Diving in Lake George-- New York State
Posted By Tom Dwyer on 10 September 2001
Back on board, we headed out towards our next dive site, The Forward Underwater Classroom, which was fifteen minutes away--and about thirty-five feet down. We raced past a large steamboat, the "Minne-Ha-Ha," carrying hundreds of people sightseeing. There are a number of cruise ships that sail Lake George during the summer.
After arriving at the site we checked our gear, went over our dive plans, then backrolled off the side. Rich was always close to me, giving me the okay sign, and making me feel that I was in good hands with him as my guide and buddy.
I was starting to appreciate the heavy wetsuit I was wearing as I felt the drop in water temperature around my face where I was not protected.
We kicked along the muddy bottom, a number of fish coming by to check us out. Then I saw the Forward, a 45-foot- long wooden launch that spoke of an earlier, grandiose time in the history of Lake George. The Forward was built around 1906, and was one of the earliest gas-powered launches on the lake. The family that owned the Forward, was also involved in backing Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927.
The Forward is in good shape. She still looks sturdy and proud. Her large steering wheel, and two gasoline engines have held their age well. We drifted around her a few times, enjoying her beauty and grace.
In 1997-1998, a trail system was created for divers to visit several stations near the Forward including vegetation and geology signage, a zebra mussel monitoring station, a fish observation zone, and a Secchi disk for divers to measure water visibility. Spending the rest of our dive time checking out the Underwater Classroom, I got a real understanding of the importance of the ecosystem of Lake George.
Rich motioned to me that it was time to join the "other world" again.
Up top, after getting out of our gear, I learned that both of the Morin's Dive Centers, in Glens Falls, NY and Rutland, VT, offer instruction in every PADI certification course, from Open Water Diver, to training the local firemen and police in underwater rescue. If you're thinking of diving in Lake George, and need gear or a buddy, you can reach Rich and Chris at www.morindivecenters.com or call 800-924-DIVE. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, Rich and Chris like to travel to exotic dive locations to feed sharks-fortunately for me Lake George doesn't have sharks, I think.
I returned to The Sagamore, knowing that I had barely scratched the surface when it came to seeing the sunken treasures on the bottom of Lake George. Ten minutes later I was soaking in the Jacuzzi at the Sagamore spa, my body again submerged in water-this time, just a bit hotter.
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