Connecticut Lake Diving Regulations

[divin'dog]

Cape Ann is a little different than a fresh water lake, even with a town at the bottom! I used to drive from Somerset Ma to Cape Ann 2 Fridays a month to dive, of course I was 30 years younger. Maybe I can find a reason to stay overnight...maybe a second day of diving!

You can be sure that if I was going to a fresh water lake, there would be a better reason for all the driving than just diving!

 

[Tom Winters]

When I was a kid, I did an ice dive in Squantz Pond. That was cold as hell and we didn't see anything. I dived in Crystal Lake but we didn't see anything. I dived in a quarry in Thomaston - I couldn't see anything, but at 20' in total darkness, fingery stuff kept brushing my face - either fine branches or an arm. That was the extent of my freshwater diving in CT. Long Island Sound was better - my uncle used to fly us from Meriden over to Fishers Island to spearfish in The Race.
After I escaped from CT, I lived on Oahu for 22 years. The diving was a little better there.
If you have questions on what diving is allowed where, call the local police department there - they usually have a department dive team or diving liaison officer for the state police unit who can answer any questions and might have some solid dive gouge for you.
Good luck up there. I just had to spend most of the past 5 months in CT - I've been back home in FL for a month, and I'm still having psyCTotic flashbacks every now and then. Every day in the South gets a little mo' bettah.

 

[Mr.X]

Cape Ann is a little different than a fresh water lake, even with a town at the bottom! I used to drive from Somerset Ma to Cape Ann 2 Fridays a month to dive, of course I was 30 years younger. Maybe I can find a reason to stay overnight...maybe a second day of diving!

30 yrs younger...and driving/diving like mad men. I could teach all day (lecture/pool) and take out a night class which ended at 10:00 pm. And do it again - 6 days on end. No can do anymore. Since I am off the subject - Connecticut sure has some nice lakes!

 

[Benign-Chaos]

Just to bring it back on topic, I started some research as well and found some old threads regarding diving at West Hill Lake.

I have been kayaking there but wonder if diving is still allowed and best point of entry. I just learned that you cannot enter via boat ramps in CT. Anyone have any info?

 

[jpiolu]

The only place I've found any Connecticut regulations relating to SCUBA (there are several - worth knowing) is in Connecticut's Boaters Guide.

http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/boating/boating_guide/boaterguide.pdf

Here's what it has to say about launch ramps:

"It is illegal to snorkel or SCUBA dive from a state boat launch." (Page 30 of the PDF version)

My reading tells me that the regulation only refers to state owned or state regulated boat launches. Town or private launch ramps would have their own rules.

 

[mbs]

Found this great source of info on Candlewood diving: Candlewood Lake . I'm across the border in NY, but have been looking for closer places to play in. Haven't had a chance to give Candlewood a try yet.

 

[pridkett]

Just to update this dormant thread. I've gone diving in a couple of lakes east of Hartford - mainly Coventry Lake and Bigelow Pond. I also talked to the Coventry police department and a local DEEP rep regarding regulations. The Coventry police could only speak for Coventry, but indicated that the rules were mainly don't do it from the launch, use a dive flag, and don't be stupid about it. Fortunately, for Coventry Lake there are quiet hours on Sunday from Noon-4pm which means you don't have to worry about jet skis and the like. There also isn't a rule about diving from a kayak, so you can launch a kayak and then dive from that no problem - although we have locations for shore entry. Also, the end of the lake with the launch is really shallow and the prevailing winds often cause unsafe swimming conditions due to e. coli on that end of the lake.

Overall situation in Coventry Lake isn't terrible if you can do a shore entry toward the middle of the lake or do it off a kayak. Visibility has varied from 10' down to about 4'. In general the lake bottom is silt over rocks. There are numerous larger rocks and because the lake is generally an L shape that gets deepest in the middle, natural navigation is pretty easy. There's usually enough fish around to make it a little interesting - mainly sunfish, but also perch, crappies, bass, and occasionally a walleye. However, they're not really used to eating vienna sausages from the hands of divers yet. Perhaps we'll have to work on training them. There's the usual lake crud on the bottom - some beer bottles, cans, tires, and surprisingly, we've found two engine blocks that were dumped in the lake.

The biggest issue with Coventry Lake is that it gets very busy with water skiers and jet skis. Visibility tends to be best early in the morning and it has gotten progressively worse as the summer has gone on.

 

[pjg05001]

pridkett, any advice on where to park to get a descent shore entry point in Coventry? I'm only familiar with the boat launch area.