Diving Lake Pleasant 2014

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I was discussing with another member of our work Scuba club today about a day trip up to Lake Pleasant, maybe this month. He was asking about water temps this time of year. My impression was that the water stayed fairly cool year round, but thought it more intelligent to actually ask some people who know.

I'm thinking getting some experience in cold water diving somewhere closer than an eight hour drive away makes more sense. So far, all my diving has been in nice warm water that hasn't required anything more than the lycra rashguard. I have a 3mm full wetsuit that, so far, I've never worn into the water, and I'm told the thicker the wetsuit, the more "getting used to" it takes to be comfortable diving in it.

Insights, comments, suggestions, and even heckling is always welcome.
 
I hope this will help......I dive alot of cold water 42-62 and I can tell you the 7mm suit and a 5mm hooded vest 5mm boots and gloves is a bit to get on and use on land, over heating is a biggy. However once your in the water it's great and you will not be bothered by it at all. the 3mm will be good for 60 somthing for about 30 to 40 minets but you may think about a hooded vest that you can use or not use (some times it will make a dive) but not all people have the some "feel" for the water. DCS has been shown to hit more coldwater divers then warm, so I try to stay as warm as I can.......just don't over heat on land.
 
Yeah, if I head up there, my plan is to rent a 6 or 7 mm suit.

The 3mm will be good if the water in Mexico starts cooling early this year, and we're dealing with something lower than the mid 80s we usually have. It might be okay for Lake Pleasant, were I talking about peak summer heat and staying shallow.
 
I've been diving Lake Pleasant for not nearly as long as others I dive with but a few years anyway. During the late summer months if you stay above about 25' then you can get by with a 3mm, or a shortie or even no wet suit at all. If you go below that, even in summer months at Lake Pleasant then you'll need at least a full length 3mm with 3mm gloves and a hood.

There are thermoclines that exist even in summer months that sometimes get as deep as 30' but once below that, the temps will get down to the 50s and then you really need a 7mm, and a hood and at least some 5mm gloves.

Case in point - a few weeks ago in late July, I dove to about 55'. I was the only one of us (4 divers) that had on a full lenth 3mm suit. They all had 7mm suits. The outside air that day was well into the 90s and later that day it got over 100 outside. The surface water temp was at 84 degrees. Once we got below 25' the water dipped down to the upper 50s and when we got deeper than 50' it was downright chilly! I definitely felt it and was sorry that I didn't have my 7mm and I didn't have a hood at all either. I could barely stand to stay there longer than 10 min or so. We had to come shallow for me to warm up.
Then a few weeks back in August we dove shallow and this time I brought the 7mm. On our 2nd dive two of us split up to go deeper to see if the visibility got better. I had the 7mm but only my skin gloves and a 5mm hood. It was in the 90s outside. Water surface temp was 86 degrees and when we got to 70' deep I was shivering even with the 7mm suit because my hands had only skin gloves on them. My hands were cramping. I could feel the warmth leaving me and the water temp was 50 degrees.

Lake Pleasant is good diving but if you go deep then you'll need a 7mm year round. Conversely, I have dove Lake Pleasant in January and February and the water surface is in the 50s but the water doesn't get much colder the deeper you go. There really isn't much of a thermocline in the winter because it is cold all the way down. It is usually only the summers that you notice the thermocline and they can be at various depths and mutiple thermoclines. However if you go deep it will eventually get into the 50s for temperature.

Hope this helps.
 
Right now you are diving by braille above about 70 feet. The viz is 5 or so feet from the surface down to about 30 feet. Surface temp is starting to chill with the cooler nights. Probably in the upper 70s. Didn't take a reading. The first thermocline is at around 30 feet. Between 30 and 60 feet the vis is somewhere between arm's length to the other side of your mask.

At around 60 feet the vis starts to open up and another thermocline threatens an icecream head ache. 60degrees. Hoods and gloves are recommended. As is a dive light. It helps you keep track of your buddy in the low vis and since there are about 60 feet of yuck between you and the surface little sun light filters down that deep.

The lake continues to draw down. As the water level drops so does the vis. But we also have access to areas that are to deep but for technical divers. Diving from a boat like the Scubateer's will allow you to dive in areas with better vis because it will be away from the shore. Check with them about where they are going. They can recommend what kind of exposure suit to bring.
 
I'm going to be out in Phoenix in Dec. Anybody know if conditions improve around that time of year? Thanks!
 
I'm going to be out in Phoenix in Dec. Anybody know if conditions improve around that time of year? Thanks!

As the lake fills up and settles a bit the viz usually gets better. If you're shore diving it can really be hit or miss 1' to 25' just depends. If you are able to boat dive there are some spots that the vis is usually 15-20 most of the time. Right now it's terrible....I'm counting the days until it gets a little better.

Shoot me a PM when you come out, would be happy to show you our lake.
 
:bump:

Who's diving this weekend, and where? :D
 
Did a bunch of dives out at Vista Point today. Vis is definitely improving. Somewhere near 15 feet. Water temps are in lower 60s. Comfortable in a 7mm.

Vis below 35 was rough and DARK after 45 feet.
 
My daughter and I dove out by the christmas tree reef today. The water temp was 65 at 40 feet. The trees were at 34 feet and like jeff said vis is bad at 35 feet only about 2 feet but above 30 we had 15 feet of vis...I am just glad the lake is filling up again and looking forward to winter diving when the visability is best.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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