was given the 'no dive' law down in front of the damn POST 9/11...I guess they were afraid us coonasses were gunna blow it up.......LOL...

 

[TSandM]

I think there can be local regulations that restrict diving in certain sites -- usually, there's good reason for it, like excess boat traffic or underwater hazards. I'm not aware of any blanket proscription of diving, but you should be aware that some lakes have very deep mud for bottoms, which can make getting in and out of the water rather treacherous.

Dive Training magazine has a whole series of little pieces on local diving across the US -- they have a couple of sites that appear fairly close to Lynchburg: Mid Atlantic