Wisconsin Puddle Jumpers

This was our second time diving Silver Lake, so we knew what to expect this time. We arrived around 8:45 AM and had no issues finding a parking spot at the public boat landing. Earlier in the week we had discussed possibly diving in wetsuits instead of dry suits, since it would be a hot day and we didn't want to overheat. In the end, we decided to dive dry. In order to stay cool, we set up our gear in the shade. I don both my thermal and my drysuit before Eric even gets started with his. (He sweats a lot more than I do.) Since we've been lake diving numerous times this year already, we finally have our system down and can get ready relatively quickly. The first thing Eric does when he gets in the water is a faceplant. Although he looks silly, it's a great way to cool off!       Our first dive we followed the weed line to the left (south). We saw multiple fish cribs and quite a few northern! It was cool to see the northern hide in the weeds and dart away when we got c...

Today was both exciting and semi-stressful as we decided to try a new lake we've never dove in before. Eric called a scuba shop in Menomonee Falls, Underwater Connection, and asked where they dive in the area, to which the response was Silver Lake and Keesus Lake. We drove to Keesus Lake first to scope it out. The parking lot for the boat landing was down the road from the actual landing, which was not ideal. We would either have to unload our gear at the landing and gear up there, or we would have to gear up at the car and walk 50 meters or so down the street to enter the water. There was also a large sign at the landing that informed us it was only for boat access to the lake and not for swimming. We decided to move on and check out Silver Lake next.  Silver Lake also had a parking lot for the boat landing, although it was just across the street and a much shorter walk to the water compared to Keesus. It was also free to access (no fee for parking), which was awesome. The lot was...

This weekend we decided to dive Pearl Lake, which is about an hour's drive south of us just over the Wisconsin border into Illinois. We have visited this lake several times before; we even completed our Advanced Open Water and Rescue certifications here. There are multiple pavilions with picnic tables which are a convenient place to gear up as well as complete surface intervals. The dive entry is very smooth and easily accessible, and there are lots of sunken objects to explore, including a submarine, an airplane, a school bus, and lots of boats. The downside to diving here is that it is quite expensive compared to other locations. The entry fee for diving is $30 per diver: One day of diving at Pearl Lake costs us $60, whereas one day at Lake Wazee only costs us $15!  The visibility is usually quite good; however, it can depend on how many divers are present. Eric dove in Pearl Lake in the beginning of May as part of his rebreather class and had 30-40 feet of visibility, whereas we...