Towering Pines Blog

That’s just a turtle, not the Monster

Beautifully ensconced between majestic Lake Nokomis and the spring-fed (and aptly named) Clear Lake, Towering Pines offers a terrific waterfront program; sailing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, sailboarding, etc. Less visible, but every bit as fun, is the TP Skin Diving class.

The class is led by veteran counselors Aaron Zaga (8 years of skin diving experience), Colin Joss (also 8 years experience), and supported by lifeguard Alex Harlow.  Thanks to the Staff enthusiasm and an itinerary of exciting activities, Skin Diving is enjoying a well-deserved surge in popularity this year.  This summer the divers will be;

• Catching fish & turtles, which are kept in the TP Zoo, and released at the end of the summer.
• Finding a sunken ship (which looks amazingly like a dilapidated old TP rowboat).
• Building and sinking a crib, which creates hiding places for fish to be viewed / caught in future summers.
•  “Minnow Massages”: the same pricey feet-cleaning service available in posh salons is now available at Towering Pines — for free!!
• Photo Safari for the “Monster of Clear Lake,” a legendary massive fish that lives in the lake.  Although numerous sightings have been claimed by campers and staff, no photos have yet captured this ichthyologic leviathan.  The Summer 2013 Skin Diving class hopes to remedy that.
• The annual Golden Flipper Competition, a.k.a. the “underwater gold rush,” is held the last session of camp.  Teams of divers compete to collect gold rocks from the bottom of the lake.  The team that collects the most “gold” wins the highly coveted Golden Flipper title.
• To cap off the summer, the “Skin Diver of the Year Award” is presented at the summer’s end Towering Pine Banquet.  This recognition goes to the camper who displays the best attitude for Skin Diving.

Skin Diving is a great class, and a chance for the boys to have a fresh new camp experience.  But just between you and me, I’m secretly hoping that the Monster of Clear Lake goes unphotographed this summer, it’s more fun as a camp legend…

Ready to Dive!