If all goes according to plan, Atton's Lake will soon be home to the Battlefords Scuba Community's latest project, an underwater navigation course, a first for Saskatchewan and possibly for Canada. Most people won't even see it because it will be beneath 20 to 40 feet of water.
Last fall, the Club approached the Board of Atton's Lake Regional Park with the idea and the Board endorsed the project. The Club's activities co-ordinator, Mark Barclay, spent a portion of his spare time through the winter months getting the necessary approvals from the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, Saskatchewan Environment and Canada Fisheries and Oceans. The project received its permit and construction has begun at the regional park.
The course will consist of six markers placed on the bottom of the lake, which scuba divers will navigate around with various patterns. The markers are made of traffic pylons mounted on deck blocks settled onto the bottom. Divers will be able to locate the markers and move from one to another by following directions on the Club's map. The challenge is to follow the appropriate course from one marker to another, to find the next marker in the reduced visibility of the underwater environment, and to convert the directions into a proper heading. The orange pillars with reflective tape should make the task a little less daunting.
Barclay and his crew of Noreen Barclay and Ken Waddell set the first marker in place using lift bags June 1, reporting back to all that the water at the bottom was a balmy five degrees Celsius.
June 4, they returned with new troops, Guy Binette and Allan and Janalee Rumpf to place the other two markers of the run-in in place. This run-in is intended to enable divers to determine the distance they cover so as to help them navigate the actual course. Over the next few weeks the remaining markers will be situated and the course tweaked with the headings recorded and a map being prepared.
Once the map is readied it will be placed on the Club's website at www.battlefordsscubacommunity.ca from where it can be downloaded for divers to use. The website also has information on other activities the club is involved in and pictures of some of the events.
For more information of the underwater navigation course or other diving activities, people are encouraged to contact the club through the website's e-mail link.
