Here you will find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about Lake Rawlings. For more information please do not hesitate to contact us.

Q. Why is Lake Rawlings so clear?

A. Lake Rawlings is a spring-fed lake with a bottom composition of mostly granite rock, and 80% of the shoreline is also granite rock. Most of the water enters from the west and south walls at depths between 20’ to 40’. With so much granite rock, it is no wonder why the water remains so clear. For this reason, the sunlight penetrates to the bottom and warms the water quickly during the spring, summer and fall. This causes the thermocline (a transitional layer of warmer and colder water) to push deep very quickly. The algae (which is always present in the lake) thrive at the thermocline. When the thermocline reaches the floor of the lake on the shallow shelf, the algae mats the lakebed, trapping silt and sediment beneath it. Also, whenever sediment falls to the bottom of the lake from the surface, the algae traps the fallen sediment, acting like a giant filter. The algae dies in late fall, and visibility is improved even more. Average visibility at Lake Rawlings year-round is 30’-60’; during the winter, visibility is awesome and can be 100’ or more.

Q. Does Lake Rawlings offer scuba courses?

A. Yes we do. As a PADI affiliate, we offer the traditional PADI Open Water Scuba Course, which is a two weekend course taught between May and September. In addition, we also offer the PADI Advanced Open Water Scuba Course from May through October. This year, we plan to introduce our offering of the PADI Master Scuba Diver Challenge. This is a series of five PADI specialty courses leading to the Master Scuba Diver certification. Also, if someone wants to try scuba for the first time, we offer Discover Scuba Diving at little cost to the diver. We are also introducing our Have Scuba, Will Travel program in 2007, which is designed for colleges and universities; we will travel to bring scuba to their location. We have a small cadre of PADI scuba instructors who are available to teach these life transforming scuba courses throughout the year and on weekends at Lake Rawlings. However, it is always a good idea to plan ahead and schedule your scuba class as early as possible.

Q. How did the fish get in the lake?

A. At one time or another, most of the fish were introduced to the lake by the property owners, who stocked it for private fishing. We re-stocked the lake on two occasions with large-mouth bass, fathead minnows and bream; eventually, the fathead minnows were all hunted to extinction (in our lake) by the large-mouth bass. Since we do not allow fishing (too dangerous), the fish became larger and healthier. For sure, the large-mouth bass, small-mouth bass, bream, and bluegills were stocked as prize quarry for private fishing. There are now trophy-sized large-mouth bass and bluegills in Lake Rawlings. There are also two species of clams and crayfish in the lake; these animals were not stocked. It is believed that the larvae of the clams and crayfish entered the lake through the many underground aquifers that feed Lake Rawlings. Remember, the lake itself is a disrupted aquifer.

Q. How did all the “good stuff” that we see get there?

A. Now that is a challenging question. The real cool ”stuff”, like Ms. Nikki and Wayne, our obligatory school busses, were pushed off the ledge facing the west side of the lake. After sinking to a depth of 45’, several huge lift bags were attached to these attractions to “float” them to a depth just below the surface. Each bus was then moved using lift bags, a johnboat and trawl motor for transporting these to the desired location in the lake where they were sunk; the air, when released from the lift bags, allowed the bus to sink to its eventual spot on the lake floor. This same technique was used in the sinking of the PADI Wagon, a sunken van, and several cars that adorn the bottom of the lake. Other “good stuff” like Rogue Forest, spoofing our fearless leaders, shows the faces of the many contributors who have provided attractions for the divers. Besides our many boats, to include The Replacements sailboat shell (the one used by Keanu Reaves in the movie of the same title), there are several training platforms, our resident Buzz the diver (who wears a BC and ski pole), two fish hatcheries for small-fry, two basketball courts, a CD forest, a swim-thru in shallow water, and a simulated kelp bed for improving buoyancy. The coolest may very well be the Sea Witch guardian of Dead Zone City and the many skulls adorning the rocks at depths of 45’-50’.

Q. How deep is Lake Rawlings?

A. Lake Rawlings is layered to three depths, with virtually most of the shallow shelf at the north end of the lake. Depth varies at the north end from 0’ depth to about 30’ depth. There is a small drop-off to 45’ depth inside a deep cove on the east side of the lake. There is also a shallow (and very narrow) shelf on the west side of the lake, where you will find a submerged forest, a cabin cruiser, and schools of small-mouth bass. There are dramatic drop-offs at the north side of the lake. On the south side of the lake, the water is perpetually clear (make sure your buoyancy is perfectly controlled before venturing towards that end of the lake). The walls at the south end and east side of the lake are sheer, great for exploration, with awesome visibility and many nooks and crannies to explore. Depth at the center of the lake funnels to 65’, where the bottom is mostly sandy; there is one deeper hole at 67’ near the drop-off below the off-shore floating platform. However, there is extreme silt in that location, and definitely not advisable for exploration. There is a buoy line attached to a grate buried in this silt.

Q. Who owns Lake Rawlings?

A. Lake Rawlings is a trade name owned by The Rawlings Quarry Diving Company, who leases the property from the Rawlings Quarry LLC.

Q. Can pilots fly their private planes to Lake Rawlings from distant localities?

A. Pilots who do scuba dive can easily fly into the Lawrenceville-Brunswick Airport (off U.S. 58); it has a paved, lighted 3,200’ runway, fuel and instrument rating available. For convenience, it is highly recommended that these divers stay at the Brunswick Mineral Springs Bed & Breakfast in Lawrenceville, VA, which is one mile away from the airport. When you book with the B&B, the innkeepers will pick you up, and bring you back-and-forth to Lake Rawlings (for a modest fee, of course). Lake Rawlings is approximately 15 miles from the B&B.

 
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