Underwater World

Taking a mask and snorkel into the Hiwassee is like the world's greatest scavenger hunt.

All the things I try not to think about whenever I enter water-that make me scream and thrash when I see them-is exactly what we were looking for.

"You're immersing yourself into another world," says Casper Cox, who when not working as a graphic designer downtown, is out in the water. "You're going to see more life than you've ever seen above water." He regularly takes people with him to "other worlds" within driving distance that give a glimpse of some of the earliest beginnings of this one. "The Appalachians are really ancient, so the fish had time to evolve in all these little niches, pockets, watersheds and small stream systems. The Ice Age never came down here and wiped everything out," Cox explains, noting that Tennessee has "the most diversity of fish than any other state." In addition to being a freshwater snorkeling hobbyist, he acts as a guide for local snorkeling trips offered through the Cherokee National Forest, introducing people to the underwater worlds of Citico Creek and the Conasauga, Tellico and sometimes Hiwassee rivers.

photo Jennifer Bardoner snorkeling in the Hiwassee River.

I wish I'd had a scavenger hunt checklist when he took me and a mishmash group comprised of outdoor enthusiasts, a high school foreign exchange student and his expat German friend living in Knoxville, and other various "types" on a rare trip to the Hiwassee. "This is the epicenter of biodiversity in the temperate world," group organizer Jeff Hunter, with Tennessee Wild, proudly proclaimed, just as I was greeted by a mute-colored butterfly. In all honesty, my real welcome wagon was an unidentified, slightly intimidating and very large bug that landed on my foot, but I'm more of a butterfly kind of girl. Funny, because once in the water, one of my favorite sightings was an ugly yet intriguing fish that looked like a mashup of a catfish and a gargoyle, with a small body trailing behind it like everything had been squished up into its oversized head. I think the barrier the wetsuit provided may have had something to do with my change in demeanor. In addition to being clear enough that I could see up or downstream for several yards, the water was a chilling 68 degrees, so the wetsuit helped me enjoy the late July day in more ways than one. As did the water shoes I had bought on the way. Best $10 I've ever spent, regardless of the fact they were required.

I essentially duck waddled for hours in the shallow water, which when standing to enter or leave the river came up at best to my lower thighs. Along my way I saw dozens of fish, mostly small, unattractive creatures, and I don't (totally) say that because of my "penchant" for fish, but because they are colored to blend into their environment. "What you're seeing are the fish people don't catch. They have no idea they're there," Cox says. "If you don't know what you're looking for, you can easily miss it; like most of nature." Amidst a setting reminiscent of woodland scenes save for its wafting back and forth, I encountered mostly variations of darters, aptly named long, lean fish that seemingly disappear on what appeared to be the equivalent of delicate dragonfly wings. And I didn't scream or thrash once, not even at the strangely beautiful iridescent trio of creatures that trailed just behind me all day.

Despite my preconceptions, I'm not surprised that Cox routinely hears "That's the best thing I've done all summer" or "I'm bringing my friends" at the end of such trips.

"A lot of hobbies don't last long, but I've been doing this 20 years and never get tired of it," says Cox, who travels all over the country to visit other underwater worlds, each completely different from the last. "It's always kind of a challenge to see how many different fish you can see. You can return time after time and see different things. It never really gets boring. It's just kind of a quest, a constantly evolving bucket list."

I may just make a scavenger hunt checklist and join him in the Conasauga, which from the looks of the brightly colored fish contained, may be this butterfly lover's dream world.

See For Yourself

To schedule your own visit to "another world," assemble a group of at least 12 and contact Sherry Hicks with the Ocoee Whitewater Center at 423-496-0103 or shhicks@fs.fed.us. Trips, offered primarily May 1 through Sept. 30 due to the temperature of the water, cost $20 per person and include use of a wetsuit. Participants should bring their own lunch and towel, and be sure to wear water shoes or sandals that won't come off.

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