This summer, an extreme from Astana, Ersain Shygaev, together with two like-minded people, made an expedition to Lake Shaitankol in the Karaganda region. He found out that the locals had good reason to give the reservoir this frightening name …
No bottom
“Lake Shaitankol was mentioned in the newspapers of the Russian Empire in the 19th century,” says Ersain Shygaev. - At that time, the largest fair was located in Karkaralinsk, where nomads traded with Russian merchants. Not far from Karkaralinsk, a Cossack village appeared, and the settlers, interestingly, also noticed that Shaitankol is a difficult lake and began to call it Devil's. In 1905, the Cossacks tried to consecrate the lake and rename it Holy. Crosses were even installed on its bank. But then some kind of devilry began. The newspaper "Omsk Eparchalny Novosti" wrote that during the prayer of the archimandrite a whirlwind flew in, knocking people down. But as soon as the prayer service died down, it all ended …
According to Ersain Shygaev, there is also a legend about the Kazakh batyr Yer Targyn, which also mentions Shaitankol. The warrior was returning from a campaign and spent the night on the shore of the lake. At night he was awakened by a naked girl of unprecedented beauty. She begged the batyr to follow her, and Er Targyn heeded her prayers. The girl ran into the lake and beckoned the warrior to follow her. A little embarrassed, the batyr went into the water first to his waist, then to his throat. When the warrior was at the depths, the girl swam up to him and in the blink of an eye turned … into a terrible old woman with a swampy face. The witch grabbed the batyr and began to drown him. Yer Targyn was saved by chain mail - the prudent warrior decided not to remove his armor before entering the water. Iron claws clawed uselessly at the warrior's broad chest. Batyr dragged the hissing witch to the shore,smashed her head with a blow of his fist and threw her body into the water. The creature, once in the lake, immediately came to life and began to shower the hero with curses. Batyr, as if nothing had happened, returned to his lounger and fell asleep. Nobody bothered him again that night. In the morning Er Targyn reached the nearest village and told the local residents about the incident. The villagers told the batyr that people have been disappearing in the waters of Shaitankol for many years …
Drawing by Igor KIYKO
“The most interesting thing is that people continue to disappear without a trace in the vicinity of the lake,” says Ersain Shygaev. - Local residents told us about it. Batyr was only able to save his life thanks to superhuman strength. But what does a meeting with an unknown ordinary person promise? During the expedition, we not only tried to measure the depth of Shaitankol, but also made one dive. Under the water I saw something that turned gray …
Promotional video:
Black waters
“To measure the depth of Shaitankol, we used a rope 300 meters long,” says the extreme. - On an inflatable boat, we swam to the center of the lake and lowered the lot into the water. We thought that the depth of the reservoir would be one or two meters. For comparison, the maximum depth of Balkhash does not exceed six meters. But we untwisted and untwisted the coil of rope until it ended, but the load never reached the bottom! Dumbfounded, we began to pull the rope to the surface …
Residents of Karkaralinsk told travelers that the lake has a very bad reputation. Only desperate teenagers, in whose blood hormones play, dare to swim in Shaitankol. But Ersain Shygaev still decided to find out what secret the black lake waters hide. “I have experience as a diver,” he shares. - I dived to a depth of 30 meters in the Mediterranean and Red Seas. I also have my own scuba gear, although it is an amateur one, but very reliable. The bottom of the lake was very beautiful. Huge boulders, algae, schools of fish. The water was clear enough. I immediately rushed to where our lot fell into the abyss. And I saw a semicircular "bowl" the size of a football arena, in the center of which a bottomless abyss gaped. I did not dare to swim over the abyss. So he froze at the edge of the cliff, like an idol. And suddenly I saw something strange in the center of the pit. It was as if the back of a huge whale appeared for a moment from the darkness and disappeared into the darkness again … I pulled the rope so that my partners pulled me to the surface, and immediately felt that oxygen stopped flowing from the cylinders for no apparent reason. I suppressed my panic with difficulty and, trying not to look back, rushed upstairs. Finally, I saw the sun and was able to breathe deeply. The guys dragged me into the boat. Already on the shore, they made out a gray strand, which appeared on my right temple. The guys dragged me into the boat. Already on the shore, they made out a gray strand, which appeared on my right temple. The guys dragged me into the boat. Already on the shore, they made out a gray strand, which appeared on my right temple.
And the nights are loud here
- We decided to spend the last night of our expedition not far from the lake and pitched two tents. I went to bed in the first, and my comrades in the second, - Ersain continues his story. - In the middle of the night I woke up and felt that someone was standing in front of my tent. I heard the unknown guest breathing loudly and shifting from foot to foot. And then such horror rolled over me that I ran out of the tent and found myself in the fog. I don't remember how long I ran … But then the fog cleared away, and I realized that I was standing at the edge of the forest. I saw my comrades nearby. They looked frightened. It turns out that they woke up from some incomprehensible noise. Looking outside, the friends saw a strange black outgrowth, similar to a tree branch, reaching out to my tent … Without saying a word, they rushed wherever they looked. But I don't blame them for running away.
Already in Astana, we processed all the data received and attracted Ada Ermolina from the Union of Magicians of Russia as a consultant. In her opinion, there is a "funnel" or wormhole in Lake Shaitankol, through which different entities from parallel universes can enter our world. People at the bottom of Shaitankol have nothing to do. Moscow psychics warned us that repeating experiments like ours is deadly.
Rustem OMAROV