Cooling off
Have dinner early and get everything ready for bed. Then take your BC and a Dr.Pepper (or drink of choice) and go hangout in the lake for 30-45minutes. Just float in your BC and tell jokes and hangout. The lake will act like a heat sink and your body will cool down and then going to sleep will be a breeze. Do not camp close to the train tracks- camp site 4 or 5 (I think) the train comes through in the dead of the night- and yes will wake your or your companion up. Its like a snipe hunt gone bad, you awaken to this loud noise at 2am wondering what in the heck that is
.Then you realize its the train.
There are tents for sale that have a solid fly and mesh walls. These are great in the summer because the allow wind or slight breeze to blow through but if a storm blows up then you are still in good shape with the fly cover. Or if you need to change you can throw the fly cover back on. I leave the fly attached at two corners- easier to grab and pull over.
I would recommend an air mattress if you are tenting it. Most divers have the lp hose connection for filling air mattresses- makes life a breeze. Strange having 32% nitrox in your air mattressHe He He
If anyone in your group has lightened or colored hair (or similar) do not have it done the week before you leave. I have had blondes turn green and one lady had her hair colored and it came out light BLUE. No joke- the metal content in the water has this effect. Mayo and lemon juice gets it out. Just pouring lemon juice through their hair works also. It helps if the ladies put conditioner in their hair before entering the water- reduces the absorption. In the summer you might feel this tacky material on your skin. Take advantage of the free showers- it removes most of it. For classes make sure you bring something to clean your mask with (Windex or mask scrub)- if the water get too warm you get a film on the inside of your mask. Been there
.
In my past experience the lake has its moments at certain times of the year for clarity. This time of year and early fall are great. If you arrive on Friday it is great. But if you show up and 200 people show up then no the vis is really going to be terrible. Hummm, done that to. Remember the clay bottom does not fall out of solution. Once you or a student makes a cloud it can hang for a very long period of time.
I have spent my fair share of time diving that pond for open water weekends. It is great and my hat off to Calvin for constantly doing capital improvements. pool, hot tub, more junk underwater, and recently (last year) I saw my first crawfish (green but still kicking.)
Please take care with the Simulated cave; for many years cave divers have worked hard to preserve the ideas that there are direct and indirect hazards with cave diving. That thing he has in the water is simply an underwater rain culvert and could be dangerous. My concern is that people think that cave diving is that easy when it is not. Training is required and I hope that people do not think that a cave environment would be similar when it is nothing like it.- Sorry but it does not belong in the park with OW divers.
Windy point (Lake Travis, Austin) is still my favorite for fresh water lake diving- nothing like deep walls.
San Marcos River- for floating down the river and the fish life- plus the waterfalls.
Glad to hear that you enjoyed Athens.
Now I just need a trip to Flower Gardens to relax
..Hummm
Dive Safe, Andrew
