[Winnipesaukee Divers]

I didn’t reply to this tread earlier because it was addressed to Grant. But, I can tell you what’s down there.

The deepest part of the lake is just north of Rattlesnake Island at around 213 feet. My dive buddies and I have dove the surrounding areas but never really wanted to do the depths for a number of reasons: it’s dark, cold, ten feet of silt (mud) and nothing to see there.

Fifteen years ago three of my dive buddies and I set out to explore the mysterious deep hole. It was the middle of August at high noon when we anchored the dive boat “Lady Go Diva” just off the Island in 140 feet of water. It was a one of those calm, crystal clear days with temps near 80 degrees. I knew we in for a hard dive when I had plaid out nearly all of the 300’ anchor line we had with us. With the boat secure we began the suit-up and equipment checkout, one would have though we were preparing for a dive in the Artic. In fact that was exactly what we were doing with the bottom temperatures around low forties, this was going to be an ice dive. The regulators drawing that much air off the tanks so fast they gets so cold they actually freeze the water around them and become an ice ball. By the time I got my drysuit on I was already over heated and near exhaustion and still didn’t ever have my gear on yet.

Once everyone was ready we made our way to the decent line, grouped together by twos, we dump the air in our BCs and slipped below the surface. Somewhere around the 30-foot mark we could no longer see the surface, we were in an eerie green world as we slowly descended the line. Without the line slipping through our fingers we would have no way of knowing how fast were descending, if at all, as the ride grew ever darker until it faded to jet-black. When the line stopped moving through my fingers I assumed we had reached the bottom and switched on my hi-powered dive light tethered to my wrist. Even though I had switched on the beam it was still pitch black and I though the light had broken, until I brought it directly to my face shield and could only see the dimmest speck of light. This is a light that you only turn on for seconds out side the water as it so intense it will melt the lens. Once I had my bearings I figured we had settled into the bottom silt and needed to ascend above it. Hovering just above the silt we explored to bottom as we descended even deeper to 160 feet. Our dive master was right about the bottom temperature; I was freezing and kept adding air to my suit to fluff up the insulation. I have the advantage of not having a thermometer on my dive consul, but I just know it’s dam cold down there.

Having just 9 minutes of precious bottom time to remain with in the No Decompression Limits, it seemed more like an hour, I was that unconformable there and none to soon we began our long ascent back to the surface. Once back on the dive boat we reviewed our mission. The total dive time 38 minutes, 120 CF of air consumed, maximum depth 162 ft. water temp 44 degrees, things seen: nothing… The mission was to train for technical dives and in the course of things check out the deep hole on the lake. At least we can say we been there and we know we don’t ever want to go back again.