17 May2009 — Several shots I snapped on a recent
run down to Beaver Lake in NW Arkansas.
A friend (Les Sage) and I had to check out the rumors of 40-50 ft visibility on Beaver Lake this year. It was pretty clear, but 40 ft would be stretching it a bit. I laid on the bottom with depth gauge reading exactly 42 ft and I could just barely see a spot of sun on the surface. Then I left the bright yellow reel that I pull my dive float with at the bottom and surfaced -- couldn't see it from the surface looking back down.
I don't consider, looking up to see sun on the surface a measurement of visibility, do you? To me visibility should define: 1) how far a diver can see horizontally through the water, while at depth; and 2) the distance you can make out a fish or an object clearly, not just a shadowy figure somewhere out there in the great green beyond. So . . . my vote is we were diving in 20 ft visibility, at best.
Twenty feet. That's what I would tell a friend if I were being really realistic, not wanting to raise their expectations to high and end up disappointing them if they were going to travel very far. But then, if I were working on a tourism brochure for Beaver Lake, or writing copy for a web site, or I owned a dive shop down that way and wanted to pull divers in from neighboring states, I guess I'd call it 40 - 50 ft viz.
But don't get me wrong, I'm not bitching, it was definitely clear enough to be fun. Had it been spearfishing season (begins June 15), I'm sure we could have each nailed striper and a walleye. Photography in the deep greenish-brown of our midwestern lakes is always disappointing; no let's call it pretty crappy. So I was impressed that the viz allowed enough light at 30 ft to still get a shot.
Most of all . . . it was great to be back in the water and out in the sun -- my first dive of 2009. We saw lots of carp, largemouth bass (always see lots of largemouth bass on the lakes of NW Arkansas, some nice big stripers, a few walleye, and a few little pike.
A friend (Les Sage) and I had to check out the rumors of 40-50 ft visibility on Beaver Lake this year. It was pretty clear, but 40 ft would be stretching it a bit. I laid on the bottom with depth gauge reading exactly 42 ft and I could just barely see a spot of sun on the surface. Then I left the bright yellow reel that I pull my dive float with at the bottom and surfaced -- couldn't see it from the surface looking back down.
I don't consider, looking up to see sun on the surface a measurement of visibility, do you? To me visibility should define: 1) how far a diver can see horizontally through the water, while at depth; and 2) the distance you can make out a fish or an object clearly, not just a shadowy figure somewhere out there in the great green beyond. So . . . my vote is we were diving in 20 ft visibility, at best.
Twenty feet. That's what I would tell a friend if I were being really realistic, not wanting to raise their expectations to high and end up disappointing them if they were going to travel very far. But then, if I were working on a tourism brochure for Beaver Lake, or writing copy for a web site, or I owned a dive shop down that way and wanted to pull divers in from neighboring states, I guess I'd call it 40 - 50 ft viz.
But don't get me wrong, I'm not bitching, it was definitely clear enough to be fun. Had it been spearfishing season (begins June 15), I'm sure we could have each nailed striper and a walleye. Photography in the deep greenish-brown of our midwestern lakes is always disappointing; no let's call it pretty crappy. So I was impressed that the viz allowed enough light at 30 ft to still get a shot.
Most of all . . . it was great to be back in the water and out in the sun -- my first dive of 2009. We saw lots of carp, largemouth bass (always see lots of largemouth bass on the lakes of NW Arkansas, some nice big stripers, a few walleye, and a few little pike.
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