Four Lakes SCUBA Club

We had another perfect day for DEF. Thank you to our host, Randy!
THE DIVE: There was good viz for a few feet and then again below 30 feet. It was very warm above the thermocline. In the 40’s below it. The granite walls are always cool to look at with the sun coming up over them. Divers found a little trash, a wallet with ID and credit cards, cell phone, Apple watch, ring, $6.15, a shirt worth keeping, and a grill top. John and Ellen replenished their supply of “Quarry Glasses”. They use them on vacation. It’s nice not to have to worry about losing glasses on a dive boat.

THE EATS: Grilling outside with friends is a treat. There were many tasty dishes to sample including garden fresh vegetables, pasta salad, deviled eggs, cookies and Caprese skewers.

THE FLOAT: Gayle appears to have taken over as the person to puncture her flotation. She made it down the Mecan with the air left in the pillow part of her float. We saw a few other floaters and kayakers, but otherwise it was a peaceful trip.

EAT SOME MORE: Some of us sat awhile longer enjoying the conversation and more food.
What a fun filled day. Join us next year.

Join us on August 9th at 7pm at Benvenuto’s Fitchburg for our next meeting and speaker:

This Month we welcome Paul Dearlove as our featured speaker.

Paul Dearlove, deputy director of Clean Lake Alliance will talk to us about their vision, how they plan to get there and what we can do to help.
Clean Lakes Alliance is a nonprofit organization devoted to improving the water quality of the lakes, streams, and wetlands of the Yahara River Watershed.
They are a unique partnership of diverse stakeholders who are building on and expanding upon decades of ongoing efforts to preserve and restore our waters.
Their goal is to raise community awareness of the issues facing the watershed, advocate for the welfare of our lakes, and help procure the necessary funding to clean and protect these waterways.
They work closely with state, county and local government agencies, waterway user groups, lakefront property owners, and community nonprofits to serve as both a positive voice for the promotion of our cherished lakes and a fundraising vehicle for achieving these ends.

Come join us for Dive, Eat, Float on Saturday, August 5th.

Dive: Meet at Redgranite Quarry at 9 am on the pickle factory side.

Eat: Meet at Randy’s place at about noon. Bring your own meat or protein for the grill, beverages, lawn chair, and a dish to pass.

Float: After lunch float down the Mecan. Eat some more after the float, if you would like.

We welcome all…
divers, snorkelers, tubers, “support crew”

• Come for the dive, stay for the picnic.
• Come for the picnic, stay for the float.
• Come for the day, do it all. More fun than any water park!

You’ll need

• Dive gear
• “rock proof” tube or flotation device
• “rock proof” shoes for the river
• Camp chair
• Small dish to pass
• Soft or fermented drink for yourself
• Something to grill for yourself
• Sunscreen

Maps:

Red Granite Quarry

Red Granite Quarry to Randy’s

Direct to Randy’s Place

Hope you’re all having a great beginning to the summer. Join us on July 12th at 7pm at Benvenuto’s Fitchburg for our next meeting and speaker:

This month we welcome back Brendon Baillod. Brendon is an award winning maritime historian and author. He has been researching Great Lakes shipwrecks for over 20 years. His research has resulted in hundreds of shipwreck discoveries and he has appeared on the History Channel, Discovery Channel and National Geographic Channel discussing Great Lakes shipwrecks. He is president of Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association and is on the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary
Advisory Council. He is active with other maritime boards and organizations. Brendon will give his presentation “Ghosts of Milwaukee Coast: Top Ten Ships Still Missing Off Southern Wisconsin”. Brendon always gives a great presentation, so plan on attending.

We had 8 divers attend the Four Lakes Scuba Club Pearl Lake dive. The weather was perfect with sunshine and warm temperatures. Visibility was good but the water was cold below the thermocline. We saw nesting blue gills, walleyes, bass, and turtles. There were multiple sunken boats to see, plus a bus, sub and crane. We had a cookout between dives. Thanks to Andy, Gayle, and John for pictures.

Hope you’re all having a great spring so far. Join us on June 14th at 7pm at Benvenuto’s Fitchburg for our next meeting and speaker:

Due to an unexpected turn of events, our speaker for June will be rescheduling to later in the year. Instead of mussels, our own John and Ellen will be presenting on their world travels around La Paz, Mexico and the Bahamas. June is also Dive Safety Month. Hope you all can join us!

We had great weather and turnout for our annual picnic at Lake Mendota. We had 17 attendees (if you count two dogs) and five divers. The water was really clear! We found a few really neat bottles and a little bit of trash. Thanks to John H. for the photos and Randy for the video below.