Clear Lake, Oregon

[MechDiver]

Very informative post about the lake. Petrified forest sounds nice, but snow hiking went out with my youth :upset:

Thanks for the tip on the mosquitos. If there is one within a mile of me, she'll find me.

MD

 

[crab]

If you go and want the best shot at great vis, make sure you do your diving on the lodge side (east) reather than the campgroud side (west). I have several dives on the west side where the vis was ~20 - 30 feet. The east side is where you will get the best vis and see the trees.

That being said, the entry from the west side is, IMHO, much easier (read: slightly shorter walk to the water) and there is a nice little boat lauch that ends in waist deep water that makes donning your gear quite easy. There are also some interesting rock formations to check out on this side. Just prepare yourself for somewhat less than swimming pool vis.

 

[MechDiver]

crab once bubbled...

I have several dives on the west side where the vis was ~20 - 30 feet. The east side is where you will get the best vis and see the trees.

Hmm. Didn't know the vis was an on again/off again thing. Thanks crab.

MD

 

[crab]

Certainly don't let my post dissuade you from going. For best results just stick to the east side. It really is a fun dive.

By the way, MD have previously been diving aboard the SS UP (the boat)? I'd bet that would rival Clear Lake any day of the week!

 

[Wizard]

I haven't been back to Oregon for some time but used to dive all of the high mountain lakes. Clear Lake was one that everyone always enjoyed. The shallow side by the Lodge has the clearest water you can imagine. I still have video of one of my assistants going across the bottom and about 8 or 9 feet off of it and kicking up the ash bottom as she went. It looked like little bombs following her. If you didn't look at the dry suit you'd probably think you were in the Islands somewhere. It is cold because it's spring fed from higher lakes and you can feel and see the vents on the shallow side. The deeper side, with the petrified forest, is usually not as good of a dive as far as viz goes but there's a lot more to see. I've been to around 200' on the deep side and the slope was still going down with no bottom in sight. Locals say the water is only about 100' deep so I must have really been narked. The best time of year to dive it is late summer and early fall before the snow starts and while the lodge is still open. They used to have great burgers! If you want more to dive just east of Clear Lake over the Santiam Pass is Suttle Lake where we used to camp. The lake isn't all that great for diving as it's fished pretty heavily but it's right next to smaller Blue Lake. It's about 300' deep and about a half mile across with truly the most blue water you can imagine. It's really clear and has it's share of huge trees and relics from the past. It makes a good second dive after Clear Lake if you're headed East to Sisters or Bend. You can get your tank refilled in Bend at Powder House Ski and Scuba and then head for Cascade drive and dive some of the lakes and rivers at the foot of Broken Top, Bachelor Butte and the Three Sisters. Even if you don't dive there's a wonderous world to see and experience. Have fun and dive safe!

 

[diverhead.com]

For all that are interested, I have a photo gallery of what you can expect at Clear Lake Oregon. I try to dive this lake at least 3 times a year. You might only run across the occasional trout, but the geology of the site is amazing. Of course, the visibility is the main attraction. Although I have dove Clear Lake wet several times, I recommend to dive this site dry. I have taken readings from the glacier vents at the bottom of the north cove at 36 degrees fahrenheit. Temperature averages around 40 degrees. Also, if you are looking for visibility, don't dive the Cold Water Cove side of the lake. The best I have seen is around 15 feet in that area. The north cove of course boasts between 150 and 200 feet of viz. So, for all that are interested, check out my
diverhead.com Clear Lake Oregon 7-2003 Photo Gallery.

 

[crab]

I really enjoyed your Clear Lake gallery, diverhead! I particularly liked the brilliant green algae shots. I have been trying to get a good shot of it over several trips now, but most of mine end up looking like a bunch of nasty green goop. I'll give it another shot now that I know it's possible to get good results out of it.

Thanks for sharing!