Submerging an object?

[Squishy]

Hello all!

OK...this is going to be a little odd. I've read some interesting threads about what people have brought up from the bottom, but I want to leave something down there.

I live in Minnesota and will usually dive in lakes and quarries with occasional saltwater dives. Compared to the ocean, there is nowhere near as much to look at in the lakes and quarries. I have done some wood carving, but want to try stone carving. I was thinking that it would be fun to carve something to leave on the bottom for people to encounter. Something like an Easter Island head (Smaller version, obviously).

My question is... is it legal to put something like this in a lake or quarry, or will the DNR say that putting a rock in the lake is destroying the habitat? I don't need any fines. Need my money for diving.

Thanks!
-Mike-

 

[Doc]

In Chicago they did this all the time.

I recommend the pinball machine and chains deal.

Do it at night, nobody squeals... get it ?

 

[Squishy]

Ha! That's not exactly what I was thinking about sinking to the bottom, but you've opened some new possibilities I had not considered. LOL!

-Mike-

 

[NancyLynn]

Hello all!

OK...this is going to be a little odd. I've read some interesting threads about what people have brought up from the bottom, but I want to leave something down there.

I live in Minnesota and will usually dive in lakes and quarries with occasional saltwater dives. Compared to the ocean, there is nowhere near as much to look at in the lakes and quarries. I have done some wood carving, but want to try stone carving. I was thinking that it would be fun to carve something to leave on the bottom for people to encounter. Something like an Easter Island head (Smaller version, obviously).

My question is... is it legal to put something like this in a lake or quarry, or will the DNR say that putting a rock in the lake is destroying the habitat? I don't need any fines. Need my money for diving.

Thanks!
-Mike-

If you do this - consider marking its approximate location as a geocache ( Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site ). It would be interesting to see how many diving geocachers there are

 

[DA Aquamaster]

If I remember correctly Square Lake (East of MSP) has a toilet on one of the platforms - it does not get much odder than that.

I know in SD the GFP folks would come unglued if anything that could leak gas, oil, etc ended up in the lake. That included a 1956 Chevy Brookwood that had been underwater since about 1962. Calmer heads prevailed when someone pointed out any oil in the car was either long gone, trapped in the inverted oil pan, would be congealed and/or would be released very slowly with virtually no evironmental impact as it continued to rust away. Moving it on the other hand could release fluids.

A similar project was considered in combination with one of the local universities to locate and sample all the 55 gallon drums in the lake (using ROV's) to determine if they contained oil or otehr toxic chemicals. That was pretty stupid on several levels 1) most were obviously in places where they had to end up adfter the damn was constructed in the reservoir and obviously were not left over by the construction company. 2) if they were full of gas or oil, they would have floated. 3) the leading source of drums there has always been 55 gallon drums that leaked and slipped out from under docks on the lake. 4) Besides, the regular divers knew where most of them were at, knew where they came from and knew they were empty. Again someone with brains pointed out the obvious - the GFP guys are well meaning but some of them are not the sharpest crayons in the box.

MN if anything is even more obsessive about such things as in SD they let sunken vechicles remain in a lake until the ice was off wheras MN wanted them out NOW.

That said, if there are no fluids or other contaminants, there is not much of an issue. In a private lake there is not really any state authority either.

I've always thought old concrete road culverts would be great - especially if you had enough of them to lay out a decent "cave" system, providing a way to provide a measure of overhead penetration training. Something that big though would require approval and that would bring fears of masses of rec divers dying horrible deaths lost in a silted out culvert.

Small projects like old boats (once they are properly cleaned) have been known to mysteriously sink in the middle of the night.

Gazing globes seem to be popular in quarries and the one in Lake Wazee is at 150' and has not imploded. They do need to be glued to their base and properly weighted. Some concrete mizes also set up very well under water as do some epoxy resins so they offer some options to keep things from wandering off.

Lake Rawlings has an interesting little garden of CD's on lines with floats to give sort of a sci-fi kelp effect - I thought that was creative.

 

[ScubaSteve2000]

Lake Rawlings has an interesting little garden of CD's on lines with floats to give sort of a sci-fi kelp effect - I thought that was creative.

I LIKE the sci-fi kelp CDs. Last week somebody was asking me if CDs were recyclable. I said not unless you can do something artsy with them. Besides, you could argue that it's a fish habitat.

Steve.

 

[bfw]

My question is... is it legal to put something like this in a lake or quarry, or will the DNR say that putting a rock in the lake is destroying the habitat?

If putting a rock in the lake is a problem, every 10 year old who ever walked along the shore would be in lockup.

 

[wardric]

it's been done

If you speak french or know someone who does, here's the article. It's been put on a very popular dive site.
it's made of granit. They put it on a boat and sunk it at the site.

Jean-François Gagnon : Une lourde sculpture dans les eaux du Memphrémagog | La Tribune | Cyberpresse

 

[2Tours N Iraq`]

First, you need to check the local laws and regulations on placing large items underwater. Usually before you get permission you must have a placement location in mind so the appropriate agency can determine if it will be a hazard to navigation. Secondly, if you do get permission and place a large stone carving down, make sure to mark its exact location and report it to the proper agency to ensure it will be marked on future nautical navigation charts for other divers to enjoy.

 

[scubidoobi]

Hello all!

OK...this is going to be a little odd. I've read some interesting threads about what people have brought up from the bottom, but I want to leave something down there.

I live in Minnesota and will usually dive in lakes and quarries with occasional saltwater dives. Compared to the ocean, there is nowhere near as much to look at in the lakes and quarries. I have done some wood carving, but want to try stone carving. I was thinking that it would be fun to carve something to leave on the bottom for people to encounter. Something like an Easter Island head (Smaller version, obviously).

My question is... is it legal to put something like this in a lake or quarry, or will the DNR say that putting a rock in the lake is destroying the habitat? I don't need any fines. Need my money for diving.

Thanks!
-Mike-

we've got a loch in scotland full of gnomes its great to see them in there natural habitat GordonMackie.Com