Canyon Lake is a beautiful sight.The man-made lake is located in Comal County, and was built by the Army Corps of Engineers. However, an underwater view of the lake reveals a much different, more dangerous perspective.It reveals the dangers divers face when searching for missing swimmers.
The lake is so deep and dark that even the diver's light is of little help when searching underwater.Visibility is often near zero.
Dan Misiaszek is a diver with the San Marcos Area Recovery Team.He and his fellow divers are aware of the dangers lurking beneath the waters of Canyon Lake.
Because the water is always murky, especially at depth, it is feeling around as if you were blind, Misiaszek said. Many times you can't even see the light that you have with you. So in cases like that, we usually run into the body; we don't actually see it until we get into the shallower depths.
Adding to that danger are branches, which can trap a diver.
The branches are certainly a problem, Misiaszek said. They get tied up in the gear and they are loaded with fishing lines and hooks.And it's only going to take one hook in the wrong place, and you're gonna have a diver in trouble, or a pierced hose, and air leaking, and we don't want to lose a diver.
Canyon Lake's depth varies greatly.The north side of the lake at Canyon Park is shallow, but the other side of the lake, at Comal Park, is where the depth really drops off.
The divers recovered Maurice Hamilton's body on the north end of Canyon Lake, where he went missing Saturday.
This is fairly shallow water.We're dealing with 17 to 21 feet, said Misiaszek.
In a separate drowning that same Saturday, Matthew Arzate disappeared on the lake's south side.Misiaszek says the depth on that side of the lake drops to 80 feet.That is where trees from the original Guadalupe River are submerged.
Eighty feet is where the top of the tree canopy begins...depending on the depth of the lake - right now it's fairly low - but it can go up to 120 feet in that area, said Misiaszek.
Because of those dangerous submerged trees, divers had to suspend the search for Arzate.
David Bailey was visiting from Tyler, Texas and heard of the tragedy.
It's sad. It's terrible.I don't know if it was, I'm sure it was preventable.But, you know, you've gotta be careful, said Bailey.He added life jackets are a must when on the water.
