October 4:  Tuesday evening with Kevin Ailes, mowing the lawn and diving on two targets previously noted on Paw Paw Lake (Coloma/Watervliet, MI).

We cruised the area, got close to the GPS numbers for the first target, threw out a 50 foot down foot line with buoy and then dropped the anchor. I dove on the first target, that when looking at the side scan print out,  looked just like the hood of a car and its windshield. The down line was within 3 feet of the target which turned out to be a very large white dock box with the lid open. So the lid was the hood and the opening was the windshield. Darn!

After recovering me and the down line buoy, we proceeded to the 2nd target and did the same routine of GPS, 75′ down line & buoy, and anchoring. Kevin dove this target  which the side scan print looked like a long and narrow boat. We were  close with the down line again and Kevin verified it was an old narrow sailboat with the paint coloring still shiny and no engine. Kevin explored it a bit before terminating the dive because the bottom smelled,  tasted terrible and was burning his eyes.  Its not uncommon to find lake bottoms that are very mucky bottom made of compressed weeds and vegetation. Its decay results in the formation of hydrogen sulfide – when the bottom is grossly disturbed the gas is released in the water, it really stinks. So does your suit.

Two mysteries solved, only a few dozen targets remaining.