Lake Murray 11/05/06

[TwoBitTxn]

Met up with Timeliner at Marietta landing at around 10am this morning. Mapquest only made a minor attempt at getting me lost so I wasn't late. I find it amazing that the trees just a little north of us in Dallas look so beautiful. God paints with a different brush this time of year and it sooks great.

The weather wanted to be cruddy, but it all held off. Air temp at about 61*F and cloudy. No breeze.

We drove to a spot and made dive one. I was back in my dry suit for the first time in over a year. I am always amazed at how that thing can humble me. My bouyancy control sucked. At least the vis was bad too, so I didn't mess anything up.
Max depth 95 feet for 35 minutes. My cobra was telling me I shorted my steel 95's 500 lbs. I filled them so it was my fault.

Vis was 1-4 feet. Water temp 61*F.

Took a surface interval to eat lunch, chat, and re-rig for dive two.

94 feet 25 minutes. I cut that one short by getting floaty feet and not being able to get it under control. At least we were only at 15 feet and had been there awhile. I fit a bottom temp on that one of 59*F.

The sirens beckon....

Lesons learned... DMDalton p-valves that aren't hooked up... leak.
Don't do bench squats the day before going diving. Your thighs will hate you.

Two interesting dives in a new spot for me. Good diving with Timeliner.

TwoBit

 

[texdiveguy]

Sounded like PERFECT dive conditions to me Tom!!!!! Those Bag of Bones work....welcome to Oklahoma diving dude!

 

[Timeliner]

I didn't consult with the bones this week. I just threw caution to the wind

“You mean it gets worse ???” TwoBitTxn remarked when I said that the visibility had improved since last week. “Oh man you’ve got to be kidding!”

The water was, and I’m sure still is, dark, low visibility and 62 degrees. It was a complete Bio Sphere and all we needed to bring was a little bit of air and a touch of light. You can always tell it’s going to be a good dive when you have to begin it with your lights on at the surface in the daytime.

We found a rocky ledge and dropped head first over the edge and down an overhang. They say that love is blind and you fall in love with what you bump into. I love that place. The Overhang became a cliff and then back to an overhang again and there was just blackness. I knew I’d found the bottom when my light went out. It actually was not out but just like the rest of me it was buried up to my chest in the silt. Just like an Ostrich. 93 feet is all I could find.

We heard later that somebody had lost all they’re gear off the side of a pontoon boat near by. I remembered right where they were cruising back and forth just before our dive. They probably dropped it right around where we were. The whole dill pickle right off the side of the boat and they had no clue where they dropped it. I’ll be down there in the dark at 93 feet becoming, “One with the Mud”. I’m going to have to add that to my list of things to hunt for down there in the dark next time. It was a fun outing. Tom says it’s no place to take an Open Water Class and I agree it is sort of freaky down there but then I like surprises.

 

[Crazyduck]

How come you have all fun… what’s up with that?
This is what I get for staying home…man!

I see a mud screw in your future with a reel attached to it.
This could be a real be a real cliff hanger!!!! HA!

I want to go playing in the mud!
Ou, ou, ou pick me, pick me.

Andrew

 

[texdiveguy]

Frank remember the first time we dropped off that ledge and wall....we hit around 75ft. and called it as we were seperated because of zero viz.....I knew that dang wall dropped some more. Like I said in my PM to you 'we gots plans!'. Oh Frank....I will bring you upto date on the DeGray run plans for late Novemberish.

 

[Timeliner]

It's a cool wall. Lots of fun to drift on down there and then just follow it along. 'Sort of like a mini wall dive at Broken Bow except way less Vis. and no big trees. It's plenty dark. I bet it clears up some as the tempreture gets colder. It was hard to beat 62 degrees though top to bottom

 

[texdiveguy]

It was hard to beat 62 degrees though top to bottom

Now don't go getten 'soft' on me!!!

 

[Timeliner]

So when I get there the other day I'm getting my stuff ready before TwoBitTxn arrived and this guy drives up with his gear and gets out and starts to talk to me about the diving we're going to do. Never seen him before. About then TwoBitTxn gets there and he thinks this guy is my friend and I think... well it must be his friend...:huh:
and so we start talking about where we were going to dive down that wall, how deep, how dark and freaky and what thermal protection we were wearing and stuff. He got big eyes and said he just had a 3/2. He looked twitchy and got back in his car, put the top up and drove about 50 feet away, parked, and waited for us to leave.

 

[texdiveguy]

..........we start talking about where we were going to dive down that wall, how deep, how dark and freaky and what thermal protection we were wearing and stuff. He got big eyes and said he just had a 3/2. He looked twitchy and got back in his car, put the top up and drove about 50 feet away, parked, and waited for us to leave.

Can you say...wuss............

 

[fire_diver]

We heard later that somebody had lost all they’re gear off the side of a pontoon boat near by. I remembered right where they were cruising back and forth just before our dive. They probably dropped it right around where we were. The whole dill pickle right off the side of the boat and they had no clue where they dropped it. I’ll be down there in the dark at 93 feet becoming, “One with the Mud”. I’m going to have to add that to my list of things to hunt for down there in the dark next time.

Damn, I need to get out there. Got a metal detector that's just begging to be used. When you heading back?

FD