Muldrew Lake anybody?

[ScubaSteve]

I am just curious if there is anybody out there that has done any diving in Muldrew Lake near Gravenhurst. I am planning on a couple of dives exploratory dives in August and am curious if anybody has any information on the lake. I spent a fair bit of time looking online for a depth map of the lake but came up empty.

Any information would be appreciated. Thanks and safe diving.

 

[bigz]

Muldrew Lake: I haven't heard that name in decades! Yes, we dove there once many years ago. We dove from shore, it was shallow, tea coloured, and we did find some "stuff" on the bottom. I'll have to go way back into my old logs to give you some specifics, but it was interesting, as I remember. As long as you're in the area, check it out. Enjoy.

Neil

 

[ScubaSteve]

Thanks Neil for the response. Any info you can offer will be great. We will be diving somewhere around the point show here (off of Haleway Drive) as that is where the cottage is. No matter what, it will be fun exploring. As with all water up in that are, the tanons (or tanins??) give the water its tea colour. This just adds to the adventure. Again, any information you can dig up will be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[CDNScubaMoose]

You may want to check with the dive shop in Gravenhurst - Scuba Shack (website: Scuba Shack, Central Ontario's Only One Stop SDI / TDI Recreational And Technical Dive Facility.). I met the shop owner 4-5 years ago while in the Carribean and dove with him there and he told me about a bunch of the local dive site in that area. I have bumped into him from time to time since so I believe he still fairly active - he might be able to give you some direction.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Well I finally got around to diving Muldrew Lake this weekend. It was interesting in its own way.

The top 15-20 feet was so silty/pollen filled that the visibility was limited to IMO little more than 4-6 feet (and this was NOT clear visibility.....at 6 feet you could see shapes only). Above 15 feet the temperature was high 60's. Once you broke 20 feet, you submerged into absolute black (obviously not true absolute but the water did not allow you dive light to travel far. Holding the dive light (a very bright Ikelite PCa) about 2 feet from the bottom, you got a circle about 6-8 inches in diameter and no peripheral lighting. At 38 feet the water was 46 degrees. The bottom is made up pretty much 100% of SILT......oh and I saw two fish - one per dive - this also might have been one fish twice .

This lake, IMO, is not a dive for any new divers. Pitch black and silty bottom is a recipe for disaster. But, for the experienced, it can be interesting. I have done it (2 dives), and will now likely never do it again.

 

[bigz]

Steve - I am not at all surprised by your findings. Perhaps it was that particular location, but I think the whole lake will be that way. Every dive has something positive as a result. These seem to have satisfied your curiousity!
Cheers,

Neil

 

[Elevatorguy2]

I can’t believe it, someone besides me has dove in this lake. As a property owner on the lake, I’ve dove it about 10 to 15 times for practice and exploration at a various locations around the lake. Its safe to say that it will never be confused with Toby. Your findings are pretty typical of my dives and that of most Muskoka lakes. Possibly you might have enjoyed it more if you stayed in the 15 to 25 (viability permitting) foot range and swam parallel to shore insuring to investigate areas around the various docks. I’ve found all sorts of treasures including old bottles, teacups and saucers and numerous motor parts including the motor cover of a Hiawatha engine. A manufacturer that I had never heard of before. Unfortunately regarding the pollen you picked the absolutely worst weekend for the stuff. I have never seen it that bad in many many years. At one point on the Sunday afternoon the week before I looked out on the lake and it looked like a snowstorm blowing through.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Well, I actually did enjoy the dives because they were something so different. The dark that we got on those dives at 38 feet was darker than any night dive that I have ever been on. It really forced my Buddy and I to make sure we were aware of what was going on around us at all times and it forced Buddy skills with no complacency because it would have taken mere seconds to lose a buddy even with the lights. On top of that, we were diving near sunken hydro lines and that caused some serious navigational challenges . So, I really enjoyed the dives but for what it forced us to be (better divers) and not for the conditions . Make sense?

 

[Elevatorguy2]

It makes total sense. The lake forces you to use skills you might not normally use. I’ve lost an experienced buddy in the in about 15 feet in the pollen conditions you described. I like to bring friends to the lake to do a couple of dives before we do the Waome to get them use to the dark. Depending on the time of day Muldrew is darker. I get a kick out of fact that your buddy is less than a foot away and you cannot see him at all unless you put your light on him. However the Waome is colder. I’ve learned many important lessons in this lake.

 

[helimvee]

Elevatorguy2, I dove the lake with ScubaSteve. It was a challenging couple of dives. He is a hard guy not to notice, but he sure disappeared fast in that dark water.

We did try checking the bottom for those long lost items but the silt was so deep that you could hide a car in it.