Lake Fenton MI, North End Shore Access - CLOSED

[cldwdiver]

I happened to be down by Fenton today and drove by the private boat launch that has been used by divers for several decades to get at the wrecks in the North End of Lake Fenton. You will now need a boat to get to them.

It now has a Posted - No Trespassing sign next to the driveway. All of us who live nearby have been waiting for this to happen, since the property was sold early this summer. We actually got several more months of diving than was predicted. At one time, the site was rumored to close May 1st, but several delays occurred in its sale.

North End of Lake Fenton
* It was better than not diving.
* It was seldom clear and mostly silty.
* It has introduced several decades of divers to SCUBA diving.
* It was cheap and an OK place for a weeknight dive.
* It actually was a pretty good practice site for limited vis and compass work.
* It kept many divers in the water, when they otherwise might have dropped the sport, simply because it was close and cheap.
* Many divers met new friends and new dive buddies there.

Will I miss it? You bet.... I already do.

 

[gtxl1200]

without lake fenton may as well sell the gear. Just Kidding Lake fenton is special to me for I'm one of the thousands of Divers who got introduced to scuba there did my open water check outs there. I was told that if you could dive Lake Fenton you could dive anywhere well I believe that now because I dont think I have seen worse vis anywhere except for maybe Gilboa and Portage on weekends. Lake fenton was always bad vis though.

RIP Lake Fenton 2004

 

[Tiny Bubbles]

There must be another way to dive there. This lake is only an hour from my house and, despite the silt, it is one of the Detroit/Flint areas best diving spots. It has some great sunken wrecks to dive on -- 3 cabin cruisers, a sailboat, 2 pontoon boats, a few outboard boats, mine cart, a couple of cars... The Big cabin cruiser out in the middle is awesome.

<rant on>
Where the road passes right next to the lake, why is there a fence between a public road and a public lake with "no trespassing" signs on it??? ....
<rant off>

What we really need is a dive buddy who lives on lakefront property there... But until that day comes, we will have to launch our boats at the other end of the lake and cruise up there in order to dive it.

-Tiny-B.

 

[gtxl1200]

Ray I do know the area your Talking about it is called pig beach we wont go into why it is called that but I know you have had your boat out there know and have had a chance to see the SIZE of the houses around that lake. The Fence was put up just for the reason you said To keep the Riff Raff out. the rich people who can afford to pad the pockets of city councilman and the such. Wanted that fence up becuse they were tired of the riff raff hanging out on the strech of land. Now as far as that being the only public beach is not true there is a beach at the township community center. Cldwtr diver Dave has dove from that spot and said the diving sucks there but it is still a place to get wet. Now as far as crawling through the holes of the fence I wouldnt reccomend it The rich people got the cops on there side not us the working class riff raff. so we would lose in a well this is public property argument.

 

[cldwdiver]

Hi Ted and Ray,

Yes,Pig Beach has quite a bit of history. The police stated in the Flint Journal newspaper that for the July 4th weekend they were not going to ticket anyone that was on the beach. What might happen now is anybody's guess.

I have also eyeballed the ends of the fence, but I bet using them would probably get us a visit from the police. I am also unsure of who officially owns the land across the road where you would have to park.

Back in the mid-80's we used to park there and there was no fence at all. It was all used as if it was public land. Once they put up those new Condos on the NE shore the fence went up and the roadside parking was actually blocked off until the weeds took over.

Like Ted said, we can do the long walk and dive behind the Community Center, but there is not much to see there. Some barrels, debris, and a single canoe straight across from the beach. However, it is a place for a just-get-under-the-water dive.

 

[SIR VEYOR]

Hey all,

This may be more of a hassle than not, but if that areas had been used as a dive mobilization site, you may have rights to use it. The legal aspect might also help you strike a deal for divers only, no other boaters or "riff-raff".

Depending on the length of time it has been used, the new landowners may be forced to let you still dive from that end. This would be known as an implied easement or as a form of adverse possession. Find a local surveyor and/or lawyer and they can fill you in on the specific requirements. However, it is very common for the courts to rule in your favor. Just making the owners aware of the possible outcome may help you reach an amicable agreement with them. They might be reasonalbe people once you talk to them and ask nicely....

For example, one person was given permission to keep cutting wood off another's property 'cause he'd been doing it for so long. Also, a landowner who used to let kids cross his property, but changed his mind after may years, had to remove a fence he had put up (kids father was a lawyer). These are not MI specific cases, and rules vary between provinces and states.

 

[gtxl1200]

Hey all,

This may be more of a hassle than not, but if that areas had been used as a dive mobilization site, you may have rights to use it. The legal aspect might also help you strike a deal for divers only, no other boaters or "riff-raff".

Depending on the length of time it has been used, the new landowners may be forced to let you still dive from that end. This would be known as an implied easement or as a form of adverse possession. Find a local surveyor and/or lawyer and they can fill you in on the specific requirements. However, it is very common for the courts to rule in your favor. Just making the owners aware of the possible outcome may help you reach an amicable agreement with them. They might be reasonalbe people once you talk to them and ask nicely....

For example, one person was given permission to keep cutting wood off another's property 'cause he'd been doing it for so long. Also, a landowner who used to let kids cross his property, but changed his mind after may years, had to remove a fence he had put up (kids father was a lawyer). These are not MI specific cases, and rules vary between provinces and states.

You make some interesting points. I know that spot has been used for years and years for diving and dive training. But the new owners are actually just developers and they are building condos on that spot that are going to start at 300,000 I know the developers dont care about us they just want there money back from the sale of the condos. Plus you pay 300,000 for a lake condo you want to be on the lake you dont want to have to give up an easment for people to park and dive while your sitting on your patio. plus the fact all the houses around that lake are owned either by Lawyers and Dr's so the entire lake association could fight us for nothing or at least it wouldnt hurt their pockets like it would us ordinary working class people. It was a place to dive close by but the diving isnt good enough to have to spend money on lawyers. When I can take that money and by more dive gear and drive to a new dive location.

 

[Tiny Bubbles]

Hey Ted let me know when you want to dive Fenton again. I'll trailer the dive boat Tiny Bubbles up there again and we'll either anchor it in the middle or just beach it and do a shore entry from Pig Beach. That goes for you, too, Tom, Dave, & Scott. But my dive boat is only big enough for 2 divers + gear so if we have more than that we're either going to need Ted's pwc's or another boat.

-Capt. Ray

 

[Tiny Bubbles]

The local paper in Fenton just ran a story about Pig Beach. Scott picked up a copy and showed it to me, but I can't find it on the web. The owner of Pig Beach has found out that people have been parking their boats there and walking on the beach, and he wants them to stop. The paper printed a retraction, because they had printed that the owner said it was OK for the public to use Pig Beach.

The fact that someone owned it at all must have been lost in the translation in that stuff that local boater told me. That lot must measure something like 300 feet x 1 foot, and doesn't look like anyone owns it, or would want to own it, but someone does. But it is the 'side of the road', and may be considered city or county right-of-way, which is probably what he meant. I will try not to post any more hear-say on here.

We can still take the boat there & do a shore entry, but will have to stay below the water line to avoid being ticketed.

 

[ScottTee]

http://www.tctimes.com/site/news.cfm?brd=2524