Anyone up for doing Carter Lake tomorrow?
Carter Lake (Loveland) tomorrow
- Thread starter Peteco
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OP
I'm heading over there in the morning (July 13), PM me if anyone wants to join me. I have a spare tank and weights if you are in need with the short notice.
I notice you seem to have trouble attracting people to this sort of enterprise. I am honestly wondering about that.
I stopped diving Carter Lake quite a few years ago. The tiny area in which diving was allowed was quite shallow and muddy as soon as the water level dropped, which then was very early in the season. More importantly, I (and the entire shop with which I was associated) found the rangers to be extremely unfriendly to scuba. After one particularly brutal weekend in which they did everything they could to find us out of compliance with something so they could kick us out (and being visibly frustrated when, after keeping us out of the water for hours they finally decided we had defeated them and were indeed legally there, I wrote a totally satirical review of Carter Lake and sent it to Dive Training. To my shock they took out only the most clearly cynical statements and printed it. The last I saw it was still on their web site.
I have not considered Carter Lake since then. I hope it has changed. If it is indeed better than I remember it, please write some sort of a description of what you are experiencing there so that I and others who may have written it off for similar reasons might be tempted to return.
I stopped diving Carter Lake quite a few years ago. The tiny area in which diving was allowed was quite shallow and muddy as soon as the water level dropped, which then was very early in the season. More importantly, I (and the entire shop with which I was associated) found the rangers to be extremely unfriendly to scuba. After one particularly brutal weekend in which they did everything they could to find us out of compliance with something so they could kick us out (and being visibly frustrated when, after keeping us out of the water for hours they finally decided we had defeated them and were indeed legally there, I wrote a totally satirical review of Carter Lake and sent it to Dive Training. To my shock they took out only the most clearly cynical statements and printed it. The last I saw it was still on their web site.
I have not considered Carter Lake since then. I hope it has changed. If it is indeed better than I remember it, please write some sort of a description of what you are experiencing there so that I and others who may have written it off for similar reasons might be tempted to return.
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My experience at Carter reflects what boulderjohn has said. They made me jump through all kinds of hoops just to get in and find near zero vis. I haven't been back since.
OP
It wasn't bad. Water level is way down, but the beach is sandy rather than muddy, at least compared to Sunrise Beach at Horsetooth.
The Rangers did stop by, but they were fine. Just asked how the vis was (about 4 feet). Friendly and didn't hassle us. According to a friend, they had a couple of rangers there a few years ago who were real pieces of work, but they are gone now.
It was about 73 degrees, thermocline at about 15 feet, maybe 67 or so there.
It's diving, that's about it. While the vis sucks, it was otherwise a decent dive and a way to get wet and blow some bubbles. Better than Horsetooth Reservoir, and only about 30 mins from my house in Fort Collins.
The Rangers did stop by, but they were fine. Just asked how the vis was (about 4 feet). Friendly and didn't hassle us. According to a friend, they had a couple of rangers there a few years ago who were real pieces of work, but they are gone now.
It was about 73 degrees, thermocline at about 15 feet, maybe 67 or so there.
It's diving, that's about it. While the vis sucks, it was otherwise a decent dive and a way to get wet and blow some bubbles. Better than Horsetooth Reservoir, and only about 30 mins from my house in Fort Collins.
Sandy beach? Have they moved the dive location since I was there last? My memory is a really muddy mess.
Many years ago I did my Rescue Diver certification there, and the rescue from shore scenario (under the old system) must have been hysterical to watch as we moved toward the water line, fins in hand, with our booties gaining 4-5 inches of red clay that we had to try to peel off before we could get our fins on. They were still using that location when I was there last.
OP
It wasn't bad, but that may be due to two things: (1) the water level is down quite a bit, so it was pretty much sandy all the way to the water, and (2) my point of reference for muddy, sticky messes is Sunrise Beach at Horsetooth Reservoir. Which is horrifically bad. Haven't gone in yet without losing a fin. And if there are swimmers, the silt cloud is 100 yards out, 100 yards wide, and about 15 feet deep. Just terrible stuff. Still, I've been in there in February, what an interesting dive - nasty vis, cold as hell, and a perforated eardrum on one trip. All of that to see.....nothing on the bottom.:cool2:
As far as diving up here, the coves at Horsetooth are probably the best, I've seen 15-20 feet vis there at times and some nice rock formations to explore. But you have to get to them from a boat.
As far as diving up here, the coves at Horsetooth are probably the best, I've seen 15-20 feet vis there at times and some nice rock formations to explore. But you have to get to them from a boat.
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