Site Overview #
The site is the pool below the last set of rapids in the Petawawa River (next to the golf course, but accessed via North Street opposite the golf course). The map below outlines the locations of the main features of the site. The maximum depth of the pool is about 35 feet, but the most interesting diving is in the 10 to 20 feet depth range. At the point of access, there’s a shallow platform that extends roughly 40 m from shore (4 to 6’ deep). At the edge of this platform (the first drop-off) is where the clay wall is located (3 to 6’ high). From this wall, swimming upstream will take you across a washed sandy terrain, then gravely, then bouldery and rocky, as you approach the base of the rapids. The river current at times is highly variable – surges occur at times that not only increase the water velocity but direction (discussed below). If, from the clay wall, you swim downstream, you’ll encounter a tangle of logs over a washed sandy bottom. Among the logs are much fish, and lost fishing lures. The far side of the pool has a darker bottom that varies between rocky, sandy, and bark-covered (from decades of logging activity on the river). This is also where you’ll find dozens of golf balls from the neighboring golf course.
