Comal River - 3/14

[SoybeanQueen]

My husband and I will be near New Braunfels next week and we'd like to dive the Comal on Sunday, 3/14 probably early-ish in the day. Anyone planning to be there that weekend?

I've seen quite a bit of difference in what people say about the current - everything from "it's the easiest dive ever" to "it's pretty advanced at parts." What say you, ScubaBoarders?

 

[heavyjeffd]

I dive the Upper Comal (above the falls) a lot as it's very close to my house, easy to park and walk up to, (~20mins) and pretty clear water, which the wife really enjoys .

Even after a huge rain when the flow is "high" it's still very mild current IMO. There is one little area where an inlet meets the main river where there can be a bit of current, but it's nothing really.

If you go past/down the chute through the falls area, the current is pretty strong there, I don't really recommend that. If you want to do a drift dive and go past the falls, I recommend getting out, walking down the steps past the falls, and putting back in there.

The only thing I'd worry about is if there's a lot of rain in the few days leading up to the weekend, it will be very murky from run off (and the nicest thing about really is that it's generally very clear since it's spring fed).

Hope that helps.

 

[austinspace]

The current is such that you don't have to fin really at all in order to keep moving forward. Upper Comal is a dream ... from Landa Falls Tube Rental (just upstream of the Railway Trestle, not sure if they are open this time of year) to the end of Hinman Island, before the tube chute. Most people enter at Hinman Island, drift down, exit and repeat. Control your speed and make the dive last. From tube chute down to last exit is more of an adventure - takes an hour or a bit more - and is a lot of fun. Its white water directly below the tube chute - but completely doable in scuba gear. Just fully inflate BC first. Though walking around it may be a good choice! Best to get oriented on the sections of the river and the various entry and exit points. I put together this map with a few placemarkers:

Comal River - Google Maps

I might be able to join you on Sunday. Now is a great time of year to go.

- John

 

[rakpix]

The current is such that no matter how hard you fin you won't stop moving forward. Just hop in and RIDE Also beware, this is SPRING BREAK for UT Austin and Texas A&M, so be prepared for lots of drunk toobers!

 

[heavyjeffd]

If you dive the Upper Comal and have strong legs, you can swim upstream, I do it every time I go. For some reason I enjoy the slow steady swim up stream, I usually swim from the put-in in front of the falls up to the bridge, then drift back.

 

[SoybeanQueen]

I might be able to join you on Sunday. Now is a great time of year to go.

- John

This is great information, thanks! Maybe we'll see you there.

 

[SoybeanQueen]

The map is fantastic. Are there any landmarks we should be looking for to know when to exit to stay in the Upper Comal? Approximate time from the entry points? Just diving the upper part sounds like what we want to do.

 

[heavyjeffd]

The nice thing about the upper section is, you can drift dive a few hundred yards, hop out, walk back to where you started, hop in and do it again.

My wife really enjoys that, she does not like the upstream swim like goofy me does.

 

[SoybeanQueen]

The nice thing about the upper section is, you can drift dive a few hundred yards, hop out, walk back to where you started, hop in and do it again.

My wife really enjoys that, she does not like the upstream swim like goofy me does.

It sounds fantastic. I can't wait to try it out! The weather here has been cold and damp the last couple of days, so it should seem extra warm in Texas for us.

 

[heavyjeffd]

It's supposed to be in the 70's on Sunday, so it should be nice. The water temp is pretty much 74F year round there, it's spring fed so it doesn't change much.

As there isn't supposed to be any rain for the next few days, the river should be very clear. On a sunny day it's a good 50' of vis.