I am here in Colorado with you, namerg. 1st off, enjoy the Blue Hole: warm, clear, calm water. My wife and I used to take three to four dedicated dive trips per year to warm salt water destinations, now it is one or two. I get a lot of local diving in, and it is sometimes good, sometimes not as good, but all very good training. Aurora Reservoir east of town has decent visibility in Spring, early summer and fall. Go during the week when there aren't classes training there for the best visibility. They also have a dedicated scuba beach, a sunken plane, and some fish to see. If you are lucky, that may include catfish in the 30 to 40 pound range, and some good size walleye and bass. By mid-June water temperatures get up to the mid 60's and stay there through Mid September, but visibility, especially on weekends when there are more people there, suffers.You will want a 5 mil wet suit at a minimum; most people use a 7 mil, or a dry suit. I am comfortable in a 5 mil with hooded vest. The dive area depths range from 25 to 60 feet, deeper water being colder, and there is a nice beach, covered pavillions, and changing rooms. Other area diving is in colder and less clear water (Chatfield Reservoir, eg). If you don't mind driving about 2 hours south to Pueblo Reservoir, it will offer conditions similar to Aurora Reservoir, but no sunken plane. Private message me sometime if you want more information, or just google "Aurora Reservoir." As to dive trips, the many local dive shops all sponsor them, but I plan our dive trips. My suggestion for destinations for new divers that don't cost a fortune: 1) Key Largo; 2) Cozumel, 3) Akumal Mx. 4) Roatan. There are more- these offer easy diving at a reasonable cost for air, accommodations, and diving. Now get active and go diving!
DivemasterDennis
DivemasterDennis