Fantasy Lake

Site Info
Type	Lake
Coordinates	"N78°25'37.4"W 35°54'39.0"N 78°25'37.4"W
Region	Eastern US
Access via	Shore
Depth range	20-80ft

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Fantasy Lake is a freshwater lake formed from a flooded quarry located in Rolesville, NC, United States. It is set up as a scuba park and has various submerged features such as boats and planes and has amenities such as covered pavilions, landscaped beach accesses and changing rooms. It's been a scuba park since the 1980s and is a popular spot in the area. Most scuba training in the Raleigh-Durham / Triangle area takes place here.

Details

Website

No pets or freedivers are allowed.

Location

3601 Quarry Road
Wake Forest, NC 27587

Depth

Maximum depth of 80ft. Most of the features are located in 20-40ft of water.

Depths of various features are in the "Do" section of this article.

Topography

The bottom varies from coarse gravel to deep silt to sand to algae. The western wall is the deepest section of the quarry ranging to 80ft. There is a submerged quarry road running diagonally across the bottom at a depth of roughly 20ft.

Conditions

During the summer temperatures are usually in the upper 70s. There is a 5-10 degree thermocline around 20-30 ft year round. During the winter months the temperature gets quite cold, in the mid 60s.

Visibility is highly variable and unpredictable, ranging from 3-30ft.

Facilities

The following facilities are available:

• Portable restrooms
• Changing rooms with synthetic turf floors
• Covered pavilions with picnic tables

There are no tank filling or rental facilities on site, you must bring your own gear and gas.

Water and food from a food truck (when present) is available via concession stand in the waterpark section of the park. There is no free water available on site.

History

Fantasy Lake was originally a stone quarry. Operations began in the 19th century. In 1950, the entire 52-acre site was unexpectedly submerged when an emergent spring rapidly flooded its 90-foot depth. Due to the swift water rise, heavy machinery used for stone processing remains submerged at the site, including a large rock crushing machine.

In 1980, Doye Sherrill acquired a 100-acre tract that encompassed the quarry. With time, he transformed the once-deserted quarry into a specialized scuba diving facility for both recreation and training. In 2021 he sold the park and in October 2021 he died. The new owners have made significant improvements, including the addition of an inflatable aquatic playground, artificial beach, new underwater features, improved beach access and changing areas, paved access roads and the introduction of an online ticketing system.

Access

The park is privately owned and the owners sell day access passes. Night diving is possible but requires a separate ticket. In the past the park accepted cash in a drop box with a paper sign in sheet. In 2023 the new owners introduced an online ticketing system and tickets must now be purchased online. The liability waiver must be completed online as well.

Parking

The park has plentiful parking but on the weekends it can be very busy and the parking spots closest to covered pavilions will likely be taken within a few hours of opening.

Do

The site has many intentionally submerged objects and vehicles for divers' entertainment. A typical recreational dive here involves visiting one or more of these sites. Alternatively, a wall dive along the jagged rock walls of the quarry can be enjoyable. The tall sheer walls are interesting to swim next to. The western portion of the quarry is less visited and contains the deepest section with a maximum depth of 80ft.

• Infographics about Fantasy Lake submerged features
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See

• Rock crusher is worth seeing. Thermocline hovers around the top of the crusher and visibility is usually poor within it, but rarely visibility is clear and the interior can be dived.
• The walls can be enjoyable dives
• There is a large boat reachable by following the eastern wall from the beach entry that allows for limited penetration; this is probably the most interesting intentionally sunk feature in the park, coordinates 35°54'45.1"N 78°25'32.3"W

Life

The lake hosts several species of freshwater fish. Most common are bluegill and bass. There are also two very large koi in the lake that can sometimes be spotted, although encountering them is quite rare.

Safety

Hazards

• Certain submerged features such as the airplanes and the large 50ft boat offer "light" overhead environments (swim throughs). They are relatively free of debris and entanglement hazards but still demand caution.
• Submerged vehicles have ragged edges that divers should be mindful of.
• The amoeba N. fowleri, which in extremely rare circumstances can cause the invariably fatal condition amebic meningoencephalitis, is known to inhabit the waters - as with most freshwater lakes in the US - and at least one swimmer has died from an infection since the park opened. Divers are advised to avoid inhaling water through their nose.

Gallery

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  Sunset at Fantasy Lake