Table Rock for beginner

[Nemrod]

"think that lat/long numbers are off for Spoonbill Bluff, at least in Google Earth. I think Spoonbill is just North of Breezy Point."

Yes, I think the numbers for that are incorrect. I scanned he area and found nothing. I don't think those numbers are good. Learning to use GPS and manuvering a boat to get on the numbers is pretty darn easy with a small bit of practice. It is not like back in the day when we used land ranges or mojo or compass headings and time on course or dare I say Loran. But, you got to have good numbers to begin with. N

 

[skdvr]

Nemrod, We were actually going to dive spoonbill bluff but we did not because when we got on the Lat Long it was in the middle of the main channel. I was not sure if that was correct or not. Although the boat traffic was very low last weekend I did not want to dive right out in the middle there, espically if was not even the correct spot. I found that the number for the Enchanted Forest were off to. If you go right to the Lat Long it was to the South East of what I thought the Enchanted Forest was. We went around the bend into the small cove where there we quite a few trees breaking the surface. So maybe what we dove was not actually the enchanted forest but were the coordinates where I did not see any trees. I guess that is the main reason that I was second guessing the coordinates for Spoonbill Bluff.

I agree that using GPS in a small boat is pretty easy and it does take a lot of guess work out of it, but it is only as good as your spotter. If you get bad coordinates the you go to the wrong place.

 

[rrostie]

I was hoping to be able to go this past weekend (Oct 7/8,) but I still had ear problems from my OW dives. Hopefully I will still get a chance to go before it gets too cold. I have a 3/5 wetsuit, and I don't know how fast the lake will get too cold for that wetsuit. Maybe next year if things go well I can get a dry suit.

 

[Nemrod]

I don't think that you dove the Enchanted Forest. The Enchanted Forest runs the entire length of the bluff there. The bluff drops off steeply to the "forest" floor. I recall it being in the 70 to 100 foot range. The numbers I have seen and used for the Forest are good. It is usually a north set and a south set and the forest runs between them. Since anchoring here is diffucult due to the trees and deep water right adjacent to the bluff and the wind often blowing onto the bluffs we don't anchor. I had my dad skipper the boat and we dropped out over on the mark and then swam a compass heading once on the bottom through the forest. My dad and mate would standoff for us to surface and then run in and pick us up. The wind was blowing onto the bluffs fairly strong so he circled in and picked us up one at a time and we had to swim out a ways so as to keep the boat from getting up on the rocks while he shut down for the pick up. N

 

[skdvr]

I see, well then what we dove was not the enchanted forest, because I was told that you would be able to see the trees out of the top of the water and were the coordinates where that we took we saw no trees until we got around the bend into the cove, there were a lot of trees in there but they were pretty shallow. I guess next time we will have to give it a shot out there infront of the bluffs. Thanks for the info Nemrod.

 

[Nemrod]

If you motor along the bluff you will see trees in the water and at several places they just barely break surface when the water is low. It gets deep really fast so even tall trees are not going to stick above the surface. Therefore the trees that you will see are very close to the bluff. Last time I was there we were the only ones on the lake. The wind was howling and the waves were three feet and breaking or very close. It was like diving in the ocean. Anyways, the wind seems to favor blowing on to the bluffs therefore anchoring so close to the shore (because it gets deep so fast) is not practical. N

 

[skdvr]

Well we were about the only ones on the lake last weekend as well... It was pretty nice. The wind was not kickin though. I had my dad come out with us on that one so that he could stay with the boat, because I was worried out anchoring there. As it turned out (I guess because we were in the wrong spot) we anchored and did not get wrapped up into any trees.

If you know of any other places that are fun to dive for a new diver Nemrod and you could pass them along I would greatly appreciate it...

Phil

 

[cummings66]

The enchanted forest is pretty interesting, it is deep. I'm not sure how deep it really goes but I do know you can hit 123 feet there and I'd bet it gets deeper than that if you head out into the lake away from the wall.

 

[skdvr]

Well it will be a while before I go that deep but, I do want to get to the point where I would feel safe doing it... I have heard from a few people that it is a great place to dive... Maybe by the end of next year I can get deeper...

Phil

 

[Nemrod]

cumming66 is right, the Enchanted Forest is a deep dive. It drops away in places to over 130 feet as I recall, in fact I am sure it goes much deeper than that. Last year I had good viz there but this year not so great. I have been diving since forever but I admit, I am an ocean diver. I get skeered down there in these dark and cold lakes---lol. Marooned here for the time being I sorta like Table Rock, the Zeb is a good dive as is the Forest. Both are deep, dark and sorta skeery especially alone.

Even moderate deep dives can go deep. That Jakes Point Cruiser is at about 35-40 feet but I launched off the stern and quickly hit 110 feet and the bottom was dropping away. Glad I had my trusty double hose Aqua Master and SeaHawk with me, never know what might be lurking down there. N