Local Coldspots

Navajo Lake – south of Durango. Local divers explore Navajo year round, primarily to look for "stuff" like fishing poles, sunglasses, anchors, etc. Divers have found several boat wrecks including an intact 30 ft cabin cruiser. Divers can expect temperatures to range from near freezing in the winter to the mid-60's in the summer. Visibility varies greatly and can be from near zero to 20 feet. Local divers are currently searching for the "Mystery Wreck", a 40 ft metal-hulled boat that was donated to the Boy Scouts and sank on its first voyage in the 1960's.

Molas Lake – between Durango and Silverton. Visibility is often good although the water is cold. The bottom is covered with tall weeds that can obscure a diver. Local divers have discovered a complete wagon axle with attached wooden wheels, perhaps from the mining era.

Morgan Lake – near Farmington, NM. This lake is warmed from cooling the adjacent coal-fired power plant. Visibility is typically 3 to 10 feet and is popular with Farmington area divers for training.

Santa Rosa, NM – about 115 miles east of Albuquerque on I-40, this is the self-proclaimed "Scuba Capital of the Southwest". Santa Rosa's premier dive site is the Blue Hole, a gresh water spring 81 feet deep and 60 feet across. Visibility is excellent, up to 100 feet, due to the 3,000 gallons a minute of freshwater welling from below. Water temperature is 64 F year round. Divers pay an entry fee of $10/day and can be supported by the on-site Santa Rosa Dive Center. Near the Blue Hole is Perch Lake where local divers sank a twin-engine plane and a compact car as a dive attraction. For advanced divers, Rock Lake is a private 5 acre spring-fed lake near the Blue Hole, with depths approaching 200 feet.

Lake Powell – southeast Utah. Most diving here is centered in Page, AZ, at the south end of the lake. Visibility can range from near 50 feet in the spring and fall to a few feet during algae blooms in the summer. Summer water temperatures are in the 70s and 80s while the air temperature is often in the 90s. Lake Powell is a fun place to dive to look for stuff lost overboard from houseboats. Recently it has opened for spearfishing.

Homestead Resort – Midway, UT. This is a charming country resort built around a warm freshwater spring dubbed "The Crater". Formed over the last 10,000 years as Wasatch Mountains snowmelt is heated by igneous rock two miles below the surface, the crater is the only warm and clear dive site in the continental United States. With a depth of 60 feet and visibility typically in the range of 25 feet, the Crater is the most enjoyable training dive site in the area. Where else can you ski Wasatch powder all day then dive in a 90 degree spring before dinner?

Always looking for new spots.