Table Rock Lake, MO July 2014

A great trip, invited by one of my favorite dive buddies.

Instructor Mike and I loaded up my car with dive gear early Monday morning.  We got on the road and spent the morning driving, listening to classic rock, and munching on road goodies.  Road goodies sometime consist of things like Snickers, Red Bull, chips, and beef jerky.

We met up with Chris and he unloads from the family car in a Chinese Fire Drill to end all others.  We pack his dive gear, into the already full Volvo, add Chris, and we're full to bursting.  A bit more travel to get to our destination.  We pull over near the lake and find a good quiet spot in a neighborhood to change, get geared up, and we dive into the lake,

The water was refreshing, at first.  The day was warm and sunny, and donning the wetsuits and tanks made me a little sweaty.  A local guide Chris talked to told us about underwater statues that mark an underwater cave.  Mike set his compass and we started the snorkel out.  The water was a little rough and I get a little winded by the time Mike pulls up to reconvene.  I try not to show that I'm huffing through my snorkel, but I'm not fooling anyone.  Looks like more cardio for me.  Mike suggests that we drop down and follow the bottom out.  I turn and smile through my snorkel at Chris.  Yes, please.

The water cleared up after a few feet.  The bottom was a combo of silt and rocks.  Not a fish in sight.  After a short swim, Chris points at something unusual in the landscape.  It's flat and has straight edges,  I investigate and pull out a For Sale sign.  I hold it up and Chris snaps a photo.

(Insert underwater pic of me holding sign.  Waiting for the photographer to deliver the goods)

By the time we get out past the peninsula, we have gone through half our psi.  We abort the underwater cave search, since we didn't see a single underwater statue.  This will be the theme of the dive trip, things not being where guides tell us.

Our surface interval was spent looking for a new dive site.  We end up at a boat ramp and relax in the shade.  Mike dozes in the back and Chris and I pass the time like good dive buddies do, chatting.  As we start to plan our next dive, a local lays some knowledge on us about the site.  Specifically, he was shocked that we were going to dive in the channel that was no more than 2 feet deep.  He says he's been fishing here all his life and thinks we should pick another site to dive.  Chris, Mike, and I put our heads together and decide to chance it.  At the very least, we can see what's under the couple of docks we can see floating on the water,  May be some fun recoveries.

We snorkel out to the middle of the channel, the water is much calmer and we have no problem keeping up.  Right in the middle, Mike signals our descent and we submerge into pretty murky lake water.  Just about the time the water clears, I am faced with the bottom.  About 40 feet.  We pick a direction and head out.  There is a very cool feature of this channel; a ridge that has all kinds of treasure to be found.  We don't see much wildlife, but I kept finding golf balls, boat propellers, and anchors.  Max depth was 46 feet.  Not bad for an off the cuff dive.  Good to think our gamble paid off.  We ended the dive and as we were putting our gear away, I pulled out the 7 golf balls I had recovered.  Mike came away with 2 pairs of sunglasses.

Post dive, I am always ravenous,  We get cleaned up and go on the hunt for food.  What is the most delicious post dive?  Beer.  And steak.  So that's what we have.

Day 2

We went to the marina and a scuba boat was ours for the morning.  Fancy!  We got to load our gear in wheelbarrows, and that was entertaining.  I made the snap decision to take my reg out of the bag and hang it in my BC, so I could travel a little lighter and leave the bag in the car.  This will be a bad decision later.  We got a map and some local sites from the owner penciled in.  The boat ride out was fun.  It was sunny, warm, and the breeze was perfect.  Getting to the first site was complex.  The dive sites are not marked with any kind of buoy system, so we were relying on landmarks on shore.  The problem with that being we could interpret one finger of land to be another and be in the complete wrong place.  We shoved ashore on what we thought was close to the dive site.  The site is supposed to be a wall dive, so going pretty deep.  I plan on many layers.

As I am gearing up, I realize I am missing probably the most crucial part of my equipment.  My computer is packed away neatly...inside my reg bag...back in the car...at the marina.  So, my dive day has just been cancelled, until Mike comes to the rescue with a wrist depth gauge.  Going old school for me, then.  We jump in and start exploring the area.  Chris pulls up and points to something in the water.  Upon further investigation, a tiny freshwater jellyfish.  My surprise is hardly contained.  We continue away from shore.  As the terrain becomes nothing but sandy hills and no drop off, we confirm that we are in the wrong place.  The water is so murky, Chris and I are nose to fin with Mike, trying not to get separated.  We decide to turn around and explore the cove we parked the boat in.

As we plan our next dive, Mike wants to see how deep the lake actually is.  He has plenty left in his tank, as do I.  We boat out to what looks like the middle of the lake.  Mike starts gearing up and I, again, have the realization that I am sans computer.  No deep dive for me.  But, better safe than sorry.

Our 2nd dive of the day should be easier to find, as it's off one of the islands in the lake, pretty shallow.  We surface interval on the way to the site.  Here would be where a dive operation would hand out snacks and such.  I didn't plan that well.  We get the boat anchored and are ready for the next dive.  There is supposedly a wreck somewhere in the vicinity.  We jump in and start exploring the area, looking for a lead about 15 feet that will take us to the boat.  We do a lazy pattern not really looking too hard for the lead.  Straight lines catch my eye underwater.  Figures, since you don't find them in nature.  I had found the lead.  We followed it down, max depth 71 this time.  The thermocline was shockingly chilly.  I was glad for my layers.  The wreck was not one that could be penetrated, so it was mostly surface exploration.  Still, a fun dive.  On the way back to the boat, we explored the shallow drop off and saw lots of fish.

All in all, a very good trip.  As a Rescue Diver, I learned that a quick equipment check before the boat shoves off is a good habit to get into.

Divorce

I don't need saving.

I opened this from 9/24/14, not sure what I would read.  I couldn't remember what I had written about such a life event.  My friend was curious about what I had stuffed away in such a draft.  When I opened the entry and all we found was one single sentence, we both were reduced to laughter.  That about sums it up, I think.

So, yea.  My name's Jen Hale and I am divorced.  And, I don't need saving.