Mount Storm Lake

[Lemonade]

Just got back from Mount Storm Lake in West Virginia.
It's a huge artificial reservoir in mountains of WV, a small part of which is dedicated for divers. A coal power plant uses its water for the steam turbines. So the lake is very warm year around.
I wore a 3mm suit for the first time since I got back from Florida last fall. Water temperature on the surface was 80F, at the bottom (125’) - 65F.
Visibility above 50’ feet is decent, at the bottom it was completely, and I mean completely, dark. Lights wouldn’t penetrate any further than 5’.
There is not much to see, a fish or two, that’s pretty much it, but I was told that when vis. is better (apparently occasionally it is) there are some interesting quarry equipment, which even can be penetrated.
There are boats, so certain degree of caution is required, though boats are not to enter the diving area and vice-versa.

It was a 2:45 hours, 160 miles drive from the Atlantic Edge.

The diving area is maintained by the state, and there is no admission fee.

If anyone wants directions, let me know, I'll post 'em here.

 

[dmdalton]

I've been diving up there for the last 7 years. The quarry equipment, although shown on an underwater map apparently is a fence/shed according to the fellow that drew the map. I've searched for it but haven't yet found it.

Viz will get up to about 25' or down to less than 10. If you follow the lip of the wall to the right when coming off the platform over to the dam there are a lot of rock formations.

I'ts main claim to fame is the temp. You can dive it all year round. Temp will usually stay in the 60's but sometimes will drop to 50.

Dave D