Manitoba Underwater Council

DIVE SITE MAP
HILLOCK LAKE
MANITOBA

The Manitoba Underwater Council suggests that on the day of the planned dive, both the site and diving conditions be adequately assessed and diving should take place only if these conditions are acceptable. Note, Hillock Lake is 1240 feet above sea level. Caution is advised when using standard no-decompression tables. It is recommended that altitude tables be consulted and the appropriate corrections applied.

To ensure a safe and enjoyable dive, the council also suggests that the diver observe the following precautions:

Always mark your dive site with a diver down flag.
Be alert for boat traffic when surfacing and snorkelling.
Never dive alone and always do a buddy check before descending.
After a long snorkel, rest at the surface prior to descent.
Do not dive beyond your comfort zone.
Watch depth and bottom time carefully.
Finally, practice good buoyancy control. Much of the bottom the lake is silty. Bottom floundering can drastically reduce visibility creating a hazard for you and for those following.

The information provided in this brochure is intended as a guide. Although we have attempted to advise the diver of any hazards, some hazards may exist of which we are unaware. It is the diver's responsibility to obtain further information where available.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Call Operator - ask for ZENITH 50,000 Contact O.P.P. (in Ontario) or the R.C.M.P. (in Manitoba) and state the following:

"This is a diving emergency."

DIVEPAC is a service provided by the Manitoba Underwater Council with financial assistance from Sport Manitoba and Manitoba Lotteries

This pamphlet has been prepared by:

K.V. Ticknor
D.G. Hartrick
A.H. Kerr

Acknowledgements

R. Hewson
R.A. Bartmanovich
A. Brambilla

July 1990

Converted to HTML by:

Sean Ennis

Hillock Lake Notes

This site is VERY difficult to get to. The road from Highway 71 to Hillock Lake is poorly maintained at best. A 4x4 (with high clearance) is a NECESSITY. Drive slowly and carefully. The road beyond the Kiwanis Campground is even rougher. As a result of this few people ever visit the lake, there is very little boat traffic. Hillock lake is one of the most clear and pristine lakes you can 'easily' access in the region.

All sites listed here are accessible only by boat with the exception of Site K.

Also, due to the location of Hillock Lake, services and supplies are nonexistent. Therefore, transport in with you all the supplies you will need, including drinking water. Please remember upon leaving to take all garbage you generate to a suitable disposal site.

North End

The North end of Hillock is the most easily accessible

Site A
This extensive site has an excellent mix of sheer walls, ledges, boulders and fallen trees. The confusion of boulders, probably created by glacial activity, form swim throughs for schools of suckers and perch which can be found above the thermocline near the North end of the site. The rock face extends down to around 70 feet with greater depths slightly further out. Several areas suitable for docking and suiting up are readily available along the shoreline. To the North, a small bay with trees coming down to the waterline makes a good entry point while larger groups may prefer the gently sloping rock shelf toward the South end of the site. Overall the site offers a variety of potential dive profiles with something for nearly everyone. One of the best sites on the lake.

Site B
A large flat area of rock provides a convenient area for docking and suiting up. It's a less interesting area than much of the rest of the lake affording a rocky bottom sloping down to about 40-50 feet. Heading North the bottom levels off at around 30 feet with a sandy bottom. Good area for finding fishing tackle.

Site C
Small Island. This may be preferable as a snorkeling site since a large area of shallow water strewn with rocks and boulders can be found to the Southwest of the island. However, to the Southeast can be found an area of a large boulders and a short, sharp wall extending down to a sandy bottom. This could be an excellent site for a shallow dive to end the day or perhaps as a night dive. Further out from the island to the Southwest a ledge drops away from the silty bottom at about 60 feet. Use caution if this profile is of interest.

Site D
This site can reach extreme depths very close to shore. Caution is required. With care this site can provide the diver with an interesting experience as the drop-off consists of several ledges forming a step-like descent into the depths.

Site K
Known as "Little Caves", "Monster Dive Site" and "Nemo's Castle". By any name, it is the best shore accessible site on the lake and compares well to many other sites. This site has a maximum depth of about 45 feet with the most interesting features found above 40 feet. A myriad of boulders and rock slabs create numerous recesses, swim-throughs and small cave-like openings. The visual attraction presented by the boulders can be stunning. Large schools of suckers with accompanying perch are common. The site extends for several hundered feet along the wall and is definitely worth more than one tank of air. The best docking and suiting-up area is found toward the North end of the site and is marked by small rocks, boulders and trees projecting out from the sheer cliff face. To access this site from shore requires a surface snorkel of about 800 feet from the small beach at the North end of the lake. This beach is the first point encountered when approaching Hillock from the West.

South End

The North end of Hillock is the least accessible portion of the lake, as there is no road access and every site requires boat access.

Site E
Situated at the South end of the lake, close to Five Mile Beach, is the site commonly called "Eagle Eye". The site is marked above water by a large rock face which is reddish in colour. The boulders below provide the same colouration with many veined in quartz. Depth underwater drops almost immediately to about 60 feet with a sandy bottom and many of the larger boulders close to the cliff. Further out from the wall there is a second drop to around 90 feet.

Site F
"The Habitat". This site is close to Eagle Eye (Site E), approximately 100 feet out from the end of the Eagle Eye cliff heading towards the rope swing (Site H). Underwater, there is a very steep drop to around 60 feet where there are many large boulders and a generally rocky terrain. Anchored by cables to steel plates on the bottom can be found the "Habitat" - a plastic tank approximately 6 feet by 5 feet by 3 feet with a plexieglass viewing port on the top. The habitat is actually a septic tank. Water can be displaced from the habitat by dumping air from a spare scuba tank.

Site G
"Air Caves". This site is renowned for a shallow undercut that is tapered in towards the wall such that air can be trapped from regulator exhaust bubbles, permitting divers to get their heads above water at a depth of 40 feet. The specialy decorated "Team Canada" refrigerator from bygone days is "normally" found adjacent to this undercut. Overall, this site offers a sheer wall to the North of the Air Cave with rock and boulders strewn to the South. This area is a must see site as it will treat a diver to both a wall dive and a mosaic of large boulders. Docking can be found in small nooks in the rock face, but favorable entry and exit would be directly from a boat, rather than negotiating the rocky shoreline.

Site H
"The Swing". This site is located in a narrow channel between the mainland and the Southern-most island on the lake. A rope swing above the site, offers entertainment during surface intervals for the adventuresome type. There are numerous convenient docking and suiting up spots at the site. Beneath the surface, stay to the left while heading North for the more enjoyable diving. Initially at depths of around 10-30 feet there are seveal shady coves with large outcrops of flat topped rock. Sheer walls plunge to about 40 feet along which overhangs and outcrops of rocks, indicative of Hillock, again treat the diver. Small crevices adorn the surface of the rock, affording shelter for small crustaceans, marine insects and small fish. A gently sloping silty bottom then leads to greater depths towards the middle of the channel.

Site I
The large island offers some excellent cliff diving. A small tree at the water's edge on the East side privides a convenient starting point. At this spot, depth drops immediately to 30 or so feet to a rocky bottom. Heading North, the wall drops to in excess of 100 feet with steep rocky slopes and several shallow overhangs.

Site J
The drop-off on this side of the large island is much gentler than that found at site I. It holds just as many interesting features to occupy the diver.

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