Dive locations within 1 hour of Wichita, KS

[scubadude79]

Does anyone have some ideas for dive locations in and around the Wichita, KS area?
I want to get lots more diving in without having to drive 3 to 4 hours every time.

Thanks in advanced!

 

[H2OZ]

Hey Scubadude,
So far I've been driving the 3-4 hours... I'm not sure we could see much in El Dorado or Cheney. Gonna try to hit up Tenkiller on the 4th - have you tried that lake out yet?

 

[Nemrod]

Are you kidding--zero!

You are welcome to dive my pond and my sewage tank. Zero viz guaranteed.

Headed for the Keys via Jeep in two days.

N

 

[divinman]

Luckily I relocated from Salina to San Diego in 86.....our 'lake' is bigger here.

 

[nagel]

The only place in Kansas that I've heard of is Wilson Lake. Never been there and pretty much most of the reports I've heard was limited viz.

I'm thinking you probably have to suck it up and drive south - Table Rock, TenKiller, Beaver. If I had the "ways and means" I'd put a scuba park around the Kansas City area - simply no place to dive in that area except for driving 3-4 hours.

Snagel

 

[Nemrod]

The downtown Y lets me test gear out. I am loading my Jeep for the Gold Coast and the Keys, only a few thousand miles. Is that close enough.

Seriously, the only place anywhere around is Table Rock Lake which has a sunken bridge which is an advanced/tech dive, a sunken paddle wheeler/barge which can be an advanced dive, Jakes Point Island/Cruiser which if you push 160 feet I guess that is technical and then there is the Enchanted Forest which is a grove of standing trees left eerily standing and then the poor folks bank dive around the dam there who have no boat to go to the better places. Over the long weekend I dove there and at 70-115 feet and deeper viz was decent, for a man made lake, around 15 to 25 feet.

Of all the man made lakes I have dived, (essentially fresh water is boring) Table Rock is number one because it has something other than mud covered rocks, lawnmowers and crawdads to dive.

N

 

[Omni]

You might try Oronogo just north of Joplin, other than that I dont know.

Captain Johns | Oronogo, MO

 

[Idtent]

There are a couple sandpits in Wichita that have been used for rescue classes. I wouldn't suggest them for a real dive. You can dive Wilson Lake, the best viz I have ever heard of there is 3 feet.

One of the dive shops in Wichita has a cabin on Beaver Lake and go every weekend. Pretty nice set up with a compressor on site. They have a boat but usually have students that take priority before they take the boat out.

Oronogo is the closest real dive that I really know of. If you find others, please let me know.