Crater Lake Closed to Divers

[Joshua Smith]

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/167910755.html

[Dusty2]

Long steep trail? count me out. No contamination from this diver!

Seriously though I have to agree wholeheartedly. After seeing what invasive species have done to other bodies of water like the great lakes we don't need to take a chance with on of the most pristine lakes in the country.

[pogiguy05]

I agree BUT does this include swimmers as well. I have not been so I dont know if swimmers use this lake

[Bric Martin]

I liked the part about the park officials learning about the dives from on-line posts.

[Dusty2]

I liked the part about the park officials learning about the dives from on-line posts.

When will people realize that if you say it on the net anyone can hear it! Social networks are about as secure as emails sent from work!

[Tom Nic]

I liked the part about the park officials learning about the dives from on-line posts.

Yeah I noticed that as well - very relevant considering some controversial threads here in the past.

[selkie]

I have friends that have done this dive. There is a dive shop in Bend Oregon that uses the lake as the second days dive in their altitude diving class.

http://ec2-50-18-136-176.us-west-1.comp ... /view/1771

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9vT4tCCtz4

[mpenders]

Always wondered what the "long walk" in and out of the crater was like. This video shows what's involved - also has some great diving footage in the lake:

http://www.opb.org/programs/ofg/segments/view/1771


**Edit** Looks like Selkie and I were typing at the same time...

[Jeff Pack]

a 1 mile hike in full gear? Thats pretty damned hard core..

[Mortuus]

I have friends that have done this dive. There is a dive shop in Bend Oregon that uses the lake as the second days dive in their altitude diving class.

http://ec2-50-18-136-176.us-west-1.comp ... /view/1771

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9vT4tCCtz4

They do not do that. As someone who still lived in Bend and dove out of that shop at this time last year, I can confirm this. I also took their altitude course. What they do do however, is dive Crater Lake (with permission from the park service) once annually.
For altitude dives they will use other, closer lakes that dont involve a 1 mile hike, and dont involve special hoops you have to jump through in order to dive. Such as Lake Cultus, or Lake Waldo. Sometimes they will use Lake Billy Chinook or the Prineville Reservoir too

[Scubie Doo]

"The National Park Service is responsible for the introduction of rainbow trout, salmon and crayfish, which are considered a leading threat to the lake's water clarity."

Divers carrying invasive species on their dive gear? Glad they isolated this huge threat to Crater Lake. I bet they start with a free permit for divers and then turn around and charge for it later. Make it off limits and people will come. In fact, I am interested in diving there now that I read this article

[ArcticDiver]

This reads like a creative way to add this area to the essentially private for the employee's camping and touring reserves.

Sounds sarcastic and I mean it that way. In so many places the govt. has essentially locked things up to the point where they are de facto private employee only areas. Now I understand the fuss about "intrusive species". It is the fad of the moment that takes a stop watch approach to the planet rather than a geologic one.

Intrusive species! All an intrusive species is is something the people don't want there. Your weed is my grass and vice versas.

Rant off.

[CaptnJack]

"The National Park Service is responsible for the introduction of rainbow trout, salmon and crayfish, which are considered a leading threat to the lake's water clarity."

Divers carrying invasive species on their dive gear? Glad they isolated this huge threat to Crater Lake. I bet they start with a free permit for divers and then turn around and charge for it later. Make it off limits and people will come. In fact, I am interested in diving there now that I read this article

Yes. For instance, New Zealand mudsnails, Quagga mussels and Zebra mussels are all taking a huge toll on freshwater ecosystems around North America. Their larvae can live for weeks out of the water or in a damp little section of your BC. Eurasian water milfoil is right up there in terms of impact too. If you drive through ID or from ID to WA or OR you will find many boat check inspection stations were they are doing their darndest to slow the slow spread of these pests across the country. Since there's no recreational boat access to Crater Lake already, the major way these pests are likely to get introduced there is through recreational dive gear.

[selkie]

I have friends that have done this dive. There is a dive shop in Bend Oregon that uses the lake as the second days dive in their altitude diving class.

http://ec2-50-18-136-176.us-west-1.comp ... /view/1771

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9vT4tCCtz4

They do not do that. As someone who still lived in Bend and dove out of that shop at this time last year, I can confirm this. I also took their altitude course. What they do do however, is dive Crater Lake (with permission from the park service) once annually.
For altitude dives they will use other, closer lakes that dont involve a 1 mile hike, and dont involve special hoops you have to jump through in order to dive. Such as Lake Cultus, or Lake Waldo. Sometimes they will use Lake Billy Chinook or the Prineville Reservoir too

I stand corrected. As of 2009 the Crater Lake dive was offered as an Auxiliary dive after the altitude certification.
http://www.codiving.com/home.asp?pageID=125

When I certified in Bend in 1982 there was no Altitude specialty offered but we all did altitude dives. My first dive was in Three Creeks Lake.