What critters are under the upper and lower falls at McKinney Falls State Park?

[In10se]

Inquiring minds needs to know. I've fished and swam there a billion times with my son and all the neighborhood utes. Hehe, seeing a kid make that first jump from the rock at the upper falls for the first time is always a treat for me. Anyway, I know there are freshwater eels under the falls because we've caught them while night fishing.

In another thread the merits of SpareAir, or the lack of them, are being discussed and it got me to sorting out what I should get for my emergency air supply. It came to me that there are a zillion places I've always wanted to get under and look at such as the upper -n- lower falls. So it stands to reason that if I get a 30cf pony I can use it under the falls without hauling/donning full gear. A very light wieght rig could be used at McKiney, as well as some other interesting shalow water spots along the various rivers we are blessed with in the central Texas hill counry area.

Anyways, anyone been under the falls yet, and if so what did you see?

 

[RumBum]

I was at that park last Friday, hiking and wading. Turns out it is only a five min drive from my work and makes a great lunch break escape. I went to the lower falls area. I must admit that I also looked in the creek area which is right above the falls and I gazed longingly into the pools and swim-throughs there. I hiked to the bottom of the pool and waded around. I found some little red claws in the water - either freshwater prawns or crawfish. The water was quite clear and probably looks 20-30 feet deep. Lots of fishing there so you'd really need to bring a cutting tool and be careful!
You might want to start with simply bringing a mask, fins, and snorkel.
I meant to ask at the gate if anyone has ever dove it but I was in a hurry to get back to work. I'm going tomorrow and will definately ask.

 

[Mack Diver]

Zeagle has a setup that would be great for shallow dives such as this. It is called the Rapid Diver and is a full self contained unit. It is a BC with a front mounted 20cft tanks. The unit comes with a Razor reg, BCD inflator hose and spg. MSRP ~ 1000.00.

It is also great for working under your boat, diving at Hamilton Pool, or treasure hunting the local rivers.

 

[ZzzKing]

You guys live in such beautiful country down there.

 

[ScubaTexan]

It does look inviting, for real.

 

[In10se]

You guys live in such beautiful country down there.

It is a beautiful place to live and being able to go fishing in shorts and a short sleeve shirt in December is a good bonus. Besides, where else in the country would they scheduling the gay pride parade on the Sat morning smack dab in the middle of the weekend that the Republic of Texas Biker Rally is held ... ... ? Gotta love Austin.

... It is also great for working under your boat, diving at Hamilton Pool, or treasure hunting the local rivers.

You might can guess that I'll be a PITA regarding rental gear Mack. I'm thinking of the same bpw rig for use on both a light lil 30cft or a full size tank depending on if I'm "working under your boat, diving at Hamilton Pool, or treasure hunting", or diving Travis. I've seen pic's and posts where divers just use a sling on their 30cft pony. Seems like the pony might could flop around at inconvenient times, but I am curious about that ...

Anyway, I get home this weekend. I feel like a heroine addict must feel with no drugs. I neeeeeeeeed to dive next week. I will be looking you up early next week to sort out the Travis clean up, and start sorting out gear. I do want to peek under those falls ...

 

[chrispete]

I have seen a harness (no plate, no wing) for a 19 cuft pony somewhere before. Can't remember where though...

 

[Mack Diver]

There is a company that sells alight weight, no frills harness. I can look it up when you come to the shop.

 

[RumBum]

Lunch break was fun today! I went out to McKinney Falls with mask and fins.
Upper Falls: The best word I can think of to describe it is "Ick!" Viz was not an inch over two feet. I could barely see the length of my arm and could not see past about my knees. Ah, well... I am a SWAMP diver, right? So I set out to explore the mud hole. Deepest spot I found was perhaps 6 ft. The bottom is pebbles/ mud. There are some large boulders out in the middle. Some of the water was quite stagnant. No swamp monster, but there is a resident large turtle. He can HAVE that place as far as I'm concerned! :turtle:
I went out to the Lower Falls next. That's the place to be. I did some free diving here and found the bottom is 10-15 ft in spots. Water was clearer, maybe 5 ft viz. The bottom is covered in tree branches that have washed down. It would be fun to have a tank and a light and poke around under the boulders. Fish were small perch and bass.

I'm going to have to finish this saga later, another more ugent saga is calling...

 

[RumBum]

This is a picture of the pools/ swimthroughs area. I guess I'll have to get in there with a light next Friday!

Oh, and I DID ask at the front gate if they know if anyone has ever dove the park. As far as they know the answer is No. When I asked if there could be caves down there they shrugged and admitted that there could be.