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The Land Tortoise Radeau
 Lake George Beach, NY
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Max Depth: 101-110ft/31-34m
Average Viz: 21-25ft/6-8m
Entry Type: Boat
Bottom Composition: Clay/Muck
Aquatic Life: Might See Something
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Spring: 50-55°F/10-13°C
Summer: 66-70°F/19-21°C
Winter: Under 50°F/10°C
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The Land Tortoise Radeau (French for raft)— located in 105 feet of water in the south basin, nearly two miles north of Lake George Beach
The site can be found just 1/2 a mile northeast of Tea Island. It is marked by a buoy
The Land Tortoise has been designated by the Smithsonian Institution as "the oldest intact warship in North America." Registration with the Department of Environmental Conservation, Region 5 is required to dive the Land Tortoise. Their Mailing Address: Route 86, Box 296, Ray Brook, NY 12977-0296. Phone (518) 897-1200. You can register for diving the Land Tortoise at DEC’s facility at Lake George Beach from early June through Labor Day. Here is a quote from DEC’s Land Tortoise brochure: "This is a cold, deep dive. A safety/decompression stop is recommended. The nearest re-compression chamber is over 150 miles away. Keep this in mind!" The depth of this dive is about 105 feet and water temperature at the Radeaux ranging between 35-45 degrees F.
Divers must sign in and be assigned a time slot at the DEC office at Lake George Beach (518-668-3352).
Depth of Water - 105 to 107 feet
Experience Level - Advanced
•Review the Diving Conditions and Guidelines for Lake George
•You must sign in and be assigned a time slot to dive the radeau.
•The Land Tortoise Preserve is open from the second Saturday of June through Labor Day.
•Each member of the dive team must register and present their dive certification card. Registration is at the DEC office at Lake George Beach. (518-668-3352) A maximum of eight divers in a single party is permitted on site at any one time.
•There is a two-hour time slot allowed per dive followed by a one-hour site rest. This allows bottom silt to settle.
•Time slots available for diving:
◦9:00-11:00 AM - Access to Site
◦11:00-12:00 noon - Site Closed
◦12:00-2:00 PM - Access to Site
◦2:00-3:00 PM - Site closed
◦3:00-5:00 PM - Access to Site
◦5:00 PM - Site Closed
•WARNING: This is a deep, cold-water dive. A safety/decompression stop is recommended. The nearest recompression chamber is more than 50 miles away. Keep this in mind!
•Be sure all the members of your party understand the dangers of such a dive and have the skills and gear necessary to undertake it safely.
•Water temperature at the radeau ranges from 35 to 45 degrees F.
•Carry a dive light and a timepiece.
•Fly the red-and-white dive flag. Divers are required to surface within 100 feet of the dive flag.
•Maintain proper buoyancy control.
•Monitor your air supply and bottom time carefully.
•Do not attempt to enter the Land Tortoise.
•Do not touch any part of the vessel or dig or remove sediment or rocks inside it. Removing sediment exposes wood and increases the deterioration rate of the vessel. Do not touch the mooring rings.
•Removing artifacts or other objects or damaging the radeau is forbidden by law.
Wiki;
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Tortoise_(shipwreck)
