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DaleC
Master Diver
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Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 11:46 pm
First Name: Dale
Location: Left Coast, Canada
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Three Days - Three Lakes

Wed Sep 10, 2014 7:42 pm

The following is a breakdown of my recent three day, 1670 kilometer road trip, to dive three lakes in different parts of the Province. Each lake offered something different to look at.

Patricia Lake, in Jasper Alberta, is the site of a wreck called Project Habbakuk. During WWII, the Allies were considering a unique plan to make floating battleships of an ice/sawdust material called Pykrete. To ensure secrecy while testing this idea, a prototype was built in the remote setting of the Canadian Rocky Mountains during 1943, code named “Project Habbakuk”.

The ice of Habbakuk was contained in a wooden framework, insulated by thick layers of Bitumen tar, and cooled by internal piping and refrigeration units and oddly enough, the concept worked. The boat (which looked like a house) was built, but it also proved to be too costly to create and maintain on a larger scale. The refrigeration units were disconnected, the ice was allowed to melt, and Project Habbakuk sank beneath the surface of Patricia Lake.

I decided to walk to the dive site, situated 1.5 km’s along the shoreline from the road and to haul my gear in a wheelbarrow (because that's the way I roll). The horse trail was steep, and I was glad to finally get to the dive site.

Video 1 shows Habbakuk, mostly a jumble of wood, tar and piping, with one wall still standing. Not very pretty but a unique part of our history.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHSZ2yp_6uQ[/video]

My next stop was Johnson Lake, billed as the “Caribbean of BC”. Taking the Agate Road, between Barrier and Clearwater, I followed it, and a gravel road up into the mountains. I stopped in to talk to the owners of The “Johnson Lake Resort” and they allowed me to dive from their docks (normally a $5 day use fee).

Video 2 shows the area around the dock where a small landslide has created a tangle of trees that provides shelter for Rainbow trout.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxri8Ka5uVU[/video]

My last stop was Pavilion Lake, situated between Cache Creek and Lillooet. A personal favorite of mine due to its good vis and unique features, Pavilion is best known for containing Microbiolites, ancient calcified bacterial colonies. This time though, I was looking for something different.

I recently located an area where freshwater springs feed the lake via the karst system above. Video 3 shows me looking at these vents, tracing them to hillocks of actively growing Sphagnum Moss near the surface, and following a cold underwater river that flows down through the warmer lake until it mixes with colder water below the thermocline.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqQxZ4-1xcg[/video]
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8dust
Master Diver
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Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:39 am
Location: Nashville's North Shore

Re: Three Days - Three Lakes

Thu Sep 11, 2014 10:59 am

Great stuff, Dale, really great! Totally enjoyed them. Very good "productions" on many levels.

I actually was about to start a thread on setting people up (mostly myself) to do the whole digital video thing, and I fully expect you to chime-in with some of these skills and knowledge you've got.

Again, well done, Sir! and thanks for posting them. :mrgreen:

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Bryan
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Re: Three Days - Three Lakes

Thu Sep 11, 2014 12:49 pm

You need your own adventure show Dale. I appreciate you sharing with us ea.
Doing it right should include some common sense, not just blindly following specs and instructions. .Gary D, AWAP on SB

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Superlite
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First Name: Andrew
Location: Lafayette, LA

Re: Three Days - Three Lakes

Sun Sep 14, 2014 11:14 pm

Dale, just saw your fantastic video from the three lakes. Great stuff, hope I'm as good someday at using a video camera. 8)

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DaleC
Master Diver
Posts: 497
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 11:46 pm
First Name: Dale
Location: Left Coast, Canada
Contact: Website

Re: Three Days - Three Lakes

Sun Sep 14, 2014 11:43 pm

Thanks, it's still a work in process.
Some of my other friends are into photography. For them the learning curve is settings etc... With video it seems to be how to shoot steady footage and then get different shots and how to put it together.
It's sometimes a little daunting to consider how many things there are to learn.
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