Lake Denton

[ScubaDuck207]

Good evening,

I was recently placed on the board for the Lake Denton Camp in Avon Park, Florida. I am a public safety diver and will be an advocate for the divers that utilize the camp to access Lake Denton. I know there are many dive instructors and shops that utilize Lake Denton for instruction. Feel free to comment on any of the topics below. ....(I ask that you please do not bash anyone or use profanity) You are welcome to also private message me with any concerns.

1. What are some pros ?
2. What are some cons?
3. What changes would you like to see?
4. Suggestions to make the facilities better for divers.
5. General comments or suggestions.

 

[FlaOutdoors]

Do you have to come with an instructor or dive shop?

 

[sphyon]

I'll bite.

Orlando diver here. Denton is obviously one of the closest places to even dip your toe in with gear on from town. So the draw here is obvious.

I would say the primary complaint I have would be facilities for setup and breakdown, changing and showering. There are some on site that get the job done but I've certainly flashed little Sphyon inadvertently at groups of students several times while changing on a windy day.

Adding some clean hot showers and restroom facilities would be fantastic. I for one would make it a more frequent visit for checkout dives.

Outside of that my only other real request would be some new and more robust marked lines to features further out on bottom. A few classes in there can send the place to hell with regard to vis so this would go a long way in preventing funky profiles needed to navigate easily for divers new to the lake.

Thanks!

 

[devildog12210]

I second everything sphyon said. I have done many check-out dives there and I have a significant amount of time there coming up in coming weeks while taking my CCR class. Its funny how I viewed it from a new OW student perspective to more of a tech perspective.

Overall everything flows pretty well. I haven't had any major complaints though. Just nice to haves as mentioned in the post above me.

 

[Nikole]

Omg I've been wanting to dive that Lake!!!!!
I also want to know the same time zone do you need to come with a class/group or can you just buddy up and go?

 

[sphyon]

No group or class required from my experience there. It is simply popular for classes due to proximity to Orlando and relatively easily controlled nature. It's pretty mellow for students and you can hit a respectable depth near the center of the lake for a checkout dive.

 

[Nikole]

Anyone interested in going to check it out?

 

[Dive Belle]

I'll bite.

Orlando diver here. Denton is obviously one of the closest places to even dip your toe in with gear on from town. So the draw here is obvious.

I would say the primary complaint I have would be facilities for setup and breakdown, changing and showering. There are some on site that get the job done but I've certainly flashed little Sphyon inadvertently at groups of students several times while changing on a windy day.

Adding some clean hot showers and restroom facilities would be fantastic. I for one would make it a more frequent visit for checkout dives.

Outside of that my only other real request would be some new and more robust marked lines to features further out on bottom. A few classes in there can send the place to hell with regard to vis so this would go a long way in preventing funky profiles needed to navigate easily for divers new to the lake.

Thanks!

agreed. We take our OW students to Lake Denton from the St. Pete area. We love it (when it's warm), but the restrooms are terrifying. More prominent lines would also be near the top of my list.

 

[Dive Belle]

First, congrats to you! I like what the others have said there. A fun idea to contribute would be adding more structure for divers to observe. While the viz can be questionable, I think students get the biggest kick out of the bicycle and the boat down there. The Tiki dude gets a lot of attention too. If there were a few statues or other objects to make the dive more fun, I think many divers would be amused!

 

[SOFDiver]

Agree with sphyon's observations. Platforms are broken down, and should be replaced or repaired and other things (lines etc) could be improved. I don't think the church who owns the property is much interested in such improvements. Maybe a diving community effort could be made to improve in water features, and church could make an effort to improve the camp amenities.