For the first time, see the mysterious bottom of 1,600-foot-deep Lake Tahoe

By Chuck Woodbury
PUBLISHER
Lake Tahoe, mostly in California with a slice in Nevada, is one of both states’ most popular recreation areas. Dozens, if not hundreds of Forest Service campgrounds are near or close by along with many state and RV parks. Lake Tahoe is high on many RVers’ bucket lists, and for good reason: The alpine scenery is stunning and the sight of the lake’s clear blue waters is not easily forgotten.

I am especially endeared to the area, having worked for the Tahoe National Forest as a fire fighter for several of my college summers. On days off, my chums and I would often hang out at the lake to enjoy the beauty of it all (and maybe a few beers). And, to be honest, we especially enjoyed the beauty of the young ladies on the beaches, who we did our best to befriend.

The lake is at 6,224 feet elevation in the Sierra Nevada range. It’s just shy of 1,600 feet deep, the second deepest in North America after Oregon’s Crater Lake at 1,949 feet.

On September 5, for the first time, researchers livestreamed a visit to the bottom of the lake with a remote operating vehicle (ROV) named Deep Emerald. A recording of the livestream is near the bottom of this article. Throughout the mission, using a split screen, researchers explained what was going on from their perch high above in a small boat. It’s fascinating.

For you and me, this is probably the only view we will ever get of the lake’s bottom floor. It’s other-worldly. There is no evidence of life, just an off-white, milky looking landscape of what I’d sum up as “nothingness.”

But, technically, what Deep Emerald saw was the constant presence of sediment materials floating past its lens, including granitic rock. “Some of that material is present-day, but you could core through the bottom and we could get back to a thousand years ago, or 2 million years ago,” researcher Sudeep Chandra commented.

And at the bottom, “the water is blue,” Chandra said. “If you shine light through it, it’s got this hue of blue that’s equally unique as the surface.” He credited the color partially to the small watershed-to-lake ratio, which means that the lake isn’t overly full of materials that would dull its vibrant cobalt shade.

After spending so much time in the area as a young man (and in dozens of visits since), I found the livestream fascinating. The ROV was equipped with eight thrusters, four LED lights, and a 4K ultra-HD camera with low light sensitivity, which made it “a perfect vehicle to be able to see the pitch black abyss at the bottom the lake,” the researchers noted.

Those who watched the livestream wondered beforehand what the Deep Emerald might find, even human bodies. No, that didn’t happen. But one totally unexpected thing they found on a previous mission was a birthday balloon, which they hope to retrieve later.

Although no fish were observed during the livestream, Mackinaw trout up to two feet long had been seen 800 to 900 feet deep on previous dives. On the livestream, the researchers questioned what the fish were doing down so deep.

Here’s the video. It’s long. If you take the time to watch, you’ll learn a lot and be well entertained, too.

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