Any Inland Water Hunters between Orlando and Tampa?

[Diver_Down]

I know of a watering hole that might yield some good finds. There is a lake in a small town between Orlando and Tampa that is/was used frequently for diving instruction and local swimming. There is a large sign warning of alligators, but that is only posted to keep the lake private and not overwhelmed with the general public. Locals know better and the dive shops that use it. There is a large grassy area and the main entrance to the swimming area is sand that was trucked in. There are submerged platforms and other oddities at depth for the scuba classes. If I was closer, I would have cleaned this area out, but it's not worth the drive.

 

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[Diver_Down]

This is not Hal Watts 40 Fathom Grotto. I suppose you could detect the bottom of the grotto on the 6 minutes of bottom time breathing Tri-Mix. Knowing how a simple broken fin strap at that depth nearly killed my buddy, I'm not sure one would be foolish enough to complicate such a risky dive by bringing a detector. Besides, I'm not sure any detectors on the market are rated for such depth. The parking lot is another matter...

No the spot that I mentioned is south of I-4 between Tampa and Orlando. I have logged hours of bottom time at this lake teaching dive instruction.

 

[G.I.B.]

Can't place the lake you are talking about. I've been in that area for quite a while...

If it is used for dive training it would need to be deep. That means a spring. The lakes in the area are cloudy and generally 15' or so.

Additionally, what would divers be dropping in the lake? Was it ever a popular swimming hole?

 

[Diver_Down]

I've given out the information to two others via PM so it can't hurt to divulge the area here. The area that I'm referring to is Lake Isis. It is spring fed with a cold thermocline at 30'. I used to teach for the school in Orlando that mainly teaches instructors, but also offers instruction for all levels. Our Open Water courses were conducted there. There is a dive platform that is submerged at 25'. The perfect depth for the CESA(Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent). We also used it for other courses such as Rescue Diving, Underwater Navigation, Search and Recovery, and even Divemaster courses. It was also used as a local/private swimming hole but outsiders stayed away due to the warnings of gators. I have hours upon hours of bottom time logged there and there was never any indication of gators. It was told to me that the sign was posted to keep the area "private". There is a sandy area (sand was brought in and dumped) that extends out to a depth of 10'. The staging/changing area on the grass would also be prime hunting ground. In addition there was a hill that the gear had to be transported up and down to be loaded into the vehicles. I know from experience that students would lose stuff there all the time. They would want to wear all their newly bought gadgets, and inevitably they would be lost as the students weren't used to the cumbersome gear. The changing area was also bedlam. I can't count how many times a student would mention to me that they lost something when we got back to the shop. Oh, well. There was no go back for it.

 

[G.I.B.]

Okay, got it...

When you said south of I-4 between Tampa and Orlando I was thinking of Polk County. This is further down south in Highlands County. That would explain my confusion, not that anything actually ever explains it fully... well, maybe it does. Okay, no it doesn't.

Anyhow, thanks for the tip. I've never been to Isis before. Should I happen to be in the area I'll give it a look and let you know if I find anything. If there is a soft silty bottom I should be able to find quite a collection of dive knives and watches...

I used to dive some of the Polk County lakes and that was pure misery. Visibility about 6 inches on a good day, lots of silt and weeds. Clear cool water in the summer is always nice!

Thanks again and HH.

 

[Salvor6]

Lake Isis is just N. of Avon Park. I just heard that there is supposed to be a P-51 Mustang wrecked in the lake. It crashed in 1942 after takeoff from the Avon Park bombing range. How deep is the lake?

 

[Diver_Down]

Lake Isis is just N. of Avon Park. I just heard that there is supposed to be a P-51 Mustang wrecked in the lake. It crashed in 1942 after takeoff from the Avon Park bombing range. How deep is the lake?

Out of all the hours of bottom time that I logged there, I never went to it's max depth. Heck, at 30 to 35' is the thermocline and when you are used to swimming in bath water, the chill quickly sets it. Plus, besides the objects that we sank (metal rocking chair, bike, toilet bowl to name a few) there really is nothing to see there. Lake Isis is a large lake and our entry point was the south shore. http://wikimapia.org/#lat=27.6098017&lon=-81.5102881&z=18&l=0&m=s&v=9 Zoom in and you'll see the sandy beach area. I believe one of the other staff instructors had mentioned that they were bored one day and decided to dive to it's depth. If I recall, they mentioned that it was 50 - 60' deep. Don't bother exploring unless you have a dry suit and scooter. Otherwise, it is some cold water swimming.

 

[excal/pirate]

the lake is not open to the pubic trespass signs posted due to the problem with some people leaving their trash their

 

[Diver_Down]

the lake is not open to the pubic trespass signs posted due to the problem with some people leaving their trash their

Disregard everyone. It was found out in PMs that Excal went to the campground which is private property. The area that we used is not private property. Avon Park has a city ordinance that provides for public access to all their lakes.

 

[Nugget Hog]

I used to dive there. I never saw the underwater platform though. You used to could enter on the N side and climb that gawd awful hill but I think that might be private property now. There is no parking if you enter from the South side. You supposed to park in a field a few blocks down the road and it's a good hike.
Pretty boring dives. But you can stick dead mussel shells into the open live ones, open them and feed the many brim that follow you around.
One airplane was found years ago but there is supposed to be another one in there but I think it's a Navy plane and they will want it back, unlike the Air Force planes that you can keep.

 

[Diver_Down]

I used to dive there. I never saw the underwater platform though. You used to could enter on the N side and climb that gawd awful hill but I think that might be private property now. There is no parking if you enter from the South side. You supposed to park in a field a few blocks down the road and it's a good hike.
Pretty boring dives. But you can stick dead mussel shells into the open live ones, open them and feed the many brim that follow you around.
One airplane was found years ago but there is supposed to be another one in there but I think it's a Navy plane and they will want it back, unlike the Air Force planes that you can keep.

The south side is the area that we used. There's still a hill on the south side. You can pull off the side and unload your gear, but you can not park there. Parking is indeed a few blocks away as I indicated in PMs to interested parties. There is an underwater platform at 26'. The potential targets will be found in the sand at the entrance and the grass.