Nfs_127
Registered
Hey everyone! I just returned from Lake McConaughy in Nebraska after day and a half trip on 7/26/10-7/27/10 and figured I'd put in a quick report and some interesing things I learned from a local.
First off the dive.... My brother and I chose to dive in Martin Bay (northeast side of lake) because it was close to our camp and family. The visibility was horrible, less then 3' partially because of the water lever (see below) and because the wind was blowing strong the whole day right up till the hour before we made our dive. The water temp was around 75 degrees. We saw nothing but a few trees that we almost ran into because you can't see them till you are close enough to touch them. The water level is very high, highest levels in 9-10years I believe and has flooded trees that grew during the years of low water causing a lot of sediment / bark to be in the water. Later that aftenoon I jumped in with my mask on after a boating trip to the middle of the lake and visibility was much better in the 12'-15' range so there may be hope for a good dive yet (more hope- see below). I wanted to do more then one dive but because I could not get the extra time off we only had time for one between the boating / tubing and visiting family that lives in the area.
Hopefully the water will clear up a little bit and I'll be able to go when I have more time and can do a few dives in various spots. While out there I spoke with local store owner who dives out there and he told me that the average visibility is 12' and he has seen it as good as 30'-40' feet in spots and certian times. He told me about two very interesting spots that would make AWESOME dives.
The first is the remains of a town (Lemoyne, NE)that was swallowed up by the water after the dam was built. It's mostly a foundations with a few buildings because most of the town moved up the hill to it's current location safely away from the water. The local said that there are old Ford Model A's scattered around as well as various other items between the old foundations. At the current water levels the town is at a depth of approx. 50'. If you do a search on the town you can see various pictures of the town as it was no longer under water during the low water levels in the late 90's - early 00's.
The second is the old Highway bridge that ran over the river before the dam was built. The bridge is situated more in the south central area of the lake and is at a depth of approx. 100'. I'll try to get a map on here marked with the locations he pointed out if anyone is interested.
First off the dive.... My brother and I chose to dive in Martin Bay (northeast side of lake) because it was close to our camp and family. The visibility was horrible, less then 3' partially because of the water lever (see below) and because the wind was blowing strong the whole day right up till the hour before we made our dive. The water temp was around 75 degrees. We saw nothing but a few trees that we almost ran into because you can't see them till you are close enough to touch them. The water level is very high, highest levels in 9-10years I believe and has flooded trees that grew during the years of low water causing a lot of sediment / bark to be in the water. Later that aftenoon I jumped in with my mask on after a boating trip to the middle of the lake and visibility was much better in the 12'-15' range so there may be hope for a good dive yet (more hope- see below). I wanted to do more then one dive but because I could not get the extra time off we only had time for one between the boating / tubing and visiting family that lives in the area.
Hopefully the water will clear up a little bit and I'll be able to go when I have more time and can do a few dives in various spots. While out there I spoke with local store owner who dives out there and he told me that the average visibility is 12' and he has seen it as good as 30'-40' feet in spots and certian times. He told me about two very interesting spots that would make AWESOME dives.
The first is the remains of a town (Lemoyne, NE)that was swallowed up by the water after the dam was built. It's mostly a foundations with a few buildings because most of the town moved up the hill to it's current location safely away from the water. The local said that there are old Ford Model A's scattered around as well as various other items between the old foundations. At the current water levels the town is at a depth of approx. 50'. If you do a search on the town you can see various pictures of the town as it was no longer under water during the low water levels in the late 90's - early 00's.
The second is the old Highway bridge that ran over the river before the dam was built. The bridge is situated more in the south central area of the lake and is at a depth of approx. 100'. I'll try to get a map on here marked with the locations he pointed out if anyone is interested.
Last edited:
