(Branson, MO) -- Downtown Branson sits on the beautiful Lake Taneycomo, which is just one of several lakes in the area.
But long before there was a Table Rock, Taneycomo or Bull Shoals Lake, there was the White River.
About 745 miles of pristine shoreline make Table Rock Lake a paradise for boaters, anglers and yes -- even divers.
"People come in all the time and say, 'You're going to dive in the lake?' They only dive the ocean. Well, they're really missing out on a lot," says Dick Dallagher, State Park Marina Harbor Master.
Dallagher is known on the lake simply as 'Diver Dick.' He's been taking families and experienced divers on Table Rock expeditions for years.
"Actually not too far from this area right here I know for a fact there are two really nice ski boats that have never been found," he says.
You can see Table Rock from several different ways. In the air, on a boat or below the surface with a dive. There's even a lost city 100 feet under water.
"There is the one we found that direction over by Big Cedar called Oasis," says Dallagher.
When table rock was dammed, it submerged several buildings along the White River, including the town of Oasis.
"There
are some foundations and there is part of a bridge," says Dallagher.
"Guys have found some coins and stuff."
And while this outdoor haven is a blast for summer sports, it was actually intended for flood control. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finished Table Rock Dam 1958, long after Branson was established.
"Through the 30's 40's and 50's there were people who made a living off of being guide services starting here in Branson going all the way down into the White River," says John Miller, Hatchery Manager at Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery.
"Then when they dammed up Table Rock, it made even more fishing," recalls Dallagher. "More tourism and the water is warm."
The cold water is released from the bottom of the lake and forms Taneycomo. That changed the ecosystem downstream.
"So people come from all over the country now to fish for trout that their grandfathers and parents may have come to fish for bass," says Miller. "Now they fish for trout."
So whether it's fishing for trout of diving for lost treasure, Branson's lake life is always creating waves of adventure.
