LOCALadk Magazine

second significant site, the Sunken Fleet of 1758, also known as the Wiawaka Bateaux Cluster. Colonial troops moved via water whenever possible, to avoid marching through dangerous and roadless wilderness. Approximately 900 bateaux were used against the French in this region, and about 260 were sunk in 1758 to hide them un- der winter ice. The seven that make up this exhibit measure 25-36 feet long and about 5 feet wide, and only the bottom planks, the lower part of the ribs, and a few other small parts remain. At a depth of 25-50 feet, just one mile north of Lake George Beach on the east side, this easy to intermediate dive is best seen between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Ball is a teacher, and speaks fondly about The For ward Un- der water Classroom. " William Bixby's estate owned a 45-foot boat that became this site. Bill Bixby, who played The Incredible Hulk, was supposedly a relative. The boat was built in 1906 and it sank in the 1930s. Located in 25 to 45 feet of water near Diamond Island, it was turned into an under water classroom in the late 90s, with engaging stations for div- ers to visit." Stations include a zebra mussel monitoring area, a fish obser vation zone, and a navigation course. The site is accessible be- tween Memorial Day and Columbus Day, and is considered an easy to intermediate dive. There's also another man-made dive site, accessible by shore near Hearthstone Point Campground. Created for training new divers and firefighters, divers will find a small plane, a station wagon, a boat, and several other interesting specimens. When you look at Diamond Divers' website, you'll see a va- riety of under water photos that will quickly pique your in- terest. Mark Mason has been teaching SCUBA diving on Lake George since 1997. He rediscovered his passion for the sport while taking a group of kids snorkeling in the Virgin Islands, and clearly enjoys sharing his knowledge with anyone who asks. Also a teacher by profession, Mason operates a charter boat where individuals and groups can learn to dive, and runs trips to dive sites on Lake George, and also to Belize, Bonaire and Roatan, some of the most beautiful dive locations in the world. Why only dive on Lake George and not some of the smaller Adirondack Lakes, especially those up north? "Many lakes have died from acid rain. There is evidence of come- backs," Mason explains. "The trees also produce a lot of tan- nin, used in dr ying leather, which really reduces visibility." Milfoil and zebra mussels are two invasive species that can also adversely affect lakes. Eurasian watermilfoil is an inva- sive aquatic plant native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It crowds out native plants and diminishes fish habitats. Zebra mussels, found in eastern Europe and western Asia, consume significant amounts of phytoplankton, causing a shift in na- tive species and increased water transparency, which aids in the growth of milfoil. Mason mentions The Jefferson Project at Lake George (a collaboration between Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, IBM Research, and the FUND for Lake George) as one of the ways these problems are being addressed. Composed of sci- entists, meteorologists, technologists, engineers, and envi- ronmentalists, the project is building a computing platform that captures and analyzes data from a network of sensors tracking water quality and movement. This information will allow stakeholders to properly manage and protect the lake. Cr ystal hunting is another dive option listed on Mason's site, and Herkimer diamonds (quartz cr ystals), are found throughout the region, including at depth. The glaciers of the past left stacks of ver y large slabs of stone, another unique under water feature. And, of course, there are the fish. "You'll find sunfish, large- and small-mouth bass, pike, landlocked salm- on, and catfish," says Mason. "You'll also find newts at the thermocline at 40 feet down, and hydras (another invasive species), which are ver y small invertebrates with tentacles." Not to worr y-hydras provide no danger to people. As for some of the other lakes in the region, there are stories about Sir William Johnson's Fish House (and the community that was built around it) that all lie at the bottom of the Great Sacandaga Lake. When water levels are low, boats have been known to hit a chimney from the former town— or so the stor y goes. And, at depths of 15 feet in Schroon Lake, there are sunken logs that came from the area's mills in the 1800s. In Vergennes, Vermont, you'll find the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, where their archaeology and research team is dedicated to preser ving under water cultural heri- tage sites and building public awareness. The museum runs an under water archaeology field school, and monitors the many historically significant shipwrecks and other artifacts on the Vermont side of the lake. Water Horse Scuba in Glens Falls and Kraken Scuba in Alba- ny are two newer shops that bring divers to the region. At a recent (pre- COVID -19) certification course with Kraken, the pool was full of enthusiastic divers taking their first course — an excellent sign for a sport that boasts 23 million divers. If you still need one more reason to consider SCUBA diving in the Adirondacks, look again to our neighbors in the east. Talks are under way to sink Lake Champlain's oldest car ferr y, used for shuttling passengers between New York and Ver- mont for 66 years. The 107-year-old vessel would become an artificial reef, and a new tourist attraction popular with div- ers and anglers. The name of the donated vessel destined to go down in Burlington Bay? Affectionately known as Adi, her full name, ironically, is the Adirondack.

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