RossM
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My oldest will be wrapping up his Jr open water next month and I'd like to be sure we both get in the water a few times a year even if we don't travel. Are there any regular or semi regular clean up dives in the Denver area?
Clean up dives Colorado
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Do you mean dives in which people perform public service operations picking up trash at dive sites? If so, I don't know of any, although some individual dive shops might be sponsoring them.
There are really only 2 dive sites in the Denver area--Chatfield Reservoir and Aurora Reservoir. Neither is at all deep. The best "local" diving for OW divers is over 400 miles away in the Blue Hole in New Mexico. For advanced divers, Rock Lake (near the Blue Hole) is an excellent option, although it has extremely limited accessibility. You have to be an adult with at least AOW, and you have to be under the supervision of an approved instructor. (You don't have to be taking a class.)
There are really only 2 dive sites in the Denver area--Chatfield Reservoir and Aurora Reservoir. Neither is at all deep. The best "local" diving for OW divers is over 400 miles away in the Blue Hole in New Mexico. For advanced divers, Rock Lake (near the Blue Hole) is an excellent option, although it has extremely limited accessibility. You have to be an adult with at least AOW, and you have to be under the supervision of an approved instructor. (You don't have to be taking a class.)
In that case, diving in Chatfield or Aurora will be your best choice. You will want to use a 7mm wetsuit, which you can rent from the shop that rents the tanks if you don't have one. Of the two sites, Aurora Reservoir has the best facilities. It has a sectioned reserved for diving, with tables and lockers. It is also a bit deeper, and it has an airplane wreck to visit. Chatfield is only 21 feet deep, and it has no facilities other than some benches. It is also used by all manner of people interested in the water, including standup paddleboards and dogs being trained for in-water rescue (believe it or not). there is nothing quite so enjoyable as putting your gear together while a couple dogs are in the water getting trained and all the other dogs are on shore in their owners' cars barking at them.
Local dive shops will take longer trips to the Blue Hole in New Mexico and to Homestead Crater in Utah. Both are open year round. The primary purpose of these trips is instruction, but they will happily let divers go along. Homestead Crater is in a resort with other activities, so you can combine your dive outing with golf or skiing.
DiverNick226
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DiverNick226
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FWIW, I did my OW/AOW cert at Homestead Crater in Midway, UT. It’s a natural hot spring inside a cave/crater with a limestone dome above it. It’s always 80-90 degrees and 66’ deep (a nominal 90’ at its elevation). Great place to visit/dive but thankfully nothing to clean up.
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