Will be diving Athens today and Terrell (cssp) tomorrow, any tips or advice?
- Thread starter Jayfarmlaw
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Bllue lagoon is in huntsville. It is a quarry and the water is slightly alkaline hence good vis is expected.
Blue Lagoon - Huntsville, TX
they let in divers first and nonish or later they let in swimmers they primarily support diving , swinmmers are secondary income on room available only. room determined by sites and not acreage. If there is not a shelter open no one comes in till it is vacated. Call days or a week before to reserve a spot lagoon 1 shelter 6 area is a perfect spot central for diving. shelter one is goos for easy walk ins.[/QUOTE]
Blue Lagoon - Huntsville, TX
they let in divers first and nonish or later they let in swimmers they primarily support diving , swinmmers are secondary income on room available only. room determined by sites and not acreage. If there is not a shelter open no one comes in till it is vacated. Call days or a week before to reserve a spot lagoon 1 shelter 6 area is a perfect spot central for diving. shelter one is goos for easy walk ins.[/QUOTE]
Addicted2H2O
Contributor
I haven't been to Athens yet, but I've done multiple dives at CSSP and a couple at Blue Lagoon, which I will be diving this weekend while my wife completes her OW dives.
CSSP is definitely not what I'd consider "clear". When I did my OW dives there, vis was limited to about 3'. Granted, this was in November '14, but it was a bit of an odd feeling doing my first OW dives in water I could barely see my buddy in. Max vis you can really expect out there is about 15'. My wife tried to do her OW dives out there this past May and called it after the first 10'. She absolutely HATED the vis. And it does get cold. Last time I dove out there (April) we dropped down to the plane on the far end of the lake, which sits around 38'-40' and bottom temps were right around 54 degrees. Full 5mm suit with gloves and hood and I was completely comfortable.
Blue Lagoon offers much better visibility. First time I dove there was mid-May and vis was 25'+. Downside is there is no marine life and max depth is around 30' in lagoon # 1. Really nice facilities and they cater to divers. Just make sure you make a reservation a week or so in advance. I did dive there about 3-4 weeks ago and vis was limited to about 10'-12' feet, but it was still a decent blueish-green color. Bottom temp at 23', where the platforms are (Lagoon 2) was a very warm 89 degrees! So...plan on not wearing an exposure suit heavier than a dive skin. I usually dive a swimsuit and UnderArmor compression top. Entry fee for divers is $17/day and swimmers are only allowed to be there from 12-6. I believe divers can camp for an additional fee, but I have yet to do so. Would be a cool place to do night dives, though.
If you make a reservation, Lagoon 2 is the one centered around divers. Swimmers are at Lagoon 1. I've had shelter 7 at Lagoon 2 twice and it's a few short steps away from a great walk-in spot. Flash Point is a good one, too, but it's more of a giant stride, which they pretty much discourage. Most of the larger groups/classes take the shelter on the very end of that side of the lagoon, but I forget what number it is. Overall, if I have to choose between CSSP and Blue Lagoon....I'll make the drive to Blue Lagoon. If I'm looking to make a day trip and be home for dinner, I'll drive the 1.5 hours to CSSP.
CSSP is definitely not what I'd consider "clear". When I did my OW dives there, vis was limited to about 3'. Granted, this was in November '14, but it was a bit of an odd feeling doing my first OW dives in water I could barely see my buddy in. Max vis you can really expect out there is about 15'. My wife tried to do her OW dives out there this past May and called it after the first 10'. She absolutely HATED the vis. And it does get cold. Last time I dove out there (April) we dropped down to the plane on the far end of the lake, which sits around 38'-40' and bottom temps were right around 54 degrees. Full 5mm suit with gloves and hood and I was completely comfortable.
Blue Lagoon offers much better visibility. First time I dove there was mid-May and vis was 25'+. Downside is there is no marine life and max depth is around 30' in lagoon # 1. Really nice facilities and they cater to divers. Just make sure you make a reservation a week or so in advance. I did dive there about 3-4 weeks ago and vis was limited to about 10'-12' feet, but it was still a decent blueish-green color. Bottom temp at 23', where the platforms are (Lagoon 2) was a very warm 89 degrees! So...plan on not wearing an exposure suit heavier than a dive skin. I usually dive a swimsuit and UnderArmor compression top. Entry fee for divers is $17/day and swimmers are only allowed to be there from 12-6. I believe divers can camp for an additional fee, but I have yet to do so. Would be a cool place to do night dives, though.
If you make a reservation, Lagoon 2 is the one centered around divers. Swimmers are at Lagoon 1. I've had shelter 7 at Lagoon 2 twice and it's a few short steps away from a great walk-in spot. Flash Point is a good one, too, but it's more of a giant stride, which they pretty much discourage. Most of the larger groups/classes take the shelter on the very end of that side of the lagoon, but I forget what number it is. Overall, if I have to choose between CSSP and Blue Lagoon....I'll make the drive to Blue Lagoon. If I'm looking to make a day trip and be home for dinner, I'll drive the 1.5 hours to CSSP.
What are CSSP temps at depth? Surface? Headed up this weekend... hearing different stories of what to expect.
Thx
Thx
pepperbelly
Contributor
James, my brother and I dove CSSP the weekend before last.
The surface down to about 15 feet was around 85*+. 15 feet to 24 feet was about 75*-80*.
There is an abrupt thermocline at about 25 feet, but in places it can vary a couple of feet. It is about 63*. There are spots where the colder water seems to rise, but it is localized.
The deep hole with the silos is in the mid to lower 50*s.
I wore a SP 5/4 Everflex all weekend. It was warm at 15' and shallower, but it made it comfortable deeper. The deep hole almost requires a hood and gloves.
Visibility was poor since there were several classes going on. Near zero vis plus dark during the night dive made it interesting.
The surface down to about 15 feet was around 85*+. 15 feet to 24 feet was about 75*-80*.
There is an abrupt thermocline at about 25 feet, but in places it can vary a couple of feet. It is about 63*. There are spots where the colder water seems to rise, but it is localized.
The deep hole with the silos is in the mid to lower 50*s.
I wore a SP 5/4 Everflex all weekend. It was warm at 15' and shallower, but it made it comfortable deeper. The deep hole almost requires a hood and gloves.
Visibility was poor since there were several classes going on. Near zero vis plus dark during the night dive made it interesting.
OP
We dove it a couple of weeks ago and I was in a full 3/2. The only place I was uncomfortable was dropping to the silo platform at 60 feet. It was dark and cold. I lost the bouy line once I was on the platform and could not find it again. It was cold enough I didn't care to look for it. Up was easier. The thermocline at 25 feet was noticeable, but if you swam at 23 feet and got warm, it felt pretty good to drop below and cool down. Great place to practice navigation. Shoot a bearing on the surface and go. The limited visability is not very forgiving, but when you hit it perfect, it feels pretty good.
Don't forget to hit Buc-ees! The Kolaches are actually pretty good! (Not West Texas....but good and worth the stop nevertheless)
Good luck, have fun.
Don't forget to hit Buc-ees! The Kolaches are actually pretty good! (Not West Texas....but good and worth the stop nevertheless)
Good luck, have fun.
Addicted2H2O
Contributor
I will agree with you on West! Kolaches at the Chech Stop....stop there every time I'm headed that way. Actually...will be stopping there next weekened on the way to New Braunfels.
And vis at CSSP is never great. I've only ever seen a max of about 12' personally. When I did my AOW, we dropped down to the catwalk at the silo and I was in a 5mm minus a hood and gloves and my teeth were chattering. Instructor dropped in maybe 5 feet and couldn't see a thing, even with a light. And cut his new glove on some metal in the process. So he called the dive and we followed the bottom for the rest of the time we were down.
A few feet of viz is fine, I haven't yet fulfilled my dream of being a blue water princess 
I am going to be teaching a couple classes, mostly on the airplane, so no worries....I plan to be on the other side of the lake from the open water areas!
Thanks for the info...I think I'll pack my 5mm! Yikes.
I am going to be teaching a couple classes, mostly on the airplane, so no worries....I plan to be on the other side of the lake from the open water areas!
Thanks for the info...I think I'll pack my 5mm! Yikes.
Addicted2H2O
Contributor
I'm diving Blue Lagoon this weekend....think I'll pack my swimsuit! And hopefully my new tank is in at the dive shop. Last time I dove CSSP, we dove the plane. it was a pretty cool night dive when I did my AOW, too. It's a loooooooooong surface kick over there from the ScubaToys platform, though.
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