Underwater Interpretative Dive into Emerald Bay

On September 29, the Sierra District staff, State Parks Dive Team, and Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students (PORTS) delivered a “live dive” underwater interpretive program highlighting a 1940s-1950s fishing boat that had been purposely sunk–or scuttled in Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe. More than 200 classrooms with approximately 2,500 students tuned in to watch the live PORTScast program and engage with the State Parks divers!

The clear, sunny weather provided an exhilarating backdrop for Interpreter Kaytlen Jackson to introduce the history of Emerald Bay’s resort, fishing culture, and early 20th century Lake Tahoe recreational activities.

Sierra District Interpreter and Dive Team Member Jeremy Lin communicated directly with live viewers at a wooden fishing boat that was discovered in 2002 at depth of 35ft next to the sunken wooden boat. Covering topics including water safety and natural history, the program’s main focus was a demonstrative presentation about photogrammetry, a data acquisition technique where photographs of an object are stitched together to build a 3D model to assess the condition of the object. Ranger Taylor Jackson demonstrated this technique on the wooden fishing boat and Archaeologist Denise Jaffke is working on constructing a 3D model with this data to share with the teachers and students who tuned in to view the program.

MPA Outreach and Education Project Coordinator and Dive Team Member Erika Delemarre operated the underwater camera and the statewide PORTS Team coordinated the technical operations, audio-visual connections, and the livestream broadcast. Parks Information Technology Specialist Chris Gresham provided network support for the broadcast.

This Lake Tahoe Live Dive was truly a team effort, engaging staff from multiple program areas who traveled from all corners of the state to make the program a success. Viewers who missed the live broadcast can view a recording on the PORTS Program YouTube channel here.