Treasure hunting in Lake Winnipesaukee

[Winnipesaukee Divers]

As a very experienced diver/treasure hunter, even though most would call it another form of dump picking, I have found the most productive part of the dive is the last fifteen minutes of the dive. I guess it has something to do with your sensitively to your surroundings being more heighten as you know end of the dive is near. Most of the time, during the middle part of the dive I’m just marking time, covering ground and keeping an eye on my partners.

One day my wife Linda and I were scouring along the bottom looking for treasures. I got to tell you Linda is a very good diver and have some very respectful finds of her own, however, she does have an overactive imagination, I guess from reading to many books. Linda likes to keep ahead of me due to the silt storm I create while searching and with this overactive imagination of hers, she creates lake monsters from the most benign things. It’s kind of a tradition to sport clothing object we happen to find on the bottom, you know, like put that old hat on or park the sunglasses over your mask just to put a little humor into the dive. Well, nearing the end of this dive, I came onto an old fur coat in the mud and the thought came to mind, wouldn’t I look just grand in this old coat… So, after wrestling it out of the bottom I shook it out and slung it over my back and continued with the dive. Now, if you can picture this in your mind: a big burly, 275lb guy with one peace dive suit, full dive gear on, all black (best color to hide the dirt of the bottom) and a tatter remnant of a shaggy old brown fur coat draped over my back with usual hoses hanging out. I was thinking, how cool, I must look in my new found attire as I crawled along the bottom. The only problem was; it kept slipping to the side and I’d have to stop and shake it back into position. As I emerged out of Linda’s silt trail, I was violently shaking from side to side trying to keep my new coat in position; there she was waiting for me… Well, I got to tell you; she was certainly not impressed with my new found treasure and she bolted to the surface. Thinking she must be in trouble, I followed her up and grab her leg to slow her ascent down, after being kicked in the face several times we finally reach the surface safely. Remember that over active imagination I was telling you about earlier, it was a quiet ride back to the Club.

Just the other day, she showing some of our treasures to group of friends that were over to the house, I overheard one of them remark on how fascinating it must be dive with me and to hunt for lost treasures. Linda went on to tell them about one of our best finds ever, my fabulous fur coat and her reaction to confronting the lake monster face to face. Her final comment was; “yes, it always interesting diving with him, you never know what he’ll come up with next”. Linda still dives with me from time to time but she always keeps me in her sight.

I lost that old coat on the way back to boat, but, it’s just waiting to be found again…