When The Greatest Snow on Earth® Melts... SCUBA Dive Utah!!

When most people think about scuba diving, their next thought is usually not Utah. With an average annual rainfall of only 15 inches, one wouldn’t think of Utah as much of a diving destination. However, Utah’s mountains receive substantial amounts of precipitation (60 inches/year), enough to generate flows of water to create many rivers, streams, and lakes. Therefore, the state has many dive-worthy lakes and rivers… yes….rivers. The active geothermal energy in Utah has created a couple of very interesting unusually warm dives, as well.


I recently went diving at Cisco Beach, on the east side of Bear Lake. Before this dive, I hadn’t been diving for over ten years, so I was happy to run into a search and rescue diver and Divemaster whom we’ll simply refer to as Dan. He was more than happy to take me under his wing and provide me with a sense of knowledge and security. His presence had the effect of easing my nerves and making the dive a much more comfortable/enjoyable experience.

The surface temperature is approximately 68 to 69 degrees, but as you descend into the lake about 30 to 35 feet, there is thermocline, or layer of quite drastic temperature difference (reduction). In this case, the temp drops to around 50, which necessitates the use of a full wet suit, hood, and boots. I noticed some of the divers were even using dry suits. I found the full wet suit to be adequate. At the surface, the water seemed comfortable, even warm. However, I won’t deny that I could DEFINITELY feel the thermocline. It wasn’t unbearable, but it took me a few minutes to acclimate to the drastic temperature shift. As long as I kept moving, I felt okay.

On the beach, I heard other divers talking about a boat wreck off Cisco Beach, which I never found. The most striking feature was a large cliff band at 25 to 30 feet down. Upon reaching the cliff’s edge, a vertical drop-off descends into blackness as far as the eye can see. I found it slightly unnerving. However, I followed Dan as he took the plunge deeper into the void. At around 65 feet, our maximum depth, it gets really dark. I estimate the visibility was around five feet. Being quite out of practice and beneath 65 feet of frigid water in near pitch darkness had me yearning for the light. I tapped Dan on the shoulder and pointed up. He seemed to understand and was more than willing to oblige. We returned to between 30 and 40 feet, a depth with which I felt much more comfortable.

During the dive, I spent the majority of the time reacquainting myself with maintaining neutral buoyancy, observing my gauges, and, generally, feeling comfortable with my equipment. I was, however, able to spot several large carp and to admire the underwater landscape strewn with steep rock faces covered in a somewhat creepy layer of sludge.

If you have an interest in diving, there are numerous dive shops throughout Utah that host regular dive certification classes, rent and sell the necessary gear, and host organized dives at the best dive sites throughout the state as well as to the premier dive sites throughout the world.

For a complete listing of Utah dive shops: http://www.utahdiving.com/

Photos courtesy of: http://www.utahdiving.com/ving.com/