Local diving in the Houston Area?

I'm going to be in the Houston area later this month and was wondering what the local diving is like. Is there any shore diving? What about charters for day trips? Are there any shops and charters people here recommend? Any recommended dive sites?

Unfortunately, there's not much in the way of shore diving in our area of the Gulf. The Gulf Stream manages to keep the near-shore waters pretty murky. There are a few local lakes that are open this time of year (Mammoth, 288 Lake), but the viz will be low and the water temps are in the 50's. If you're determined to get in the water, let me know and there's a fair chance we can find a dive buddy for you at a lake during the weekend.

There's a good list of boat operators in this thread although this time of year the Gulf can be "sporty", especially in a small boat. Seabrook, Freeport and Galveston are all local-ish to Houston.

If you want to see some really stunning Texas diving, plan some time for a weekend trip to the Flower Gardens on the Fling on a return trip. They don't start running until Feb, but your best chance at having cooperative weather will be May-Sept.

Another option would be a day trip to the Comal River in New Braunfels, but take somebody with local knowledge with you.