NewsLeader Talks About Table Rock

[skdvr]

I wish that I knew more of what I was looking at on those scans... I do not understand side scanning. I am sure it is just like it sounds but the scans do not make any sense to me, because I am not really sure what I am looking at. I feel like I am at the Dr.'s office and he is showing me some x-rays. Everything is clear to him but to me it is nothing. I do appreciate the posting of the pics, I am going to have to educate myself some on this...

Thanks
Phil

 

[Nemrod]

In the side scans I passed almost directly over the bridge at an oblique angle. Look at each side as an individual picture. Rotaee them upright in your mind. The boat is the little arrow at the top and as it passes along the beams of the sidescan sonar shoot out like a fan to each side--down and out far to the side. The max distance out to the side is given at the top edge. It is simple--lol. The images look so ghostly because I am using the machine beyond it's limits. It does not like much below 100 feet and as ypu can see the depth to bottom is 170 plus. What you see there is the bridge truss work at about 130 feet. Below that the sidescan signal is so attentuated that the image just fades away. On the down looking sonar you see the huge hump the bridge makes clearly. Again I crossed obliquely so the funny looking arch signals are probably the trusses.

It all makes sense when your in the boat, the signals going down and to the side, the boat path displayed and the "history" of where you were preserved as an image trails behind on the screen.

N

 

[Nemrod]

Reporting in, I Nemrod, having undertaken the mission to discover the lost city of Oasis, dah, dah, dahhh, dooooom. From the deck of the Whaler Nemrod we began our investigation. After a quick check of the area near Spoonbill Bluff our investigation turned to the small island nearby. The map on our sonar indicated submerged roads. We picked up the road on the sonar and followed it with side scan engaged. Barely able to contain our excitement, it soon turned to boredom. We thought surely the lost city would lie along the submerged road. Nothing. Reconfiguring the sidescan to a higher frequency I, Nemrod, came about to intersect the road at 90 degrees when sudenly my wife shouted there is something. Yes!!!, dah. dah, doooom. (Insert commercial here) Yes, two square objects, obviously man made and distictive from the typical bottom contours. A second pass revealed the same two square objects again and a thrd object projecting from the bottom but alas, further passes revealed nothng more. I, Nemrod, decided to investigate further as I shouted commands to my wife to hand me the Aqua Lung, I am going below to see for myself. Well, I can report what appears to be a foundation. I could not locate the third object in the gloomy darkenss. No town hall, no drug store, just a chunk of concrete. Could this be Oasis, well, I am pretty sure this ls it and like most legends, somewhat dissappointing. Save your air and dive the Zeb!! You have to remember, this is Missouri and here three house trailers (slabs) in formation constitutes a town., a city being five or more--lol.

So, there ya go, another mystery solved, dah, dah, dah, dooooom, by yours truly, Nemrod of the Depths. Side scan pics to follow if interested. Coordinates for Oasis are:

36 degrees 32.388N
093 degrees 17.996W

Building with roof and door, I think, this is the object I could not locate on the dive:

Cultural remains:

Possible road into Oasis:

River channel and bank below H86 bridge:

My first dive did not locate the building, only some slab like areas. The building should be below the coordinates or very close.

N

 

[SteveC]

hmmm.... I believe this building with roof and door, must surely house some kind of treasure

 

[skdvr]

Thanks for explaining that to me Nemrod... I really apreciate that....

Phil

 

[Nemrod]

http://www.dtmag.com/dive-usa/TableRockLakeMO.html

You know, I might call BS on this whole deal. It is as if somebody took some facts and some urban legend and mixed them to suit a good story. The internet has it's limits but you would think that somebody would have seen these things but as I note that people cannot even agree upon the depth of the Kimberling Bridge. In one thread it is said it is 40 feet deep, trust me, it is deeper than that or the lake I dove is not Table Rock. Here is some more BS. The supposed 40 foot cruiser at Point Number 7, note in the artical that it is said to be near the dock where the Branson Bell sits. Hmmmm, how does fact become legend become myth, become out right disinformation.

One clue I have found over the years to BS is when attempts to solve the mystery only result in more mystery then my BS Meter starts pinging in the red zone. Like aliens in Roswell, a picture will no longer do, I need a body, for Oasis I need an eye witness of reliable word who has dived the "city" and seen more than a few chunks of concrete and maybe a decaying shed and outhouse. Unfortunately my attempt solo, in about ten foot viz to recon the area was quite challenging. Your in over 100 feet of cold and dark water, the bottom is silty and did I mention viz is not so good in the lake. At this depth I had only about 20 minutes to do a look around and I quickly discovered a bunch of "stuff", stuff that looked bull dozed, stuff that looked like, well, stuff, some pieces of timber, what may have been a silt covered dirt road, what might have been a drainage ditch, some more chunks of concrete and by then I was disooriented and low on air and cold. I did not float down an underwater main street and visit a sunken church. If this is there then where?

If there is something more there then the coordinates I have given would be where I would start.

Looks deeper than 40 feet to me. Sure felt deeper than 40 feet.

N

 

[SteveC]

I was hoping that the vis was a little better than 10 feet. I bet it was very dark too.

 

[Nemrod]

That set of coordinates I listed should be investigated further. There is definitly something down there and it is fairly large. I just did not find it while diivng but I am not ready to give up. If you look at the scan I posted with the Zeb and realize that is three decks and 90 feet long and then look at the objects in the oasis scans you realize there is some pretty big stuff down there but it seems fairly spread out. I did not cover a very large area in my dive so it is possible I missed the best stuff. I am confident that is Oasis. I am also confident that the description in DT is a bit fanciful. I am also confident the top of the bridge is not 40 feet unless they drain off a lot of water--lol.

N

 

[skdvr]

Nemrod, there is a guy I know that use to dive in the 70's and had been to Tablerock looking for Oasis a few times and all they ever found was a foundation. He really could not remember where they were exactly, but he felt that was all that was down there. Would be cool if there was a little more, and who knows maybe you will come across it...

Cummings66 had done some research on some old maps and such and came up with these coordinates

36* 32.300N
93* 17.950W

Which seems to be just down the street from what you came up with...

Thanks again for all the info...

Phil

 

[Nemrod]

I circled over the area and made repeated passes. When I saw objects on the sidescan I hit the mark button.

Here are the coordinates:

36 degrees 32.378N
093 degrees 18.008W

36 degrees 32.388N
093 degrees 17.996W

36 degrees 32.384N
093 degrees 17.997W

You must remember the side scan sees to the sides--not under the boat. The pic I posted with the side scan split screen with the down looking sonar (over the object) was the middle set and it is the set I dove. I think I just missed it with my anchor--the large object ---there was some wind and while trying to get anchored we may have drifted off a bit more than I thought. My wife got the line fouled--lol. I think if somebody plots the coordinates I list here with the ones from Cummings66 they should have a relatively confined area to search. All I found was a foundation but the object on that screen shot is bigger than that so there is still mystery to be solved, dah, dahhh, doooomm. Perhaps I will save it for the next episode of SeaHunt aboard the Nemrod. Scuba diving is a fun and adventureous sport kiddies, take lessons and be prepared, see you on the bottom.

N