Diving submerged villages

[idocsteve]

I agree. It sounds like it would be pretty cool. I imagine things would be pretty much intact in fresh water.

I would imagine it would be very much like flying.

"I think I'll go up and over the roof now"

See ya at the chimney...

 

[zamburinha]

I would imagine it would be very much like flying.

"I think I'll go up and over the roof now"

See ya at the chimney...

That's what I would be hoping for! If the visibility is good, it should be quite an experience to descend down to the village church tower I don't remember what the village looks like in detail, but the setting is exceptional in a valley surrounded by mountains.

 

[mudhole]

Hi all! I wonder what preparation one would need to dive in a submerged village at recreational depths. Would you treat it like a wreck, or are there special considerations? Are there commonly accessed underwater villages out there? Are they generally worth the visit?

I ask this because Spain (where I am from) has quite a few villages that were submerged in the last 50 years for hydroelectric projects and it seems like it could be really interesting to visit them.

In the central United States there are large numbers of man-made lakes, and they also, have water covered houses and towns. After moving people out of their houses, there were years before the lake's completion, and water filling the lake. . . everything that has value would be removed by the displaced owner. In lake construction here, wooden roofing materials were removed because of floating debris hazard. When diving in deeper water, walls, steps, bricks, chimneys are remaining. There is a "village" under shallow water in our lake. . . everything that would pose a navigation hazard was bull dozed flat, so there are a number of concrete slabs, flat on the bottom, covered by silt.

If everything was removed, why dive them. . . Treasure! Near every old house,was an old trash dump. . . what was trash 50 to 80 years ago, might have value now. I found an old bottle and gave it to my dive partner that day. . . one like it was in an antique store for $75. A rusted old treadle sewing machine, attracted attention and conversation in a dive shop, made a good background for dive accessories.

Another conversation is talk of old buildings and what they were. . . A stone building in 35 feet in my lake is called the "mob" house. . . It was an old country school. Conversation among divers will maybe keep divers from "burning out", after making the same old, same old dives time after time.

If your area diving is slowing down because of cold weather. . . it is a good time to question older people that are still around the lake area. Talking to the people who lived there when the lakes were built, can tell you about interesting places to search for. . . more reason to make more dives.http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/images/smilies/Standard Smiles/04.gif

 

[boulderjohn]

I agree. It sounds like it would be pretty cool. I imagine things would be pretty much intact in fresh water.

Maybe.

I grew near the shores of one of New York City's largest reservoirs, underneath whose waters were a number of villages, including the one my grandmother's family had called home for two centuries. All the houses were burned before the flooding began. During droughts the water level would drop to the point that we could walk among the silt-filled foundations, occasionally finding a horse shoe or some other relic, but that was about it.

 

[Nemrod]

Cultural remains in a man made lake in Missouri, sidescan from the well traveled Whaler Nemrod:

I have investigated many "sunken towns" and the tales of swimming through an old gas station and through the old school are wildly exaggerated for the most. Most such places were razed, stripped, flattened, hauled away leaving behind old roads, broken toilets a refrigerator and maybe a lawnmower or the odd rusty old car. In fact, some of this is fabricated, old tales told and passed by good old bubbas pulling your leg. The side scan doesn't lie nor my hand on the murky bottom. The dust of yesterday left behind and eaten up by the Langoliers.

Another sidescan of a submerged structure from an old town, sidescan on right pane and down looking sonar on left pane:

N

 

[Splash-X]

I feel like I'm looking at one of those pictures with paranormal activity, I'm staring at it but I don't see anything

 

[Zerovis]

I think I would treat it slightly different to a wreck , I know they sunk one village in Ireland and before they did it was surrounded in razor wire to keep people out that and the poor vis make it a risky dive ,

 

[Diver0001]

Hi all! I wonder what preparation one would need to dive in a submerged village at recreational depths. Would you treat it like a wreck, or are there special considerations? Are there commonly accessed underwater villages out there? Are they generally worth the visit?

I ask this because Spain (where I am from) has quite a few villages that were submerged in the last 50 years for hydroelectric projects and it seems like it could be really interesting to visit them.

There are a couple in Holland but they just look like piles of rock on the bottom. If there are any buildings standing after 50 years I would be very surpised and very reluctant to enter due to a strong possibility of collapse. I wouldn't treat them like a wreck. A 50 year old wreck would be much more stable on the whole than a submerged building.

R..

 

[chrisculina]

As long as the village is at a safe distance from the dam's outlet, it should make for a nice dive without penetration too. Be sure to write a trip report if you go diving!

There's a lake in Norway called "Lyngstølsvannet". Before the rock slide in 1908, it was only a small stream surrounded by 10-20 houses. Now, divers can enjoy swimming along the old roads, stone walls, dead trees standing, and usually quite good visibility.

YouTube - Lyngstøylsvatnet 2007

 

[zamburinha]

I think I would treat it slightly different to a wreck , I know they sunk one village in Ireland and before they did it was surrounded in razor wire to keep people out that and the poor vis make it a risky dive ,

I tend to agree, that's why the question about special techniques/precautions. Although I don't think this village had anything as aggressive as razor wire ... that would be really scary!

There are a couple in Holland but they just look like piles of rock on the bottom. If there are any buildings standing after 50 years I would be very surpised and very reluctant to enter due to a strong possibility of collapse. I wouldn't treat them like a wreck. A 50 year old wreck would be much more stable on the whole than a submerged building.
R..

This village has been under water for around 25-30 years. I guess some of the granite buildings might have survived with a recognizable structure, but I have no idea how well these things are preserved in relatively cold non-salty water.

As long as the village is at a safe distance from the dam's outlet, it should make for a nice dive without penetration too. Be sure to write a trip report if you go diving!

There's a lake in Norway called "Lyngstølsvannet". Before the rock slide in 1908, it was only a small stream surrounded by 10-20 houses. Now, divers can enjoy swimming along the old roads, stone walls, dead trees standing, and usually quite good visibility.

YouTube - Lyngstøylsvatnet 2007

Thanks for the video! It seems that at least some of the rock structures survive there. If I eventually manage to dive in Riano I will for sure write a report. It will be some time tho. First need to do cave I in Mexico this May, then will have to wait until the next time I am in Spain, and try to enlist someone else to try it out. Not such an easy sequence

Thanks to all for the comments!