Lake Mattoon provides setting for two diving traditions

MATTOON, Ill. (AP) - The frigid New Year's Day waters of Lake Mattoon provided the spot for a couple of underwater traditions Friday afternoon.

One was more serious and the other more lighthearted, a chance for training and a chance for fun.

The Coles County dive team is working to renew a tradition of having diving exercises on New Year's Day, something team member Don Goss said he does every year, whether the team does or not.

'œIt's my passion,'ť Goss said of diving. 'œI love finding stuff.'ť

While the dive team might be called upon to do underwater searches in emergency situations, Goss said his leisure diving time has led him to find submerged guns, safes and automobiles.

He said he's been a certified diver since 1978 and a member of the dive team since its origin in 1993.

The team did exercises on New Year's Day annually for about five years. They then became more 'œhit and miss'ť but 'œI went anyway,'ť Goss said.

'œWe're trying to get things cookin' again,'ť he said.

Team leader Rob Plummer also said the team plans to 'œspark this tradition up again'ť and take advantage of the day's typical weather conditions.

New Year Day's weather was a good example, with near-freezing temperatures at the time of the dive. With such conditions, divers can't stay in the water as long as they would otherwise, for example, Plummer said.

'œIt's different being underwater when it's cold,'ť he said.

The exercise was a good chance for divers to not only experience such conditions but also to practice techniques such as search patterns, Plummer also said.

There were also team members who stayed on shore, holding a rope that was attached to the diver at its other end, used to help the divers return from underwater and to send signals to their on-shore teammates.

Meanwhile, the divers with air tanks and other gear were joined briefly Friday by two in T-shirts.

Zach Haifley said he was continuing his own New Year's Day tradition of diving into the lake's waters on the first day of the year. His friend Tristan Delgadillo came along for the second year in a row.

Haifley said he's done the frigid plunge each of the last four or five years, sometimes with other friends taking part. He said it's strictly because he enjoys it.

'œWe do it just to say we did it,'ť he said. 'œIt's just a fun thing to do.'ť

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Source: (Mattoon) Journal Gazette & Charleston Times-Courier, https://bit.ly/3b8qSKr

'œWe do it just to say we did it,'ť he said. 'œIt's just a fun thing to do.'ť