Question Would you explore a strange lake?

[freeflowigb]

If it gets totally dry I wouldn’t bother. You already know what’s under there. Nuthin.

the water is not evaporating. it is escaping through the ground. there has to be a cave down there

 

[rx7diver]

In my home region there exists almost no diving, except the emergency service divers who mostly recover bodies from lakes and rivers.
However, there are plenty of lakes there. One of these lakes is particularly intriguing as it is virtually unexplored. ...

Considering the above, ... would you explore it, and what would be your dive plan?

Absolutely, I would explore this lake (if I knew how to dive at altitude)! Being so far away from emergency services, I would make extremely conservative recreational dives to start. (Is there cell service there? Satellite phone service?)

I would locate and speak to others who may know something about the lake. I would take a larger supply of emergency oxygen.

I hope you'll write up a dive report for us here afterward. Good luck. Have fun.

rx7diver

 

[broncobowsher]

the water is not evaporating. it is escaping through the ground. there has to be a cave down there

What's the point? Are you properly trained for caves? Why not look for the cave while it is dry? Your "cave" might just be a 3" wide crack in the rock. Even if you can find it, you probably are not going to fit through it. Think of a spring where water comes up through a bit of course gravel, but goes the other way. Your visions of a cave are probably way off.

 

[SlugLife]

In my home region there exists almost no diving, except the emergency service divers who mostly recover bodies from lakes and rivers.
However, there are plenty of lakes there. One of these lakes is particularly intriguing as it is virtually unexplored. There are a couple caveats to be aware of.

1. It is located at 6000 ft altitude
2. It is quite chilly - we are speaking about 50 Fahr in summer time.
3. Typical lake viz - not too murky, though. Maybe 10-15 feet.
4. The nearest decompression chamber is at least 15 hours away by a road that goes 13000 ft into the mountains.
5. Max depth is 60 feet - not too deep.
6. It disappears.

The last point is the most unnerving. It is speculated that the lake is being fed by underwater caves, through which the water escapes completely from time to time. Being sucked into a syphoning cave is not on my bucket list.

Considering the above, can you figure out any potential dangers I left out, and would you explore it, and what would be your dive plan?
The lake in question:

View attachment 765536

Aside from the temperatures, I'd be there in a heart-beat.

Now, I would NOT explore any caves because I'm not cave-dive certified. Also because it's likely a sump (I think that's the term) where water is flowing into the cave, meaning it takes a lot more effort and air to exit than it takes to enter.

6. It disappears.

It might be worth checking out when dry as well.

Unless it disappears in an ultra-short time, I don't think this is an issue. If there was ever severe suction, I might expect a bunch of debris (branches, logs, etc) to collect around the point, so if you're nervous about that, perhaps keep your distance from any debris piles.

edit: Since we're talking dormant volcano and lava-tubes, I'd probably avoid entering any cave even if cave-certified. You may run into water hot enough to cook you.

 

[PfcAJ]

the water is not evaporating. it is escaping through the ground. there has to be a cave down there

Not really.

It can flow through stuff far smaller than anyone can fit through.

Sounds like it’s held by an aquaclude, maybe clay, then over time breaks up enough to drain it, then it settles and becomes impermeable again.

There are spots in Fl like that (lake cascade, for instance). No cave. Just mud. Here’s a pic of yours truly giving it the ol’ College try. You can see on the trees how high the water gets.

 

[rjack321]

the water is not evaporating. it is escaping through the ground. there has to be a cave down there

Nope
There are tens of millions of tiny pores or cracks that drain innumerable waterbodies - without having a human sized cave anywhere nearby.

 

[rjack321]

this

There is no cave there. Cracks yes! human sized caves? Sorry nopes

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Not really.

It can flow through stuff far smaller than anyone can fit through.

Sounds like it’s held by an aquaclude, maybe clay, then over time breaks up enough to drain it, then it settles and becomes impermeable again.

There are spots in Fl like that (lake cascade, for instance). No cave. Just mud. Here’s a pic of yours truly giving it the ol’ College try. You can see on the trees how high the water gets.View attachment 765746

Probably not a good place for a solo dive, with people in street clothes on the side with cameras. Is there an emergency plan?

 

[Thunder Struck]

Probably not a good place for a solo dive, with people in street clothes on the side with cameras. Is there an emergency plan?

Smash the inflator until the OPV starts dumping while holding down the dry suit inflator until you hit the surface like a trident missile. Follow up with some post dive recovery tequila shots at the bar to numb the joint pains while starting off stories with, "There I was..."

It it wasn't for the overgrown grass it looks more like someone collecting golf balls in a water hazard.

 

[PfcAJ]

Probably not a good place for a solo dive, with people in street clothes on the side with cameras. Is there an emergency plan?

“Stand up” was my plan. I think that mud puddle ended up being 6’ deep.