Anyone ever dive athens scuba park?

[double125's]

I was just wonder what it was like. I live in del rio and it would take me about 8 hours to get there and wondered if it would be worth the drive. I was also curious whether anyone has done any solo diving there and whether it was permitted or not. I email them and they replied with the typical legal answer "never dive alone". I sent them another email specifying ' If i drove 8 hours to your location and showed up without a buddy would you let me in the water" and they have not responded. so has anyone done solo diving there or seen it before. Are there attractions worth the drive and $25 entry fee or should I just save my money and dive amistad.

 

[wrongkey]

Athens is high visibility [for Texas fresh water] and shallow, about 25 feet. There is some stuff to see, like a sunken airplane, motorcycle, etc. No fish. Very thick silt bottom. The one time I was there was in early April, and the water was about 60, so there were few people there, meaning few to stir up that silt bottom. I imagine on a busy weakend the vis would deteriorate substantially because of the amount of silt. Facilities are nice. If you haven't seen the web site, here's a link:

http://www.athensscubapark.com/

Personally, I wouldn't think it's worth an 8 hour trip unless you're doing a group thing with friends, like a weekend camping & diving trip. But just to go there alone and chance finding a buddy or do solo, that wouldn't be for me.

 

[Zagnut]

Over priced. Over rated. It's worth doing once, but I wouldn't go to any great lengths or make any great sacrifices to get there.

 

[sealskin98]

If you live kinda close it's a great place to go play at, but I wouldn't make an 8 hr. drive.

The bottom is very silty, and easily stirred up. As for solo diving, I've done it once. My buddy and I were going in and out of the C140 jet and got the silt stirred up, then we started off to another area and lost each other. So...we ended up doing solo dives. Oops, I thought he knew to surface if you get separated, but he likes to wander off from the group in Coz. then meet back up with them. I got worried about him when we were doing San Juan reef and he left the group, but we found him down-current in the shelter of the reef feeding the fish and waiting on us.

I haven't checked out Amistad or heard much about it, but if it is like Broken Bow lake you've got about 12-15 foot vis. that gets darker and colder as you get deeper there in Amistad. Would like to try Amistad sometime, could make a run down to Piedras Negras and do lunch at Moderno's. Last time I was there the cabrito was excelente.

Best vis. I've seen the few times I've been to Athens has been about 12-20 feet (gets up to 30 or so in the winter I've heard) and the worst was about 5 feet without the bottom being stirred up. No fish anymore, a fire department diver here said that years ago they used to have fish in it.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Lots of attractions. The "cave system" is in process of being sunk.

Last summer was a bad vis year. High wind, shallow depth, rain, clay soil= bad vis. The owner treats the water and still couldn't keep the vis up. Not his fault really.

Sure you can solo dive. There are no scuba police. You are still better off with a group of friends. That being said, it is not worth a special trip . If you are up here for another reason, and want to go dive too then its not a bad dive.

TwoBit

 

[sealskin98]

Dang that hurt.

A road trip from Del Rio to Dallas area hitting the dive stops...missle silo in Valhalla, Possum Kingdom, Clear Springs, Athens...etc. etc. Then swing down to the southern area of Twin Lakes, Travis, San Macos, Aquarina Springs...etc. etc.

Tom,
Forgot about the cave system being sunk in Athens, that might be worth checkin' out to play in! I luv caves...umm...swim throughs I mean. Need to go back and say "Heaaay Sisco!" at C.S.

ScubaTexan and I need to get back to C.S. and check out the silo that we started down to and got blacked out on viz. due to the lake turning over. At least the piranha perch didn't find us there. The boa constrictor was a little scary though.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

The silo at CSSP isn't what I thought it would be. Its big, round, and very open. No entrapment hazards, no overhead stuff.

It may not be there any more.

I must say, diving CSSP in the winter is awesome. The vis is fantastic.

TwoBit

 

[Scubatooth]

everybody

i was at CSSP on the 4th of this month and went down to the deep platform and what it is isa large silo piece that has a about 3 foot lip on it for students to stand on. the lip is at about 52 feet (or 48 were my black box is setting which about 4 feet from my fins) and then down below is the deep part to 60-62 feet, i only hit 60 feet.

When we went to the pit the vis was pretty bad because it was sunday afternoon and appreantly had been used forthe weekend (vis 5 ft max) but when i descended it was fine till i went through a purple layer and then it went black, and man that was freaky but it was pretty good the vis must be evern better at the begininng of the weekend.

but tom your right i thought it would be different then what it turned out to bei thought it would be like the platforms in the lake, but cant get everything you want.

 

[Cave Diver]

sealskin98 once bubbled...
Dang that hurt.

A road trip from Del Rio to Dallas area hitting the dive stops...missle silo in Valhalla, Possum Kingdom, Clear Springs, Athens...etc. etc. Then swing down to the southern area of Twin Lakes, Travis, San Macos, Aquarina Springs...etc. etc.

Funny, my group of buddies was talking about doing the same thing just the opposite direction. Twin lakes, Athens, CSSP, Travis, Canyon Lake, Valhalla, Lake Amistad.

 

[Teknadv3x]

TwoBitTxn said in his post that the owner of Athens treats his water. Maybe Mike at TL should give some thought about that at TL. I have a buddy whos family has been in the swimming pool buisness for 4o years. He claims he knows what to put in the water to clear it up greatly. However the downside is the ph of the water will not sustain fish life . Maybe that is why Blue lagoon and athens scuba park have no fish but better vis than most lakes.






Dave