Had my first chance to get up to Pearl Lake. It is located in South Beloit, IL
Wisconsin is the next exit. The flooding in the area is very bad and a great deal of the area is effected by it. There were road closing and route changes.
Once at the lake site it was clear how much rain they have been dealing with. Upon diving to set the float at the training deck, which is normally at 15 feet on the far end on the deck was now at 22 feet. This is a change from just last year. The enter into to water is 5 feet from where it was last year. The fish were few and hiding from the Strom's that hit while we were up there.
The water was cloudy from rains but Wednesday and Thursday before we got there. On Saturday we met the group at 8:00am and drove into the site area. Set up and got ready for the diving. We had 7 students, two instructors and 1 divemaster. We did three training dives for the first day the students in open water mostly reported just getting dinner and going to bed. During the Advanced Class 3 students one instructor (me), we also did three dives the first day. Our night dive was in question a Strom broke out during the second dive and answered my student question, can you see lighting underwater, (YES). We waited to the Strom to pass which it did. Our night dive was lots of fun until I got low on air and we had to go back. We packed up and left the site at 9:00pm. We dove around a 45 foot cabin cruiser and a small two man sub. There was a small amount of fish out on the dive and that was it.
The second day the openwater class was to start at 8:00am but more storms and it was delayed until 9:00am but the last dive was completed and was have the new divers just go dive for fun. They had a good time and were of site by 1:00pm the advanced group arrived and off the the deep dive
temps were 44 in the hole and yes, my one guy was nervous and did not care for the deep dive but got through what he needed. One specialty class and we were done at 5:00pm. I was very tried and found out the Strom that passed us in the morning, hit at home with hail and high winds knocking out the power which was not back on until 12:30am. I got home at 8:00pm and unpacked the car and passed out on the couch.
I did have a good time with some of my openwater divers, there was one group who for new divers were very good. We did a long dive on our forth dive and dove the cabin cruiser and sub and speedboat, and 40 minutes one of the group was getting low on air so we headed in. They had a good time and I explained how I was mostly using natural navigation to find all the items. One of the group is a pilot and got what I was doing and I showed here a few things to using the compass underwater. That was my fun dive for the weekend. One of my divers in the advanced group learned the hard way to trust his compass. After his experience he was much better trusting what it was telling him. He made me laugh.
Over all a very long weekend of training but the water was good temps were not back execpt deep. The water vis was so-so. Not many fish. Oh well, a least the water level is up, hopefully not much more.
Scuba Mama
Local Dive Training Site -Pearl Lake 
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