Lake Rawlings, VA diving

[AlaskaDiver]

I dove Virginia for the first time yesterday. Lake Rawlings had a bottom temp of 50F with the upper 20 feet at 58F. The air temp was in the upper 60's and sunny. The platforms and topside docks were in good condition (above and below water). We dove to see several cars, a school bus, a van, a very cool plane ("Miss Laurie"), a dentist chair with a stone hippo in it, a USPS mailbox, signage to other locations far away and many other interesting items. We saw a few folks using their rebreathers. There was a cool obstacle course with large diamond-shaped hoops to swim though. Topside we encountered hoards of people taking their open water classes, but everyone was polite. The campground did not have water hook ups or a dump station, but we did have an electrical hook up. The bathhouse was still under construction. The owner Errol Duplessis was a very friendly, outgoing and charismatic person who made us feel comfortable. Overall it was a good experience. I'd love to return for more diving.

 

[DennisW]

Lake Rawlings is a good place to get wet if you can't get to the tropics or need to check out some gear. However, I wait until the water temps on the surface are in the mid 70's before I will get in. Maybe I'll see you there this summer.

 

[AlaskaDiver]

Bath house completion anticipated early this summer will make a welcome addition - especially for campers in tents. We were in a motorhome, so it was not a big deal.

 

[Pook-60]

Yup...I agree...Lake Rawlings is a very "polite" place. Never thought of it that way before but I appreciate your perspective AlaskaDiver

Dane

 

[emcbride81]

What do the temps run at depth in the summer/early fall?

 

[DennisW]

Surface temps are in the mid 70's, sometimes upper 70's. Below about 35 ft temps drop into the mid 50's to low 60's.

 

[tfsails]

I've seen surface temps at Rawlings in the high 80's, but it is always in the mid-50s to low-60s at the bottom. Nice thermocline at about 30 feet in the summertime.

I will let y'all know what the temps are now--gotta dive it five times tomorrow and Sunday. Whooppee!!

 

[tfsails]

Temps yesterday and today were 58 at the surface and about 49 at the bottom. My computer showed 42 for our deep dive, but it didn't feel that way and my buddy's computer showed around 49. Lotsa dry suits this weekend! BTW, my "semi-dry" 7mm wetsuit is neither...

 

[peterj424]

Anyone go diving at Lake Rawlings with a gauge on temperature recently? I'll be diving there this weekend and was curious what I would be looking at!

 

[H3LlIoN]

I dive up there pretty regular. I actually might be there this weekend with my father, so I'll let you know if I go. Anyway, the guy that actually maintains the place is named Kevin, and if you call ahead and ask, he'll generally tell you what the bottom temps are, especially if you are nice to him. He dives up there almost daily. The number is 804-478-9000.