List your favorite Texas dive sites....

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Dee

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Location
near Houston, Texas
# of dives
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txlakerats has already asked for some help on this for the TSD website but I think it got lost amonst the dive shop listings.

So if you have a favorite local dive site, please list it with contact numbers if available, location, basic directions to get there, prices, conditions, etc. and any other particular info you'd like to know about any site.

Thanks,
 
Twin Lakes was a sand pit until about 15 years ago. When they hit the water table, it started filling in with water. We dive in the larger of the twin lakes which ia approx. 20 acres in size. The max depth found has been 52ft but that's only in a few deep areas, 30-40ft is the general depth. In the summer the first thermocline is around 22-24ft where the water drops into the 60's and a second thermocline is around 30ft where it stay in the 50's. From the surface to 22ft, the temps range from 70º in early May up to 86-88º at the end of the summer. Visibility can range from 10-15ft during the week and early on Saturdays. Later in the day, vis can be as low as 3-4ft...or less. Depending on the roto tillers!

There are 4 floating docks, for entries, 3 platforms suspended at 20ft for students, several sunken boats and a couple of old wooden platforms provide points of interest as well as navigation markers. The lake is used alot for OW classes in the area so it's best to either get there early!

Picnic tables, gear benches, BBQ grills and a few shelters are there for your convenience. There's a light company right of way along the back and this winter they cut down most of the shade trees for easement so if you're going to spend all day, you might want to take a portable canopy. There's plans to add several more shelters but they get grabbed pretty early. There's an air fill station onsite. Mike or Cheryl will periodically pick up your empty tanks and bring them back filled or you can take the to the air shack.

Entrance fee is $12, Instuctors and DM's are 1/2 price unless you are there working a class, then it's free. Air fills are $6. There are no tank rentals at this time.

Twin Lakes is located in Manvel, Texas, right next door to Alvin and Pearland. To get there go south on Hwy 288 to Hwy 6 (Manvel, Alvin, Pearland exit). Turn left and go 2 miles, Twlin Lakes RV and Scuba Park will be on your right.
 
Clear Springs Scuba Park (http://www.clearspringsscubapark.com/) is a 22 acre spring fed lake (an old quarry, spring fed, but no outlet) just northeast of Terrell, Tx. near Dallas. The park features incredibly clear water (for north Texas) with visibility ranging from ~10' to 30'+. Visibility has probably averaged 20-25' when I've been there in the summer. Depth of the lake maxes out at 63' in a silo they sank for advanced open water classes. Water temperature varies from a peak of about 84°F at the surface with a thermocline at ~30' dropping to the 50's in summer to ~50°F top to bottom in winter.

You can expect to see an explosion of life with water plants lining the shallows down to 25-30' populated by large mouthed bass, catfish, several kinds of turtles, a good variety of sunfish (bluegill, longear, redbreast- you know, "perch"- wear a hood if you value your ears!), and a wide assortment of fingerlings/juveniles/minnows I haven't identified. For you junk divers out there (don't get me started on "trash" dumped in lakes- he, he) there's a sunken shark sculpture, a boat, and an old airplane fuselage (mock-up?) to swim thru for the appropriately trained and equipped. There are raised training platforms at depth for classes and skill practice. Terrain varies from a wall along the southeast shore, to water plant "forests" in the shallows, to mud flats at depth.

On the surface, they have entry docks (all entry into the lake is by dock to prevent silting), a tank fill station, port-a-potties, a deli where you can get a sandwich, and a camping area- some with electric hookups. They have some picnic tables with permanent shelters and grills, but if I wasn't arriving real early I'd bring my own shade in the summer. I hear a bathroom/shower/changing area is coming. They have a limited amount of rental gear like tanks- I'd call before I go.

Fees (cash only!) are currently $20 for divers, $10 for "observers", instructors free, divemasters- one free per 4 students, camping $5 each, electric hookup $15/day, air fills $5 each. Hours of operation are Friday 9AM to dark, Saturday and Sunday 8AM to dark. The park is closed on Monday and open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday by reservation only.

Clear Springs Scuba Park is just northeast of Terrell, Texas east of Dallas. US Hwy 80 runs right down the middle of Terrell. From Hwy 80 take 429 North just east of town. Travel ~7 miles to Cedar Grove Road (county road 346) and turn right (there's usually a dive flag sign here). Go ~1 mile and the entrance is on the left. You will need a C-card to register unless diving as part of a class, and must sign a liability waiver the first time you dive.

Enjoy!
 
Athens Scuba Park, Athens TX
I took my family out to Athens this memorial day weekend and met four other families there. We and one other family camped and the others were in RVs. It was pretty pricey considering the accomodations. The camping area is right next to a very active railroad track so don't expect to sleep - we counted 6 trains each night and since there is a crossing closeby, the horns are blaring. Not the owners fault, but something to consider if you are planning on camping. Other camping shortcomings - one picnic table for entire area, one fire pit and no water. Big plus was firewood - they had a very nice pile there for the campers.

Be prepared to go to sleep then wake up with loud music. I do a lot of camping and I have had to ask a lot of people to turn down their music as the adult beverages begin to flow, but never the owners! At one point the music was so loud I could not carry on a conversation without shouting at our campsite some 100 yards away. When I went to talk to someone at the desk about it, there was no one there and then at the pool area I had to shout at someone there to ask them to turn it down - they either couldn't hear me or were too intoxicated to understand. Granted, the music did stop before it got late, but then it started all over again the following morning a little after 8:00am - gotta love that Fleetwood Mac at breakfast! All of the other reviews I have read talk about how great the people there are, but my impressions were mixed. Maybe it is just a different crowd.

Immediately adjacent to our camp area was a three foot sign saying "no parking" - three dive school cars parked there and we had to put up with them in our way all day - no small feat when moving dive gear you know. We told them it was a no parking area, but they said they "have known Calvin for twenty years and it was OK". Apparently Calvin is one of the owners - you will see "Calvin was Here" painted on every boat, plane and object in the lake. I moved my van in to the same area to unload some ice and groceries and I promptly met Calvin - who told me to move my vehicle - I guess you have to be one of the locals to be allowed next to your campsite. I moved mine and some hour or two later, dive school was out and the other car owners called it a day and left.

"No alcohol allowed" was also posted but definitely not observed (Athens is dry). I wouldn't let my youngest kid down at the pool because of the alcohol and loud music there - I think it was the owner again. The place had sort of a "good-ol-boy" feel about it. Visitors were tolerated but not necessarily welcome - the local divemasters were the kings. Nice showers, very clean facilities - only one real toilet (per sex) for the camp so you might wait in line for that. There are portapoties next to the camping area. Dogs are allowed for campers (another nice thing).

The kids enjoyed the swimming both in the lake and the pool and the train-tracks. Kids are drawn to trains like a magnet. There were kayaks on the lake. Strange thing about the Kayaks - one of the other family's daughters in our group asked the management about the kayaks and were told they were $40 per day. When we checked in, it was implied that they were free. A little later, the RV family next to them had three of the Kayaks and said they hadn't paid anything. Just one of those inconsistencies that leaves you wondering what is going on. 'nuf said about the camping and facilities and on to the really important stuff.

Keeping in mind that Texas Lake diving isn't a Cozumel drift dive (You have to adjust your expectations), the overall diving experience was average to above average. The lake is completely dead, we didn't see so much as a polywog or a crawdad. The wrecks are interesting and the dives were a good refresher for my daughters. We had the three C's - Calm, Clear and Comfortable water. Visibility was OK, rarely more than 20 foot but a LOT better than any other lake dive I have dove (dived, diven?). I missed feeding the catfish but the clarity was a really nice change. You might try the Comal river for amazingly crystal clear freshwater diving (strong current, shallow but lots of life). Diving is shallow so you may have ear problems as you tour up and down the wrecks (my youngest daughter and wife had trouble staying clear). It is a good place to work on bouyancy - just don't touch the bottom! Temperature was very pleasant - no need for skins or wetsuit for any of our divers - also a nice change from some of the lake and river dives you get in Texas. There is not a lot to see after you visit the wrecks and culvert tunnel. The bottom is a fine clay silt and there is enough activity during the day that our night dive was murky and visibility was poor as the fine silt reflected our flashlights back into our eyes. We planned two and only did one. We were planning on diving Saturday, Sunday and Monday, but by the end of the day Sunday, all of our divers were ready to go so we canceled out on Monday (we had 6 divers on our party). One of our families left Sunday afternoon. We considered leaving, but it was so late for us (plus we had a long drive home) that we stayed until Monday morning. Note that you have to leave by 9:00am or you get charged for another day (per person).

Lots of safty hazards so be very careful - sharp stuff everywhere. One our divers got snagged by a screw on the house boat ripping his diveskin and leaving a pretty nasty cut on his shoulder. One of the kids scraped all of the skin off four of her toes on the rusty ladder at our dock (and I gigged my hand pretty good on the way up too). Be careful and bring some band-aids. Watch for nails all over the ground - narrowly missed disaster with my daughter there and one of her dive booties has a vent now. Don't take any short cuts in the dark - there is a single strand of barbed wire about waist hig by the parking lot - it could clothesline a kid pretty easy. This place is meant for the adult only crowd.

After all of the nickel and diming, we layed out around $300+ for my family's dives and camping. Considering that we convinced four other families to join us for this trip, I felt a little guilty - I should have scoped this out better before arranging the trip. Had we been a big group of partying adults and/or singles this would have been a great place. For a family outing, we could have gone to Padre for a weekend for the same money. So, for diving, we will probably take the kids on a day trip to Canyon Lake or the Comal and get a better deal. I don't want to seem like Captain Negativity about Athens - we just left with a bad impression. We probably won't go back. If we lived close by, I might consider going out by myself or with a friend for a day dive. I haven't heard from the RV gang yet but they were grumbling before we left so I am not sure if their impression was much better.
 
mepperly:
Athens Scuba Park, Athens TX
...we didn't see so much as a polywog or a crawdad.

I went to Athens a few weeks ago, but didn't camp. Didn't see the alcahol that you did, but I was on the back side of the park and spent most of my time in the water. :)

I too found the lake to be mostly dead, but did manage to find 2 mudbugs down on the bottom of the lake. Actually, had a good time chasing one of them half way across it.

I found the water to be exceptionally warm and the vis in the morning was great but started to silt pretty bad towards the end of the day. I found it a great place to dive, just DON'T TOUCH THE BOTTOM, whatever you do. My buddy was a little heavy and planted his fins on the bottom on our first decent and I didn't think he was ever going to get all the clay off of them.

Gary
 
Lake Travis is closer, but I still love Possum Kingdom (because I'm a Toadies fan at heart, perhaps).

The spot I normally enter is at the Scuba Point Dive Shop (http://www.scubapointpk.com/info.htm ).

Possum Kingdom Lake is cold under the thermoclines... in late March of '02 TexasMike and I found it to be about 55 degrees at the third thermocline (at 50'). I wouldn't expect it to warm up at depth by more than 5 degrees or so. The lake makes up for this by being extremely clear that deep (algae tends to bloom at warmer depths). There are interesting walls, fish life, some sunken craft, and submerged trees.

The entrance fee is $10/day, and tanks and fills are reasonable. If you bring steel tanks, make sure they are relatively nice looking with current viz and hydro, at one point the shop had stopped filling steel altogether due to some marginal tanks that had been brought in to be filled. There is a small campground, as well. I remember the camping price being decent, but I do not recall the exact amount offhand.

jeff
 
What little I've dove of Broken Bow Lake in Broken Bow, Okla. it was typical for a lake, with a little better vis. than most...15 feet or so. Thermo at about 22 feet, and vis. deteriorates below that at where I was at. At 30 feet you couldn't see the sunken trees until you were under them and had the light coming from the surface above them.

As for safety hazards, be careful of the trees underwater, make sure you are aware you could be descending into one, pay attention to what you feel. Boats and jet skis abound, but I didn't have any problem with them. Make sure you use a dive flag. Fishing is popular there, so I'm sure there are lines in the water at places, but I didn't see any. Spear fishing for catfish is allowed; just make sure you buy a temp. fishing license. Non-resident is $18.50 for 5 days, less than $4 a day. No fees to dive, just pull up and jump in.

The old scuba shop has sold and has moved. The people at the shop can give directions to the better dive sites. Tank rentals are $8 a day, $12 for the weekend, and fills are about $5 I think. Phone is 580-584-3408. The only info. on the web that I've found is about the old shop.

I've also been wanting to try Lake Tenkiller in Okla. Supposed to be one of the best scuba lakes in the state. Good vis., old sunken town from when they flooded the lake, and other attractions.

As for the north Texas area, I'm with Bill. Clear Springs Scuba Park is hard to beat.
 
............to explore a bit of over 200,000 acres of lake and a whopping 1200+ miles of shoreline of Toledo Bend. So far, we have started at the south end near the damn and are working north to the first island. Viz ranges from 5-15 ft. and nice hydrilla to barren bottom with good size bass, crappie and some huge catfish. Diving in no longer allowed right at the damn where depths go to 90-100, but there seems to be plenty of 70'+/- and lots to explore. We usually land the barge on the Texas side and motor over to the Louisiana side where the viz seems to improve.

Toledo Bend Reservoir is the largest man-made body of water in the South and fifth largest in surface acres in the United States.

http://www.sra.dst.tx.us/projects/tbp.asp

There's a small shop on the La. side where you can get fills, and a boat is almost a must due to the limited shore access.

http://www.toledo-bend.net/scuba/contact.html

...more to come

tony
 
Fetch:
Lake Travis is closer, but I still love Possum Kingdom (because I'm a Toadies fan at heart, perhaps).

The spot I normally enter is at the Scuba Point Dive Shop (http://www.scubapointpk.com/info.htm ).

Possum Kingdom Lake is cold under the thermoclines... in late March of '02 TexasMike and I found it to be about 55 degrees at the third thermocline (at 50'). I wouldn't expect it to warm up at depth by more than 5 degrees or so. The lake makes up for this by being extremely clear that deep (algae tends to bloom at warmer depths). There are interesting walls, fish life, some sunken craft, and submerged trees.

The entrance fee is $10/day, and tanks and fills are reasonable. If you bring steel tanks, make sure they are relatively nice looking with current viz and hydro, at one point the shop had stopped filling steel altogether due to some marginal tanks that had been brought in to be filled. There is a small campground, as well. I remember the camping price being decent, but I do not recall the exact amount offhand.

jeff

Scuba Point has had a face lift.
there are about 15 camp sites with elect. and water.
3 new camping houses 1 room with ac and heat.
new indoor showers both mens and womens.
also the 5 bedroom upstairs house overlooking the water is for rent.
They have put new sod dwn and have changed the attitude to family fun first it's a gr8 weekend for everyone now.
also most Important they now have dive boat rental.
check the new Scuba Point out its great.www.scubapointpk.com
 
I am a new diver and grew up with my dad teaching over at Toledo Bend. (About 3 hours north east of Houston) I remember swimming around in the shallow waters and it being quite clear. Because Toledo Bend is so large, it is easy to find good locations to dive. If one area has bad visibility, you can always head over to the other side of the lake and dive there. (At least what my dad always said). Well, now that I am a diver, I am planning on doing that little drive up there to see what I have been missing all through the years. Hope to see many others head that way from the Scubaboard and let me know what you think about Toledo Bend.
 

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