Lake Superior Aquaman
Duluth is a Giant Ice Skating Rink, Park Point/Canal Park Edition
With underwater pancake ice.
Is it cruel to post summer swim footage in the depths of winter?
On those summer days when the water is clear and warm, Lake Superior becomes the greatest swimming pool in the world. Remember, summer is coming back in just a few months!
Brief Summer Swim Shot
Been waiting to post this for deep winter: a few seconds of crystal clear underwater summertime Lake Superior.
Floating Dead Rabbit
As seen in “Diving the Condos” video, I found a dead rabbit in a Lake Superior tidepool. Three days later, 200 yards away, I stumbled upon what must have been the same rabbit, worse for wear…
Canoe Paddle to the Cave with Jeff’s Crazy Dog
Waning days of summer, early September
Diving the Condos, Early September
Duluth has a stretch of Lakewalk with condos plopped down on it. I am used to diving farther up the shore a ways, but took the day to dive in front of the condos to see what was down there. This was early September, a weekend morning, the last truly great dive day of the summer: warm air, warm water, excellent visibility, and blue skies. I spent several hours in the water in a state of bliss. For a while there was the gentlest of currents and I just let it sweep me up the shore. As soon as I got out the weather turned — I had caught the last of these perfect conditions. This is my favorite form of recreation in this northernmost beach town. Here is what I saw. I wasn’t setting any depth records, average depth 10 feet or so but so fulfilling. Thanks for watching.
Cthonic Bedrock and Devonian Boulders
Patrolling Lake Superior’s Cthonic bedrock formations and Devonian boulders. Basaltic rock is dried lava sheets that decay into shelves littered with boulders at the edges. That is what we see here. Max depth 20 feet give or take a couple. Water has been cloudy this year due to rain, but finally cleared up enough here at the end of the summer to get this footage at one of my fave freediving spots.
Snowmelt 2
Snowmelt 2 shows the same area of Chester Creek as Snowmelt 1, but preceding it chronologically, so this video should really be called Snowmelt 1.
I Fell In Right After Taking This Footage Which Clearly Shows Me Being An Idiot
About five minutes after this footage was taken I wandered too far onto an escarpment of ice over Lake Superior. Marching out there, intending to be careful and to stay a couple feet from the edge, I said, “Let’s go risk our lives!” (more…)
Sticking Camera in Underwater Holes
Wait for it.
Temperance River GoPro – Lost & Found in a Beautiful Place
Two summers ago Kyle Puelston lost his GoPro jumping into Temperance River up the North Shore. He figured it was gone forever. Luckily, a year later, Chris Flores and his brother Kyle Puelston found it while snorkeling at the mouth of the river. (more…)
Diving the Buoy
Depth: 30 feet. This is the red buoy in the outer harbor within sight of the Vietnam Memorial and Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum. Thanks to my canoe-based support team, Jeff Greensmith and Sean MacManus, who towed me out there on my floaty raft. At the 1:18 mark you can see the concrete block the buoy is tethered to but the shot is brief as I didn’t want to dally.
Best Underwater Footage of Duluth’s Atlantean Ruins
Underwater footage of Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum off the Duluth Lakewalk in relatively clear conditions. First I videoed the collapsed column in 9 feet of water, Then because visibility was so good, I swam around the base of the building structure too. That is 16 feet deep according to a depth chart I saw once.
Exploring Ruins of Column at Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum
Ruins of the column that collapsed this winter at “Uncle Harvey’s Mausoleum” off the Duluth Lakewalk. Water is really murky as its proximity to the shipping lanes stirs up a lot of silt this time of year. I intend to keep trying to get clearer shots but this is all I could manage during this initial foray. Water depth: 9 feet. Basically what you’re seeing here is a base of concrete sprouting metal bars and telephone-pole-like wooden posts that in some cases are splintered or splayed. The tops of some posts were sheared off and smoothed by ice sheet movement and lie just below the surface. The concrete top of the column lies on its side at the bottom, along with eroded steel jacketing that sheathed the base.
I was very cautious during these dives as the danger of getting snagged or nicked in the gloom was fearful to contemplate. I heard nearby swimmers claim a member of their party had scraped himself on the posts while swimming. Not to be a bringdown but this area has to be considered a hazard to swimmers and boaters alike. It is also the most interesting thing to look at in Lake Superior right now.
Found Lake Paraphernalia
I was freediving Duluth’s amazing rock beach one afternoon, and started finding pot-smoking paraphernalia in a few feet of water just off shore. I realized I was reassembling some poor stoner’s fully stocked stash tray which he/she must have set too close to the waves. Within a relatively small radius I found pieces of two glass pipes (one largely intact), pokie tool, rolling tray, grinder, cigarette roller, and a broken glass jar. Archeological evidence of a beach culture of leisure.