Update

Well, I finally managed to get the cover off and the liner is actually not as bad as I thought. There is about 4 feet of water left ....at close there was approx. 7 ft. So, it's lost 3 feet in 6 months. I marked the water line on the liner so I can tell if it's still leaking. There are no signs of major holes/tears in the liner.

So here are my questions at this point. There appears to be air or water under the liner on the slope in the deep end below the current water line. I would think that the pressure of the water would push this air/water out. If it were water wouldn't it settle to the lowest point which would be on the flat bottom, not the slope? If it were air wouldn't the pressure of the 4 feet of water push it out?

....thanks for any help