Unique Dive

YellowstoneText and photos by Jennifer Idol — An Extreme Experience

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Turqouise Pool (above) and Great (previ- C A N A D A ous page) at Yellowstone National Park, , USA WA MT ND ME OR MN VT A volcano larger than the US states of NH ID SD WI NY MA Delaware and Rhode Island combined, WY MI CT RI IA PA NJ Pacific Ocean NV NE OH MD Yellowstone National Park is a geo- UT IL IN DE CO WV VA thermal hotspot that attracts more than CA KS MO KY NC AZ TN four million visitors a year. Wildlife roam NM OK AR SC the landscape freely in this caldera, MS AL GA TX LA Atlantic Ocean defined by ongoing thermal activity. In HI M E X I C O FL AK this unique landscape, opportunities for Gulf of exploration above and below the water Mexico line abound. DOMAIN PUBLIC / INTERIOR OF DEPT US Mountains towering over Jackson Hole Valley, an Yellowstone National Park is a remote wilderness. impressive destination. We finally reached the south The closest major airports are six to eight hours entrance, an hour north of Grand Teton National away by car in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Denver, Park. Entering the park feels like reaching the edge Colorado. I started the 24-hour drive from Texas at of Texas and having hours of driving ahead before dawn with my buddy Doug Harder. We watched reaching the final destination. as flat plains in the Texas panhandle gave way to Slow speed limits protect people and wildlife. Rocky Mountains in Colorado. We completed our Either may jump out from the forest at any moment. drive the first day as the moon rose and continued I booked my tent site at Bridge Bay Campground, our journey the next day. another hour from the south entrance. We headed On the second day of driving, we looked left as west past the impressive Lewis Lake and then north we neared Yellowstone and noted the Grand Teton along Yellowstone Lake, the largest lake at high Yellowstone Lake (above) at night—it is the largest lake at high elevation in North America; Diver Trey Lessard (top right) enters the water at Bridge Bay in Yellowstone Lake; Location of Yellowstone National Park on US map (left)

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Wildlife abounds in Yellowstone: elk (above( and grizzly bear (left) in Hayden Vallety

elevation in North America. West they first called it “Wonderland”. Thumb Geyser Basin hurled steam Individual ideas and actions into the air on the south side of the make a powerful difference for the lake. world around us, as seen in the his- Yellowstone is one of the world’s tory of people’s appreciation for largest calderas. It feels flat and Yellowstone National Park. It is the strange compared to the surround- world’s first national park, estab- ing landscape. The last eruption lished 1 March 1872. More than destroyed the mountains in the 100 nations have since created an center and only left mountains on estimated 1,200 national parks or the park’s perimeter. Nonetheless, equivalent preserves. the lowest point in elevation is This beginning of park develop- 1,610m (5,282ft) and our dive would ment led to other parks in the United be conducted at 2,357m (7,733ft). States, which then led to the crea- tion of the National Park Service on A storied history 25 August 1916. We celebrate the Evidence from archaeological sites centennial of our national parks this shows people have inhabited the year because Yellowstone National area for more than 11,000 years. Park was deemed an area worth When Europeans first visited the protecting from development and region in the 1800s, they were so misuse and led to the protection of moved by the proliferation of life other important resources. View of Yellowstone River in Hayden Valley (above); Lower Falls at Artist Point (top right)

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Turqouise Pool (above) near —a year later its color has changed (see previous page) due to due to damaged bacterial mats; Daisy Geyser erupts (right)

Yellowstone has also been des- park, I read park news and notices. ignated a UNESCO World Heritage The park issues alerts for areas Site and a biosphere reserve. This closed to the public and new rules. means Yellowstone is part of a net- This year, five notable incidents in work of reserves devoted to the the park became national news. conservation of nature and scientif- The first incident involved a person ic research and is part of a select list of globally protected areas whose natural and cultural resources ben- efit all people. Too hot to touch The geysers and thermal features throughout the park are the most visible reason for a storied history of fascination with this wilderness. More than half the world’s geysers and 10,000 thermal features are found in this world of extremes. Water tem- peratures range from 257°C (459°F) in Norris Geyser Basin to the cold waters of Yellowstone Lake at 5°C who died when they left the are solid ground or fragile crust. (41°F). This makes the world’s first protected boardwalk and Additionally, between 1,000 national park an unlikely destination fell through thin crust into a and 3,000 earthquakes shake for diving, yet I return annually. in Norris Geyser Yellowstone and change geyser Since thermal features are dan- Basin, the hottest thermally behavior every year. Old Faithful gerous and often reach tempera- active area. Although the is named for its predictable erup- tures above boiling point, swimming landscape looks solid, it is a tions. Seismic activity has changed is limited to Firehole Canyon near wild and unpredictable land. the eruption cycle, so the interval Madison Junction. The most injuries Even scientists and park between eruptions seems to be and deaths in the park are due to rangers who study the area increasing. Predictable geyser times thermal areas. Every year I visit the cannot predict which areas are listed at the visitor center in the Old Faithful erupts (above); Upper Falls (right)

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View overlooking Grand Prismatic Spring (above); Minor eruption of Castle Geyser (top left)

Old Faithful lodge area. Each The spring features unreal fly drones in any United States lists the expected time of erup- colors. The that form national parks. tion, plus or minus time when the the colors around the pool dis- geyser could possibly erupt. play colors depending on the Defined by water The second most recognized temperature in which they grow. From geysers and springs to feature, Grand Prismatic Spring, Another unfortunate incident lakes and rivers, Yellowstone also experienced two national may change those colors over National Park is defined by incidents. Fortunately, no one time. A drone flew across the water. Glaciers from the last two was hurt in either. However, a spring and lost contact, then million years and up to 14,000 group of amateur videographers falling into the center of the years ago shaped Yellowstone left the boardwalk and irrepara- spring. Anything that falls into a Lake. Yellowstone River flows bly damaged the bacterial mats thermal feature is irretrievable from Yellowstone Lake through that provide the color surround- due to extreme temperatures. Hayden Valley and carved the ing the spring to share their Objects in springs block the flow Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. adventure through social media. of water and cool their tem- Upper and Lower Falls are two It can result in a $1,000 fine to peratures, causing man-made of more than 290 waterfalls leave the boardwalk. change. It is a felony offense to in the park, and are the most in Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone National Park Large leaf lupine flowers

57 X-RAY MAG : 75 : 2016 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO TIPS FOR THE ADVENTURER ● Save money and experience two parks by purchasing an Yellowstone unique dive annual parks pass.

● Bring a light jacket in the sum- impressive. Lower Falls descends maximum depth of 131m (430ft), so mer and heavy winter clothes the 94m (308ft) into the canyon. can accommodate any dive plan rest of the year. I dive Yellowstone Lake to explore imagined. I usually plan shore dives, siliceous spires in Bridge Bay, an but could rent a boat from Bridge ● Make lodging reservations one unusual feature created after Bay Marina. While this is a cold year in advance. the last glacial retreat, that rise water dive at altitude, I enjoy the up to 6m (20ft) from the bottom. good visibility and exploration. The ● The nearest SCUBA shop is They look like solidified smoke that lake is enormous and makes me Yellowstone Divers. Advance squeezed through a chimney. The feel like a piece of straw in a hay notice is needed for equipment delicate spires are thought to have field. and may need to be rented from formed while underwater and are Few visitors experience the shops in Salt Lake City or Denver. surrounded by bacterial mats. park’s underwater resources, and Bringing all equipment is highly Diving in special bodies of water because of this, the lake can reveal recommended. like Yellowstone Lake is an adven- surprising finds. I observed round ture. Yellowstone Lake reaches a balls of algae, which I confirmed

THIS PAGE: Hydrothermal siliceous spires in Yellow­stone Lake; Diver examines a spire (top left and far right)

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CLOCKWISE: Muskrat taking vegetation to nest; Yellowstone Lake shoreline; Nostoc cyanobacteria in Yellowstone Lake; Red fox near Yellowstone Lake

to check-in before and because of the animals’ close prox- after dives at the Bridge Bay imity, but they are not. Each animal Marina station. Park rang- requires its own personal space; and ers are helpful and a useful the law requires 91m (300 ft) distance topographic map of the from bears and wolves, and 23m (75ft) lake hangs in the office. No from all other animals, including elk solo diving is allowed and and bison. were nostoc algae balls known as a all divers must be certified. cyanobacteria. They are reported to An extreme experience be successful nitrogen and carbon fix- The wild side Impossible life persists in the heat of ers. Yellowstone Lake is also home to Wildlife thrives in the park because springs and geysers, providing almost the largest population of wild cutthroat of their access to fresh water. Bison unnaturally saturated colors. Fish and 27 certifications and has been diving trout in North America, which can be congregate around thermal features other aquatic species inhabit frigid for 20 years. Her underwater photogra- seen returning to spawn in the lake in winter to keep warm. A keen eye is waters in Yellowstone Lake and all ani- phy and articles are widely published. mid-summer as they jump over the pertinent to finding wildlife. However, mals must survive serious winter condi- A native Texan, she creates design LeHardys Rapids on the north side. another good indicator in the summer tions. I am awestruck by the diversity and photography for her company, Diving activities are bound by is to find parking areas full of cars. A in this landscape and dwarfed by its The Underwater Designer. For more regulations specific to individual bod- bison, elk or grizzly bear has likely been scale and complexity.  information, visit: uwDesigner.com. ies of water. Each national park fol- spotted and visitors linger to catch lows independent diving guidelines. glimpses and photos of these encoun- Jennifer Idol is the first woman to dive REFERENCES: Diving with a dive flag is mandatory in ters. 50 states and author of An American YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. NATIONAL PARK Yellowstone. Park rangers require divers It may feel like the wildlife is tame Immersion. She has earned more than SERVICE. HTTP://WWW.NPS.GOV/YELL

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