Things to do / Travel Guide
The southern Appalachian Mountains being a completely landlocked region, you won't find too many diving locations. Nonetheless, two lakes in eastern West Virginia provide unique diving locations. These are Mount Storm Lake, in the state's northeastern quadrant, and Summersville Lake, closer to its center. Mount Storm Lake is known for its particularly warm waters, while Summersville Lake is known for exceptional visibility.
Scuba Diving in Mount Storm Lake
Why is Mount Storm Lake so warm? Is it hot springs flowing into it from nearby? Nope, it's because there's a power plant on the shore where they use the lake's water as a coolant. At the place where the water is expelled from the plant, as clean as can be, by the way, the temperature is a balmy 100 degrees. Throughout summer the lake's water stays in the upper 80s, dipping as low as the 60s in the winter. There are plenty of fish to swim with, and you can also spot felled trees from when the power plant was being built. Visibility is 25 feet, and diving is perfectly safe. Bring your own gear because there's no place to rent around here.
Scuba Diving in Summersville Lake
Over more in the middle of the West Virginia is Summersville Lake, where visibility is at 40 feet on a regular basis. The temperature during summer is quite warm, too, around 80 degrees. Water here is deep, up to 80 feet, and there are plenty of curious fish to spy. You ought to rent a boat, though, because there's no decent dive area. Reservations should be made several weeks in advance. As for gear, that you'll have to procure yourselves, because there aren't rentals in the area.
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