Table Rock Lake 8/22-23

[theskull]

Had a group of 10 fun divers all over Table Rock this weekend, including the dam, Poverty Point, Jake's Island, Houseboat Cove and near the Kimberling City bridge. Thanks to 2 pontoon boats and an eager bunch we had a great time, perfect weather, and great conditions.

Water temp of 75 F down to 28 ft., although the shallow vis was poor. Water temp of 60 F from 30 ft. down to 80 ft., with beautiful 25-40 ft. visibility! And a little colder from 80 ft. down to 130 ft., where I got a reading of 55 F, and the vis was still beautiful if you have a bright light to light up the totally dark water.

Also got to enjoy a deep dive to the submerged tree near the old Kimberling City submerged bridge. The tree is just as deep as the bridge deck, but it catches an anchor even more securely than the bridge does. ;) Fortunately, Scuba Sally and I were able to free the anchor from the tree before ascending the line to report to the waiting divers that the bridge was not below us. Next time we plan to dive the bridge the hard way, send up a lift bag, and get a GPS reading on exactly where the best spot is to hook up!

theskull

[scububa]

Sounds like a great weekend. Poverty Point is one of my favorite sites and so close to the marina. Great weather. So, did you all get on the bridge or was that a pass this time?

No diving this weekend for me, but I did change my oil/filter, brake fluid, antifreeze and replenished my washer fluid. And, I washed, clayed, polished and waxed my truck and my daughter's. Man I am tired!
I also got all my gear square and packed for the Luraville/Marianna trip.

I think you put the weather to better use than I did.

[theskull]

Dived the tree instead of the bridge. LOL! We were running out of time, so after we retrieved the anchor from the tree we just motored over and dived the wall.

theskull

[skdvr]

That stinks about the Bridge and the Zeb. I will ask one of my buddies about the Bridge. He was telling be arount tieing up to one of the bridge pylons and following that down to like 30 or 40 ft and there is a line that goes down to the old bridge. I just cannot remember which one of the pylons he said to tie up to... When I was at the lake a month ago we drove up to the Zeb in the boat to check and see if the float was still there, but Scuba Sports boat was there so we just ASSumed that the float was still there too, but I guess not.

For Oasis myself and a few buddies were going to dive the location just to see for ourselves. Someone on another board went over the area with a sidescan sonar and got one hit that he thought looked like a foundation. He dove it but the viz was so bad he said he would have had to run into it to see it. This was last year with all the flooding. So we have thought about diving it this winter sometime just to go and check it out. We are fully expecting Dark Deep Cold water and that is about it, but it would be cool to run into a foundation...

Glad to hear that you guys had a good time...

Phil

[skdvr]

Here is the sidescan image of the Oasis location...

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/JRWJR/Table%20Rock/S00034.jpg

Phil

[theskull]

That stinks about the Bridge and the Zeb. I will ask one of my buddies about the Bridge. He was telling be arount tieing up to one of the bridge pylons and following that down to like 30 or 40 ft and there is a line that goes down to the old bridge. I just cannot remember which one of the pylons he said to tie up to...
So we have thought about diving it this winter sometime just to go and check it out. We are fully expecting Dark Deep Cold water and that is about it, but it would be cool to run into a foundation...

Glad to hear that you guys had a good time...

Phil

Its' the third pylon. But when you do the dive that way you spend most of your NDL time travelling the line, so we try to snag it with a direct descent line. Next time out my buddy and I will take the line and mark it where the line hits the bridge so we can get a GPS reading. (Unless you already have the GPS, SLIM?)

Yes, we want to dive the Oasis site, too. Same reason, just to be able to report we've done it and there's nothing there.

Checked in with Diver Dick in the afternoon and he assured us the guide line is still there, but that people keep removing the markings off it. So I want to get a GPS on that, too. (SLIM?)

theskull

[theskull]

Here is the sidescan image of the Oasis location...


Phil

Do you have the GPS for this spot? Give it up, we'll invite you along when we dive it.

theskull

[skdvr]

I have it marked in my GPS which is at the Lake but in this thread (http://forum.scubatoys.com/midwest/25722-table-rock-lake-monday-08-17-09-a-4.html) there are a few different spots marked... The one that Nemrod listed is from the Hit on his Side Scan Sonar, and there is one from Cummings66 that he got from an old Plot Map that he has.

Later
Phil

[skdvr]

Here are a few links to some stories...

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20080302/NEWS01/803020327

http://www.winkflash.com/photo/public.aspx?u=snipecall&ic=2611503

[theskull]

Excellent! Thanks for the intel. Will definitely let you know when we plan our adventure and invite you if you're available.

theskull

[scububa]

There ya go Bill, the article even has a map with the location marked :-)
I have been in that region a couple of times with some guys from the marina. The closest thing we found was a old wood wall that looked like it might have been part of a shed. It might have been a barn door blown in from Kansas, too. I would think those guys would have had a bit on an idea from Dick on where to go. The muck is over ten feet deep there based on sticking a big branch in and not hitting any thing solid. (The wood feature was hung on a downslope.) I am not sure we were in the right area, but they thought we were.

Thought I had numbers for the Zeb, but I just looked and there are not in my log.

[theskull]

There ya go Bill, the article even has a map with the location marked :-)
I have been in that region a couple of times with some guys from the marina. The closest thing we found was a old wood wall that looked like it might have been part of a shed. It might have been a barn door blown in from Kansas, too. I would think those guys would have had a bit on an idea from Dick on where to go. The muck is over ten feet deep there based on sticking a big branch in and not hitting any thing solid. (The wood feature was hung on a downslope.) I am not sure we were in the right area, but they thought we were.

Thought I had numbers for the Zeb, but I just looked and there are not in my log.

That's about the results I expect but I want to do it for myself! I really enjoyed my dive to the old submerged tree this weekend when we missed the KC bridge. I'm easily amused by things underwater. I'd like to drop an anchor with a marker and run a reel doing a circle pattern. Just for my own amusement. :)

theskull

[skdvr]

I am kind of the same way. I really do not expect to find anything I just think it would be fun to look for....

Phil

[scububa]

That's about the results I expect but I want to do it for myself! I really enjoyed my dive to the old submerged tree this weekend when we missed the KC bridge. I'm easily amused by things underwater. I'd like to drop an anchor with a marker and run a reel doing a circle pattern. Just for my own amusement. :)

theskull

Yeah, I get that. Like I said, I have no idea if we were really in the right place. But, when you don't find what you're looking for, you never know, do you? My wife ALWAYS seems to find things I can't find!

The only 'fact' that I came away with was, if there used to be foundations anywhere around where I was, the muck was way too thick to allow me to see them.

[BLU DIVER]

Deep Sea Detectives.... TRL Detectives!

My father and I would go down to TRL for a full week every year and camp and fish etc... Everytime we were out in the boat the same story would resurface year after year. "There are buildings and tractors on the bottom of the lake, now they're just foundations." It has always been intriguing and he never knew exactly where they were located. Then again...everytime I had a bite and was just about to set the hook on a monster bass. He would hit the trolling motor, look back and ask...."Have you had any bites?" :)

[Dark Wolf]

We grapple the bridge when we go down there. Although we have hooked the same tree that you mentioned, Skull. If memory serves correctly, when we did we were too far out from the bridge and a little to the left (as looking from new bridge). I know that clayhwalker and I saved the gps numbers when we made several trips last winter. I will see if I can get them and post them.

The last time we dove the bridge we followed the line from the pylon. It was about a 5 minute swim, or there abouts. I think a guy could pay for his whole trip if he were to clip all the old fishing lures from the line and sell them. Lol.

DW

[theskull]

We grapple the bridge when we go down there. Although we have hooked the same tree that you mentioned, Skull. If memory serves correctly, when we did we were too far out from the bridge and a little to the left (as looking from new bridge). I know that clayhwalker and I saved the gps numbers when we made several trips last winter. I will see if I can get them and post them.

The last time we dove the bridge we followed the line from the pylon. It was about a 5 minute swim, or there abouts. I think a guy could pay for his whole trip if he were to clip all the old fishing lures from the line and sell them. Lol.

DW

Yes, grappling is the way to go. If you can find those old GPS numbers for me, though, it would save me a pylon dive to mark the bridge and get my own numbers. Not that that would be a bad thing as long as I had a good buddy (or Al).

theskull

[theskull]

Dark Wolf,

I cannot reply to your PM; you have exceeded allowable storage in your inbox.

Thanks.

theskull

[SLIM]

I just dive off the second bridge peir I think and look about 25-30 foot deep and find a line that runs down to the old bridge and hook a link to it and back up, then when I get far enough back, I then tie into it once I go back down the line.

I do not know if that line is still there or not.

I have to say I have heard all the stories about thoese who have a buddy that know a guy that thier budy have dove all the cool spots that I have never found. THe churche was moved and only a few foundations and a bridge pier remain at Oasis. THey are hard to find and like bubba said mostly covered in silt and would be hard to see. Never found the train that is to be there. I have spoke with COE that told me about buldozing over buildings and burning them.

So many stories but no truth. Have dove Oasis area for the last 15 years 2-3 dives a year and even used trimix but not found much.

SLIM

[scububa]

And by silt we mean a gelatious type of muck that defies any analogy I can any analogy that I can recall. "Who ya goin' call?"

[theskull]

I just dive off the second bridge peir I think and look about 25-30 foot deep and find a line that runs down to the old bridge and hook a link to it and back up, then when I get far enough back, I then tie into it once I go back down the line.

I do not know if that line is still there or not. . . .
SLIM

That is why I want a GPS coordinate for the bridge itself. The line may not always be there.

Same for the Gen. Zeb. The markers on the stump tend to disappear, and I only get over there every year or two, so I cannot memorize which stump it is; numbers would put me on it consistently and not disappoint the buddies I am trying to take there.

theskull

[theskull]

And by silt we mean a gelatious type of muck that defies any analogy I can any analogy that I can recall. "Who ya goin' call?"

I call SLIM! He has never failed to deliver me to a dive site on request, and he has never passed on fables . . . although he was selling a t-shirt that said "I dived the town of Oasis" there in the Marina shop one year.

theskull

[SLIM]

LOL I was not selling that shirt, did I try to sell you one TS? NOPE it just happen to be there and the higher ups who have no idea got them, not me.

SLIM