I have just returned from a great weekend diving at Rock Lake, and I thought I would post a quick report for those who are interested. We went with a goal. We had found two old maps that conflicted on what was in the lake, and we wanted to learn the truth. Specifically, one map said the bottom of the west wall was at 300 feet, and another said it was only at 250 feet. It isn't a simple matter of dropping a line because of the different overhangs and the complicated bottom topography. You have to go down and look.
The only access point to the lake is the east side, and it is a long swim across. Consequently, not much diving is done on the west side. With all the gear we would need, it would be a very tiring swim. We therefore used scooters to cross the lake against a strong wind to save energy, tied the scooters off, and descended. The bottom of the descent line, which has been there for decades and was placed by persons long unknown, was at 250 feet. We tied off a line and headed north for a while, then used it to make an arc heading back to the middle and then south. This enable os to explore the whole region around the line. We were at about 275 near the middle, and it looked like it was going down, but it was time to start reeling in the line and get back for our ascent. So one mystery was solved--it is not 300 feet deep right at the west wall.
We explored another region the next day. We descended the north line, with slopes toward the middle of the lake at maybe a 30° angle (we are not in agreement on this). We reached the bottom at 270 feet and headed north. We hoped to reach the north wall, which undercuts the surface by quite a bit, but we did not make it in the time we allotted, so we turned back, returned to the line, and ascended. I think the line goes all the way to the middle of the lake, but, again, we are not in agreement with that. We will have to do some further tests to see.
One of the great things about this site is that even after so many years of diving it, there are still things to discover.
The only access point to the lake is the east side, and it is a long swim across. Consequently, not much diving is done on the west side. With all the gear we would need, it would be a very tiring swim. We therefore used scooters to cross the lake against a strong wind to save energy, tied the scooters off, and descended. The bottom of the descent line, which has been there for decades and was placed by persons long unknown, was at 250 feet. We tied off a line and headed north for a while, then used it to make an arc heading back to the middle and then south. This enable os to explore the whole region around the line. We were at about 275 near the middle, and it looked like it was going down, but it was time to start reeling in the line and get back for our ascent. So one mystery was solved--it is not 300 feet deep right at the west wall.
We explored another region the next day. We descended the north line, with slopes toward the middle of the lake at maybe a 30° angle (we are not in agreement on this). We reached the bottom at 270 feet and headed north. We hoped to reach the north wall, which undercuts the surface by quite a bit, but we did not make it in the time we allotted, so we turned back, returned to the line, and ascended. I think the line goes all the way to the middle of the lake, but, again, we are not in agreement with that. We will have to do some further tests to see.
One of the great things about this site is that even after so many years of diving it, there are still things to discover.
