the visibility was great yesterday, ranging from 50-100' and was a real change from diving the sound and hood canal. but as far as clear lake goes, it was not as spectacular as usual, which can run up to 300' or more (or so i'm told). i'll definitely have to go back to see it in it's primo form.
the day was fun, with several NWDC divers showing up. it was great to meet nice-diver and narcosis junky and his wife for the first time. and also good to see a few familiar faces.
the water was clear but very cold. my first dive registered 39F on my computer and the second at 42F. the first one was so cold because i got very close to one of the underground springs that feed the lake, and felt the temp drop as i got within 10' or so.
there's barely any life in the lake, though we did see a few trout here and there. the lake itself is almost like another planet, with light gray ash covering the lake bed which can easily be disturbed and create huge clouds if not careful. a few sparse fallen logs are scattered about and still standing trees rise up from the floor to just under the surface of the lake. swaths of bright green algae carpet large portions of the bottom, and the springs that feed the lake can be found here and there, often in small depressions in the lakebed.
certainly a very unique diving experience, and one i recommend if you can make it there.
a few pics below, and the rest of mine
can be found here. not my best day with the camera, but some are ok. i'm looking forward to seeing nice-diver's and narcosis junky's pics, so please give us some links, fellas!
- divernick
- nice-diver, narcosis junky and his wife approaching
- the treeline from 50ffw