MNScuba.com

I believe it is a combination of the extremely cold water and lack of oxygen that preserves the bodies. Also the great lakes lack alot of scavenger organisms that would normally feed on a body. Like crabs,sharks,etc.....

I met a guy in Idaho who did a recovery of a boat in around 180' of fresh water out there. The two victims had been under water for at least 20 years, from what he told me. He also mentioned to me the body he found at 150' was decomposed and the one he found at 180' was intact. By recovering the boat he had proved that it was the girls who ran into another boat, and not the other way around which had been thought was the case for years. He cleared they other guys name and salvaged the boat for himself.

Kind of a wild story, but those extra feet of depth made a huge difference upon the intactness of the bodies.

Jon

The lack of light at those depths could also have an effect on the types of organisms that reside there.

Definately some new territory for mnscuba.com threads... I've heard all the same as what was posted already, I just don't think I'd take a picture... not really intersted in having a picture of a dead body. I think it would freak me out a little to be honest, which is one reason I got out of the Sheriff's dive team down here.

As far as deco. goes,(thats Decomposition, not Decompression) Bacteria is more active in warmer temps.
When bacteria is active, it eats tissue and releases gas.(similar to a meal at white castle). This causes bodies to eventually float up. I am not entirely sure what temp starts to activate bacteria, but there was a duck hunter that just surfaced from last fall up north. That all I know, S.dog76(no m.d. at the end) ???

So far in my diving adventures i have not come across any bodies. But i think that it would be fairly unnerving to have that happen. How do you deep divers handle that in isle royale? Have you ever thought of recovering the body for the families? I mean your already down there, how easy would it be to attach a lift bag and send it up to the surface. Is that against the law?

In my experiences, I knew that it was going to be there before I saw it. So it wasn't really a big shock to me. As far as recovering the body, I really don't think that would be a good idea. If you put a lift bag on it and sent it up, the water itself would probably rip it apart, not to mention that it would quickly decompose once on the surface. It is also illegal in National Park waters.

Besides the park service fining you and taking your boat and your gear and.. and.. one also has to consider that some families would prefer that they stay there as they consider it a grave site. As ID says, the bodies are not that big a deal if you know they are there. That's assuming you are not doing deep air either.
Now if one reached out toward you (through some kind of post-mortem reflex or something) THAT could be freaky. :o