Scuba enthusiasts combine a good deed with a chance to dive

The crystal surface of Lake Tahoe belies what's beneath: a hodgepodge of keys dropped from pockets, rusted pieces of metal from boats and, inexplicably, even a saute pan that turned shades of submerged blue and brown.

A small group of Sacramento-area scuba divers spent Sunday at Hurricane Beach, on the west shore, collecting underwater trash.

"It's out of sight, out of mind," said John Day, 42, of Cameron Park. "People think (garbage) just goes to that magic disposal spot in the sky."

The divers pulled on their gear, attaching net bags for the refuse. But mainly, the good deed was an excuse to get in the water.

"Boy, that sounds like fun, I'm going," Mike Massengale, 48, of South Lake Tahoe, said he thought when he saw the event in a newsletter. "I love the serenity of being under the water. It's as close to flying as a human can get."

Massengale hates seeing litter when he's underwater, but he doesn't begrudge its former owners...[SacramentoBee]