Aquarena Springs
Athens Scuba Park
Balmorhea
Benbrook
Blue Lagoon
Canyon Lake
Comal River
Granbury
Oasis
Paluxy River
Possum Kingdom
Squaw Creek
Texohma
Toledo Bend
Travis
Valhalla
Whitney
Texas Lake Conditions
Texas Lake Maps
Date: 7-24-99
Location :Aquarena Springs
Max depth: 25'
Water temp :72 Year round
Visibility: 75'
Rating: * * * *
Dive shop: Aquatic Adventures
Phone: 512-219-1220
Comments:
We went with Aquatic Adventures, the cost was $30.00 per diver for two days. We had the the site
8:00am till noon and were free to make as many dives as we wanted. The only drawback is that you
cannot leave the netted area. This is where they used to put on the underwater show, if you have
been there before the university took it over you will know what I mean. The visibility was great until
the newbees got on the bottom and stirred it up. I had no other recourse but to slip through the net
and out into the lake. I know I should not have done this but I stayed off the bottom and touched
nothing. If they catch you in the lake you will be barred for life, so if you decide to do this your on
your on. (get in and out before 9:00am, this is when the boats start running and you will get caught)
however I think
it was worth the risk because it is like no other site in Texas. You can get in the lake without the risk by
calling
512-245-7560 tell them you want to sign up for the Scientific dive program, I plan on doing this
next spring. GREAT DIVE!!
Date: 5-23-99
Location : Athens Scuba Park
Max depth: 27'
Water temp: 74
Visibility: 3'
Rating: * * *
Dive shop: Scuba Park
Phone: 903-675-5762
Comments:
Athens Scuba Park just had their grand re-opening May 22. The park is under new management. Calvin and Shannon's Back!!!! The park was getting a little run down but Calvin and Shannon have done a great job whipping it back into shape. This has got to be one of the best training facilities in the state as well as a fun place to spend the weekend diving. There is a lot to see under water, like buses, boats, a piano, an airplane and a motorcycle
just to mention a few. There are dive platforms for training and nine entry docks. The lake is 7.5 acres and is big enough so that you will not get in each others way. There were over 100 divers when we were there and there was plenty of open water as well as parking. There are rest rooms, showers, campsites, beach volleyball court, basketball courts, a stage for live bands and a dive shop. Cost is $21.50 per diver, $10.00 for non divers, kid's under eleven $5.00, students get in for $35.00 for the weekend, dive masters with a class gets in free and instructors get in free all the time. They are open Friday noon till dark, Saturday 8:00am till dark and Sundays 8:00am till 6:00pm. They are also open Wednesday and Thursdays with reservations. You can also get a season pass for $100.00 This is good for May-November 1, 1999. The visibility was bad the day we were there but there had been a lot of divers before us. I am told that this lake has great visibility more often than not. Get there early, stay off the bottom which is heavy silt have fun and DIVE SAFE.
Date: 2-26-99
Location : Balmorhea State Park
Max depth: 25'
Water temp: 72-76 year round
Visibility: 50'+
Rating: * * *
Dive shop: Desert Oasis Dive Shop
Phone: 915-375-2572
Room reservation: 512-389-8900
Comments:
From the surface this looks like a big swimming pool, but under the surface you will find the clearest
water in Texas. The pool is fed by the San Solomon Spring to the tune of 20 million gallons of pure
spring water every day. We got there Friday at noon and had it to our self till dark. This was the best
visibility I had ever seen and it looked much different than it did on the surface. Lots of fish including a
fish that I am told can be found only here, named the Comanche Spring Pup Fish.
There are also fish here named the Pecos Mosquito fish both are on the endangered list. There are
also Mexican Tetras, Catfish, Perch, Minnows, Crayfish and Turtles. All are VERY friendly to the
point of swarming you. We made a dive that night and were amazed to find that with the full moon a light was not necessary.
The pool is open 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. The cost is two dollars per diver plus three dollars
for the night dive. There are rooms available for thirty five dollars and up per night. Camping and RV
sites for ten dollars a night. Tanks are available at the dive shop next door for seven dollars and air fills
are five dollars. Call before you go and reserve tanks before you leave home without your own. If the
dive shop is closed call the number and they will come meet you there. It can get a little crowded on
the weekend so I recommend going during the week. I really enjoyed diving Balmorhea.
Date:
Location : Benbrook
Max depth:
Water temp :
Visibility:
Rating:
Dive shop: Scuba School
Phone:
Comments:
I have not dove at this site yet but will when it gets a little warmer. I did go check it out and find some places to dive. I also took some photos and they are posted below. I know of no one that has dove here, if you have PLEASE file a report.
Date : 12-6-98
Location : Blue Lagoon
Max depth : 26'
Water temp : 65
Visibility : 25'
Rating : * * *
Dive Shop : On site
Comments :
This is a quartzite quarry near Huntsville, it has been referred to as Cozumel in the Pines. This really is
the bluest water you will find in Texas. The visibility was 25'+ the day we were there
I was told it can be 60' at times. The only thing I did not like was the absents of marine life. The only
marine life you will see there is called a dragonfly nymph. They look and act like a shrimp and
can be seen around the 40' Chris Craft that I could not resist scratching my name on with all the
others ("What a newbee"). There were at least five dive platforms there for training as this is what this site was opened for and I could
not think of a better place in Texas for open water training. The only draw back is that you will not
soon see this visibility again in Texas unless you go to Balmorhea or off shore. If there was marine life
here I would give it a five rating but with out fish it gets just a little boring. If you are looking for
some blue water but don't have the bucks for for Cozumel this is it. This was a fun dive and I would
go back. There is also a second lagoon you can dive for the same price next to this one. I found a
mask there, if it's yours describe it to me and I will mail it to you.
MAP
Date : 06-05-99
We dove at North Park and
was told that there is good diving at Overlook Park as well as Comal Park. The owner of the dive
shop will be happy to tell you all about the lake.
This dive goes well with the Comal River dive since they are close to each other. We did this dive just after
lunch and a few divers had been in before us but the visibility was good. This lake does not see a lot of
divers and I do not under stand why. It was a fun dive with very easyentry and exit to the water. Park just to the left of table number 12 and the site will be a few steps away. You WILL need a full wet suit to dive below the
thermocline which was at 36' and the temp dropped to around sixty degrees. There is a
small wall we followed for a quarter mile or better with a car or two along the way, there is also a
training platform. We stayed above sixty feet due to the temp but there is all the depth here that you could want. The cost is eight dollars a car and camping is permitted. The dive shop is open seven days a week and is across the
street from a tube rental shop and a hotel that is also owned by the same people as the dive shop. If no
one is at the shop just go across the street and they will come help you. It is located at 12381 Hwy.306
just a few miles from the turn off to the dive site. If you would like a room across the street from the dive shop call early as they go fast. The number to call is (830) 964-3600. As with all of the other sites if you want to know more just drop me an e-mail.
Date : 06-05-99
This is a spring fed river that flows through New Braunfels. It is divided into three areas, upper,
middle and the lower. We went on the week end and the only entrance we could find was at Prince
Solms Tube Chute. We got there at 8:00am and the gate was open, we latter learned that the gate is
locked at 9:00am so do not park inside this gate, park just outside of it. The dive is to the left of the
tube chute, dive up the river and watch for goodies lost by the tubers and keep a eye out for the
Large Mouth Bass that live there as well as Catfish, Perch, Crappie, Carp.... You can dive a quarter of a mile or better up the river then come back down the other side. Things have changed a lot here
the last few years so most of the dive Texas books are outdated and just plane WRONG, where they say to
enter are no longer accessible. This is the only part of the river we found suitable for diving. If you
want to know more just drop me an e-mail.
Date : 06-19-99
This is a river lake fed by the Brazos River. I have lived on this lake for four years and I can tell you
that this water is not fit for diving. Why did I dive it? I suppose because it was there and I just
wanted to do a report on it, and after all I do dive Mud Puddles. We dove the north end of the lake in a river channel that was 32' deep.
The visibility was 0, kinda like chocolate milk. The deepest part of the lake is just in front of the dam, it is 56'. I was told by a "diver" at whitney that there was a old submerged bridge on Pearl St. just
down from City Beach. He had dove there and the water was clear, however, after much research and talking to a old timer (sorry Ollie) that
watched the bridge be torn apart and hauled away there is no submerged bridge in Lake Granbury. There is definitely no clear water in Granbury. Next week we dive a dog bowl, I heard a old train was submerged there.
Date: 4-25-99
I had been hearing a lot about this site for awhile so I went to check it out for myself. We got there
a little late and had to hurry to get in the water because they close the gate at five. The entry is very easy
as you giant stride right off a platform. Once in the water we were greeted by a few dozen big hungry
catfish. There was a large dive platform on the bottom great for a open water class. There was also a
cabin cruiser to look at and I was told another boat could be found as well as other sunken objects.
The visibility was not that good as a lot of students had already been there, not to mention the catfish
they do a good job of stirring up the sediment themselves. The other divers were friendly and eager to
talk diving and the staff of the park was accommodating letting us stay a little late and chat with the
other divers. This is a limestone quarry that is spring fed and I would guess it covered about three
acres. The closest air is at Island divers in Denton and they are open Sunday till five. You might want
to call first in case they change this practice before you go with a empty tank. Cost is ten dollars per
diver and overnight camping is allowed at an extra charge. Over all this site is better suited for
training and to check out your gear or a place for new divers to log some dives.
Location : Canyon Lake
Max depth : 100'+
Water temp : 72
Visibility : 15-20'
Rating : * * *
Dive Shop : Goofy's Dive Shop
Phone : 830-964-2222
Location : Comal River
Max depth : 15'
Water temp : 72
Visibility : 15'
Rating : * * *
Dive Shop : Goofy's Dive Shop
Phone : 830-964-2222
Location : Granbury
Max depth : 56'
Water temp : 72
Visibility : 0'
Rating : *
Dive Shop : None
Phone :
Location : The Oasis
Max depth: 21'
Water temp: 63
Visibility: 5'
Rating: * *
Dive shop: Island Divers
Phone : 940-383-3483
Comments:
Texas Lake Conditions