Lake Jocassee Underwater Cleanup Project, July 30, 2011

Group
Dive Operations Professionals ~ Operator: Lake Jocassee Dive Shop. 
Crew: Aquatic Explorers Society.
Dive Team: Brittany, Kell, Genette, Jeff, Joey, Matt, Hayden, Windsor, Jenny, Rhya, Joe, Jeremy, and John. Additional: 344 volunteer divers from 5 States.

Objective
Lake Clean up ~ Participate in the first Annual Lake Jocassee Cleanup by removing debris from both shore and water.

Activities
Land ~ Hike the trails of Devil's Fork, picking up trash and debris while being lead by State Park Rangers and the Boy Scouts of America.

Water ~ Dive to the depths of various sites; collecting debris from the bottom for the benefit of aquatic life.

Observe   ~ Flora & Fauna on the way. Making special note of the species and quantity encountered.

Location
Location ~ Lake Jocassee, Salem, South Carolina 
Land ~     Set up area ~ Lake Jocassee Dive shop & Devils Fork Beach
Weather ~ Sunny, 98 F, No wind.
Water ~     Depths: 0 -300 ft.     
Temperature ~ surface 78 F – bottom 55F 
Visibility 10-30 ft.
Hazards ~ Line entanglement, Depth, Thermoclines.

Site
Site 1 ~ The Dam     
Site 2 ~ Devils Fork Villa Dock
Dive Vessel: LJC Dive Boat 11 – “The Cracken”
Depths ~ 0 - 120 ft.    
Temperature ~ surface 78 F – bottom 55F    
Visibility ~ 10-30 ft.

Emergency
Local Area ~    Emergency Radio: Dive Shop, Boat captains, Park Rangers. Phone: 911.
Top side ~        Boat Captain: Danny; Deck assistant: Jeremy; Dive Master: Devin Waddell.
Gear ~        Radio, First Aid Kit, Oxygen Kit, Water, Reel, surface float/marker.

Activity
Remove debris from bottom of site. Observe wild life. Have fun.
Depths ~ Shore Line to 40 ft max depth.
Dive time ~ 30 min. to 1 hour per dive 
Temperature ~ Surface 78 F – Bottom 55F    Visibility ~ 10-30 ft.
Problem Management ~ Vertigo, Out of Air, Lost Diver, Tangled, Entrapped, Rapid ascent.

Buoyancy
Buoyancy check for Gear ~ Fins, Mask, Snorkel, Exposure Suit, Gloves, Regulator, BC, Weight Systems.
Tools ~ Collection Bag, Cutter, Light, Camera.

Air
Start ~ 3500 psi. End ~ 500 psi.
Types used ~ Al 80, AA 100, AA 120.

Gear Check
Gear ~ Fins, Mask, Snorkel, Exposure Suit, Gloves, Regulator, BC, Weight Systems.
Tools ~ Collection Bag, Cutter, Light, Camera.

Descend
Dive 1 & 2 Entry  ~  Giant Stride. 
Rendezvous Point ~ On surface with buddy. 
Descend ~ “Controlled Free Descent.” No rope.

Investigate
Terrain: Spur and grove rocky shore line with a sand/clay mixed bottom. Some logs and sticks noted. 
Max Depth ~ 40 ft.

Voyage
Between the breakfast provided by AES & Dive Chef Sue and the free lunch from Duke Power & SUBWAY, the dive buddy teams performed well. Each group worked wonders, recovering unwanted objects from the floor of the lake. The dive team recovered approximately 100 lbs of garbage -- brake drum and auto parts included. Treasures amongst the trash include: a bait caste rod and reel from Windsor and Brittany, a broom from Joe ( no, he did not go in with it trying to do an extra good job) , and a good pair of sunglasses still proudly being displayed on Kell’s face.

End
Every great adventure must come to an end in order to move on to the next; each different and enjoyable, providing a lifetime of stories and friends. Thanks to all the divers and shore dwellers that not only participated, but rolled up their sleeves to make this purposeful mission enjoyable. Special thanks to Lake Jocassee Dive Shop, Duke Power, a host of other sponsors, and to the AES crew. Thank you to Sue and Genette for the low country boil dinner provided for cast and crew returning from a good day's work. And a special thanks to Brandon Landmark for caring enough about our world to put in the hard work and energy necessary to conduct such a worthy endeavor.