Where to Dive in Oklahoma?

[diverbob]

I didnt think Broken Bow was by Broken Arrow. If my memory serves me correctly, Broken Arrow is up around Tulsa, and Broken Bow is down arounf the south eastern corner of the state/

 

[Trisha]

Duh, so much for re-reading my post... Broken Arrow, the 2004 "Safest City in Oklahoma," is a suburb of Tulsa.
So is Jenks, home of the Oklahoma Aquarium.
http://www.okaquarium.org/

Broken Bow is in southeastern Oklahoma, near Beavers Bend State Park. And I've heard a rumor about scuba diving At Broken Bow Lake. We started to go with my husband's brother, but we had to cancel. Can anyone add to this?

Oklahoma City Community College, 7777 South May Avenue, offers Scuba Tuesdays. Cost is $3, bring your own equipment, a dive buddy and your c-card. Do call ahead to confirm that it is open. Last I checked the swim lanes (12 feet) were open from 6:30 to 8:00 pm and the diving well (18 feet) was open at 7:00 pm.
(405) 682-1611, ext 7662
http://www.okc.cc.ok.us/rcs/aquatic.html

Hey, Blue Water Divers and Pirate's Cove are both offering courses using OKCCC as their check-out pool. Don't know if that is for college credit, though.

 

[farfromwater]

Thanks for the info Trisha!
jeff

 

[GOAT]

where to dive in OKL? Arkansas! lol. or missouri. i was wondering about broken arrow too. anyone been? it's only about 2 hours from me.

 

[Doc Thomas]

Hi Everyone,

So, I'm an active New England diver (and love it). But my brother lives in Tulsa, OK and was wondering if there is anywhere he can dive.

He's been an inactive diver since he left Cuba (military) so I'm trying to get him active again. He spends waaaaay too much time working at his job, wife and kids so it'll be good for him to get into diving again. He says he doesn't know anywhere he can dive (except his backyard pool). I'm pretty sure he's right but you guys might be able to tell us the real story.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Trish... I'm an Oklahoma diver and there are a lot of us. One of the replies to your posting listed a host of dive sites, and all are very worthwhile. There's another dive shop at Lake Tenkiller, Nautical Adventure, owner Tim Knight. The phone number is (918) 457-3483. Tenkiller has lots to see. Many submerged old home sites, some of the buildings from the old town of Cooksin are still standing. There's a big concrete bridge under the lake, about 60 feet deep. There are bluffs, drop offs, and zillions of overhangs. One can dive from shore, but the best diving is from a boat. Both the islands at the south end of the lake can be great dives (i.e., the "Big" island and the "Small" island.) Tim runs tours out of his dive shop. A local favorite is the old "Mob House." Apparently it was a local ganster hang out during prohibition, and Pretty Boy Floyd was a regular there. Max depth of the lake is around 100 feet for the most part, but there are a few places you can get to 125 to 130. The viz is on and off. I've seen it as good as 40 to 50 feet in the last two years, and on the other hand it can be terrible -- depends on the amount of rain and the season. I highly recommend Tim's shop -- he caters somewhat to the Tech crowd, but also deals with a lot of the traditional sport divers. It's the only place at the lake where you can year-round get Nitrox.

Oronogo in Missouri is about 10 minutes north of Joplin, and about 2 hours from Tulsa. Viz is on and off there too. A few years ago it ran 50 feet all the time, but there appears to have been a cave in, in one of the tunnels feeding it, and since then viz hasn't been as good. Still, it's a real interesting place with large underwater rooms that you can swim through. Oronogo is always cold. Usually 51 degrees or colder. I would advise a drysuit there, but some intrepid folks still dive it wet.

Beaver Lake in Arkansas will be a bit far for your brother. It's probably a solid 3 hours, and in the last couple of years the viz has gone to pot. We're all hoping for it to clear soon. Up until 2 years ago you could count on 30 to 50 feet of viz. Have been there probably 20 times in the last 2 years, but it's not the same. The viz has been about 10 feet. Beaver is cold -- real cold. Even in the summer, if you're going below 80 feet or so it is drysuit country. Tablerock and Bull Shoals are so far for your brother that a one day trip is impractical. Both are wonderful diving lakes but require a boat. As a matter of fact, Beaver requires a boat also. The two that can be regularly shore dived are Tenkiller (1 and 1/2 hrs from Tulsa) and Oronogo.

Both shops at Tenkiller (Nautical Adventure and Gene's AquaPro) regularly run trips to Cozumel and Bonair. Nautical Adventure just came back from Truk Lagoon and Palau in the So. Pacific.

So..... Lots of diving to be had. Tim can hook your brother up with lots of divers, and most of us in my group dive at least once a week (2 to 3 tanks) year around. Tell him to dust off his stuff and jump in. Doc

 

[oklahomajack]

Hi I also got my ow at Tenkiller where the vis was about 2 feet at the time. It does come and go. I have also dove at L.E.T.R.A. (lake Elmer Thomas Rec. area) and as of about a month ago they finally opened a dive shop in Lawton so that you can fill tanks. The closet place before was Duncan. The dam area can be crowded at times.

 

[Nerissa]

if anyone is ever looking for a dive buddy i would be happy to go. just pm me. Is anyone else from the tulsa area

 

[Trisha]

Just did Scuba Tuesdays last night -- lands, it's been too long without compressed air!
We counted ten divers in the 12 ft deep swimming area, plus more in the 18 ft (board) dive well. And the weather has been in the 60-70s (until today, 46 F outside.) I'm ready to break a hole in the ice, folks!

 

[Whitelightnin]

"Broken Bow is in southeastern Oklahoma, near Beavers Bend State Park. And I've heard a rumor about scuba diving At Broken Bow Lake. We started to go with my husband's brother, but we had to cancel. Can anyone add to this?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Yep, I hear that rumor several times a week. I own the scuba shop here.There are several (as in SEVERAL) divers around Broken Bow. The lake has some neat places to dive. Vis usually runs around 10-15 feet, depending on how much wind & rain we get. Right now, vis is around 20 feet but the water is COLD (50 degrees). In the summer, when there is a thermocline, you need a light if you drop below it. The thermocline is usually about 30 feet deep. We are in the process of TRYING to get an area set aside as a dive park. The Army Corps of Engineeres are S-L-O-W but we are gaining on it. Lots of fish to see. Last fall, My daughter & I had a school of sand bass surround us just as we went through the thermocline. There were hundreds of them. The collum of fish was about 12-15 feet tall. It was NEAT. They stayed about 5 feet away from us but completely circled us. They hung around for several seconds then poof...They were gone.

If you get down this way, give me a shout.

James Crowell
Broken Bow Scuba
580-584-3408

 

[PK]

Thanks! I'll let my brother know about all this.