theskull
October 18th, 2009, 11:44 PM
There are two parts to this report—1. The Diving (excellent) and 2. Eureka Springs’ sights, attractions, and restaurants (truly excellent).
Part 1: The only locals game for the trip were me and Scuba Sally, so the diving was a little more aggressive than we do when hosting a group, however small, of fun-seeking divers. We each brought a set of double tanks, a deco stage tank, and our tech diving gear and spent Saturday making long deep-ish dives all around the Dam Site (north) and Bluffs area. The dives were spent both exploring the sites where we could take future fun-diving groups and recommend to others and practicing tech diving drills—bubble checks and S-drills, donning and doffing and staging deco tanks, valve shutdown drills, swimming through dense underwater trees with deco tanks without getting hopelessly snagged, etc. The water conditions were wonderful, with 30 ft. visibility in spite of so much rain the past week that the lake was 5 ft. higher than usual, and a surface temp of 63 F that extended all the way down to a depth of 55 ft., where the temp dropped only to 51 F. Our first dive lasted for 82 minutes, with a max depth of 103 ft., and our second dive was 42 minutes, with a max depth of 122 ft. Among the things we did see underwater were a pontoon boat, some concrete lawn ornaments (goose and 3 seahorses), and the skeleton of a cow with crawfish enthusiastically picking the bones clean (real, not simulated). Also all the usual suspects in MW lakes: bluegill, catfish, crawfish, bass, minnows, etc. What we did not see yet, but got a bearing on from the local divers at the site, was a submerged sailboat, and some additional lawn ornaments that apparently get moved around occasionally.
Sunday we returned to the Bluffs area with refilled tanks and a plan to go deep. We worked our way down through the dense trees to a depth of 150 ft., where the water was very dark but still only 49 F, and swam along the silty wall with no bottom in sight, dodging the trees along the way until our predetermined time to ascend based on our available gas and consumption rate and the amount of decompression time we were willing to accept. We made the typical deep stops at 100 ft., 70 ft., and 40 ft., a stop at 30 ft. to prepare to breathe the deco tanks, and then a required 5 minutes at 20 ft. breathing 50% Nitrox, with an additional 3 minutes on the Nitrox at 15 ft. for additional safety margin. The dive went smoothly as planned, and was a great way to complete the weekend before the drive home.
We got great service from the local dive shop, C & J Sports, with quick air fills and a good site orientation. Also have much praise for the hotel that C & J recommended to us, Roadrunner Inn, which offered a divers’ discount rate, late Sunday check-out, and very nice rooms that include a mini kitchen for those who wish to prepare snacks or meals—and the hotel owner, Bob, who gave us the very best recommendations on where to go in town for our non-diving pursuits. The hotel also had free satellite TV in the rooms, and a spa that offers massages by appointment.
Part 2: We had been told that Eureka Springs was a historic city full of shops and bed-and-breakfasts, but were not prepared for the full spectacle we experienced. The entire city is a historic district with zoning and building restrictions that keep it looking as it would have 100 years ago. The downtown district is busy, but not overcrowded, and has dozens of excellent restaurants, quirky shops, bed-and-breakfasts, and stately old hotels that boast of spas, baths, and luxury accommodations. As cool as it looks in daylight, it is just dramatic looking at night, with all the tasteful neon and period lighting.
In our short time as tourists, we had two wonderful breakfasts at Mud Street Café and a fabulous but not cheap dinner at Local Flavor, just a block away from each other on Main Street. We did not have time to visit the highly recommended new BBQ place, called Rockin’ Pig Saloon. We did climb to the top of the 100 ft. observation tower once used by the Park Service (weird how 100 ft. high seems so very high and 100 ft. deep seems so comfortable). And we spent nearly an hour driving through the winding streets of the city gawking at all the cool places and picking out places to visit on a future trip.
When you plan your trip . . . and do go, whether to dive or just visit . . . take along plenty of change and small bills. It is $4 to park in the State Park (around Beaver Lake). It is $1 in quarters to climb the observation tower. Parking downtown is all metered and costs $1 per hour. At least our hotel did not have a vibrating bed that demanded quarters! Also good to know is that the city and all it has to offer is a 20-minute drive from Beaver Lake, C & J Sports, and the diver-friendly hotels.
theskull
Part 1: The only locals game for the trip were me and Scuba Sally, so the diving was a little more aggressive than we do when hosting a group, however small, of fun-seeking divers. We each brought a set of double tanks, a deco stage tank, and our tech diving gear and spent Saturday making long deep-ish dives all around the Dam Site (north) and Bluffs area. The dives were spent both exploring the sites where we could take future fun-diving groups and recommend to others and practicing tech diving drills—bubble checks and S-drills, donning and doffing and staging deco tanks, valve shutdown drills, swimming through dense underwater trees with deco tanks without getting hopelessly snagged, etc. The water conditions were wonderful, with 30 ft. visibility in spite of so much rain the past week that the lake was 5 ft. higher than usual, and a surface temp of 63 F that extended all the way down to a depth of 55 ft., where the temp dropped only to 51 F. Our first dive lasted for 82 minutes, with a max depth of 103 ft., and our second dive was 42 minutes, with a max depth of 122 ft. Among the things we did see underwater were a pontoon boat, some concrete lawn ornaments (goose and 3 seahorses), and the skeleton of a cow with crawfish enthusiastically picking the bones clean (real, not simulated). Also all the usual suspects in MW lakes: bluegill, catfish, crawfish, bass, minnows, etc. What we did not see yet, but got a bearing on from the local divers at the site, was a submerged sailboat, and some additional lawn ornaments that apparently get moved around occasionally.
Sunday we returned to the Bluffs area with refilled tanks and a plan to go deep. We worked our way down through the dense trees to a depth of 150 ft., where the water was very dark but still only 49 F, and swam along the silty wall with no bottom in sight, dodging the trees along the way until our predetermined time to ascend based on our available gas and consumption rate and the amount of decompression time we were willing to accept. We made the typical deep stops at 100 ft., 70 ft., and 40 ft., a stop at 30 ft. to prepare to breathe the deco tanks, and then a required 5 minutes at 20 ft. breathing 50% Nitrox, with an additional 3 minutes on the Nitrox at 15 ft. for additional safety margin. The dive went smoothly as planned, and was a great way to complete the weekend before the drive home.
We got great service from the local dive shop, C & J Sports, with quick air fills and a good site orientation. Also have much praise for the hotel that C & J recommended to us, Roadrunner Inn, which offered a divers’ discount rate, late Sunday check-out, and very nice rooms that include a mini kitchen for those who wish to prepare snacks or meals—and the hotel owner, Bob, who gave us the very best recommendations on where to go in town for our non-diving pursuits. The hotel also had free satellite TV in the rooms, and a spa that offers massages by appointment.
Part 2: We had been told that Eureka Springs was a historic city full of shops and bed-and-breakfasts, but were not prepared for the full spectacle we experienced. The entire city is a historic district with zoning and building restrictions that keep it looking as it would have 100 years ago. The downtown district is busy, but not overcrowded, and has dozens of excellent restaurants, quirky shops, bed-and-breakfasts, and stately old hotels that boast of spas, baths, and luxury accommodations. As cool as it looks in daylight, it is just dramatic looking at night, with all the tasteful neon and period lighting.
In our short time as tourists, we had two wonderful breakfasts at Mud Street Café and a fabulous but not cheap dinner at Local Flavor, just a block away from each other on Main Street. We did not have time to visit the highly recommended new BBQ place, called Rockin’ Pig Saloon. We did climb to the top of the 100 ft. observation tower once used by the Park Service (weird how 100 ft. high seems so very high and 100 ft. deep seems so comfortable). And we spent nearly an hour driving through the winding streets of the city gawking at all the cool places and picking out places to visit on a future trip.
When you plan your trip . . . and do go, whether to dive or just visit . . . take along plenty of change and small bills. It is $4 to park in the State Park (around Beaver Lake). It is $1 in quarters to climb the observation tower. Parking downtown is all metered and costs $1 per hour. At least our hotel did not have a vibrating bed that demanded quarters! Also good to know is that the city and all it has to offer is a 20-minute drive from Beaver Lake, C & J Sports, and the diver-friendly hotels.
theskull