Just in case the Scientific Diver doesn't make this weekend, we are still going to head down to San Marcos for the weekend. Can anyone recommend the best places to dive in that area? The ones that pop into my mind from reading the board are San Marcos river, Blanco river, Comal river and Lake Travis. Maybe Canyon Lake? Are those the best ones down there? Recommend any others? Thanks a bunch.
Good dives within an hour of San Marcos?
- Thread starter Jarrett
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Dove Travis (at Mansfield Park) this past Friday. Visibility was 20ft+ starting down around 65 ft. Up around the boats and plane visibility was only a few feet.
drdiver1952
Contributor
Where can you dive on the Blanco? Anybody know?
Dang I completely forgot about CrazyDuck's great info:
"South of San Marcos-
Canyon Lake is an option nothing special about it, engineered lake. Lots of cars in one end.
San Marcos
Single car-
When traveling in a single car we use this method.
We get everything ready at Joes Crab shack by the falls. Walk it down to the bank and then park the car across the street on university property (open on weekends.) Then we enter the water at the bank and play in the falls and cost down to the exit which is on the left side. You can exit at the University Park or float down to Veterans Park. Check attachment of San Marcos city parks. Veterans is very long concrete wall and this is a pretty short dive. When complete have someone walk back and drive the car down to Veterans Park.
Link http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?a...ew=1&name=&qty=
Driving Direction-
Take a right on Bobcat Drive and then an immediate right on Jowers street. You will see a small sign pointing down the street saying city park. The road bends to the right and becomes Main St and that dead ends into the city park. The park is called city park or Jaycees city park.
Group
Other option for Groups- Have everyone meet at Rio Vista Park. Someone in the group needs to drive a truck (not a problem in Texas.) Then pile everyone into the truck bed and bus them up to Joes parking lot and let them walk down to the bank. Then the last person parks the truck across the street or someone (not diving) drives the truck back down to the park. Depending on the group the trip can take anywhere from 45minues to a 1-1/2.
Sidenote- make sure your fins are attached properly. Then come off some how in the current. Bring a goody bag and a trash bag. We collect all sorts of trash and goodies.
There is a set of stairs at Rio Vista park. Good place to start to let the divers see where they are getting out at."
"South of San Marcos-
Canyon Lake is an option nothing special about it, engineered lake. Lots of cars in one end.
San Marcos
Single car-
When traveling in a single car we use this method.
We get everything ready at Joes Crab shack by the falls. Walk it down to the bank and then park the car across the street on university property (open on weekends.) Then we enter the water at the bank and play in the falls and cost down to the exit which is on the left side. You can exit at the University Park or float down to Veterans Park. Check attachment of San Marcos city parks. Veterans is very long concrete wall and this is a pretty short dive. When complete have someone walk back and drive the car down to Veterans Park.
Link http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?a...ew=1&name=&qty=
Driving Direction-
Take a right on Bobcat Drive and then an immediate right on Jowers street. You will see a small sign pointing down the street saying city park. The road bends to the right and becomes Main St and that dead ends into the city park. The park is called city park or Jaycees city park.
Group
Other option for Groups- Have everyone meet at Rio Vista Park. Someone in the group needs to drive a truck (not a problem in Texas.) Then pile everyone into the truck bed and bus them up to Joes parking lot and let them walk down to the bank. Then the last person parks the truck across the street or someone (not diving) drives the truck back down to the park. Depending on the group the trip can take anywhere from 45minues to a 1-1/2.
Sidenote- make sure your fins are attached properly. Then come off some how in the current. Bring a goody bag and a trash bag. We collect all sorts of trash and goodies.
There is a set of stairs at Rio Vista park. Good place to start to let the divers see where they are getting out at."
You can also look into Windy Point or Mansfield Dam outside of Austin. There's a ton of information of those two sites further down in this forum. Typical TX lake conditions though.
Windy Point's my favorite Austin dive site. This is the best time of year to go too. Water's warm, clarity's half decent, and the fish are everywhere. Get a couple cans of vienna sausages (you can purchase these on site sometimes) and stuff them in your wetsuit. Open them up on a dive platform, and the fish will all come to you. It's friggin' awesome!
drdiver1952:
Five Mile Dam is probally the best place.
Take Post Road (the light in front of the Football Stadium on Aquarena Springs Dr.) for seems like forever. Turn left as soon as you cross the Blanco, and Five Mile Dam park will be on your left about 1.5 miles. There are plenty of places to park. I found the best diving to be along the far bank.
One of my favorite dives of the area is still the San Marcos River from Joe's Crap Shack(it will always be Pepper's to me) to Rio Vista Park.
Crazyduck
Contributor
The parking lot to the bank is 50ft. You start walking down the sidewalk hit the grass and head towards the bridge. Just after the trees you will see a concrete bank on the left side. Careful, step down is about 2ft.
Then you are standing in the water the falls are on your left. The water action is the falls push the water to the right and pull in from the left. So you are going to have to walk out about 10 ft through weeds (or follow up the wall- thats what I do) and then you are in open water. I submerge and get use to the water- 75 degrees.
Next I float to the right side and walk up about 10 to 20ft after that you will feel the pull of the waterfalls (dont forget your fins.) Please note this is a basic whirlpool rotating right to left. I follow the stream back on the right side. You can swim under the falls, then turn to your left and drop down a little deeper (you see the shelf) and the swim back to the left. If you mess up the falls will grab you and slam you to the bottom and whirl you around and throw you out (its a blast.) If for some reason you do not get spit out right away relax and swim up and you will make your way out- swimming towards the right helps. I usually make a few circuits and then float down the stream. Please note- When you are near the falls you will see two rooms to your right- they go no were and constitute an overhead environment. Neat to look into and see the fish hanging in there starring back at you.
Heading down stream-
When you float under the bridge it can be shallow- what your dangles and stay chest down. When you come out the current will be a little faster. When the stream banks to the right there are some weeds- cruise through them for the fish and it is deeper. If you want to exit at university park- you exit is immediately after the turn to the left. It gets shallow and you can stand up.
It helps if you park and walk to circuit to get a good understanding of your in and out points.
Have fun.
Regards, Andrew
Then you are standing in the water the falls are on your left. The water action is the falls push the water to the right and pull in from the left. So you are going to have to walk out about 10 ft through weeds (or follow up the wall- thats what I do) and then you are in open water. I submerge and get use to the water- 75 degrees.
Next I float to the right side and walk up about 10 to 20ft after that you will feel the pull of the waterfalls (dont forget your fins.) Please note this is a basic whirlpool rotating right to left. I follow the stream back on the right side. You can swim under the falls, then turn to your left and drop down a little deeper (you see the shelf) and the swim back to the left. If you mess up the falls will grab you and slam you to the bottom and whirl you around and throw you out (its a blast.) If for some reason you do not get spit out right away relax and swim up and you will make your way out- swimming towards the right helps. I usually make a few circuits and then float down the stream. Please note- When you are near the falls you will see two rooms to your right- they go no were and constitute an overhead environment. Neat to look into and see the fish hanging in there starring back at you.
Heading down stream-
When you float under the bridge it can be shallow- what your dangles and stay chest down. When you come out the current will be a little faster. When the stream banks to the right there are some weeds- cruise through them for the fish and it is deeper. If you want to exit at university park- you exit is immediately after the turn to the left. It gets shallow and you can stand up.
It helps if you park and walk to circuit to get a good understanding of your in and out points.
Have fun.
Regards, AndrewSimilar threads
