Diving Near Tucson

[hallbigdaddy]

I am planning a trip to Tuscon in August and was wondering if there is any diving in the area? I tried to get on the Az divers area but it is private. Any info is helpful, thanks.

BigDaddy Out!!!

 

[ScubaSteve2000]

Hey Big Daddy,

Lake Pleasant is north of the Phoenix metro area. We see divers from Tucson there. Be sure to post something here to let us know when you'll be here. I live near I-10 on the south side of the valley (Phoenix). It takes me about an hour to get to the lake from here.

There are a couple of dive sgops in Tucson. Desert Divers (desertdivers.com) comes to mind. I think there may be another one. Hope to dive with you in August.

Steve.

 

[diversteve]

A lot of diving from Tucson is done in Mexico. San Carlos is about 5 hours drive south and has a lot of interesting stuff especially at San Pedro Nolasco island. Typical dive we see rays, Cortez angelfish, small spotted eels and at several divesites the seals come out to play. It's a rock substrate so you don't get the big coral formations like in Hawaii but it's still interesting diving. Most of the Phoenix and Tucson diveshops go there regularly, some even have bus/van service. There's several diveshops in San Carlos and lots of options for diveboats. If you're interested, Marina Terra is a good option for a place to stay, nice resort with a couple of pools, it's on the marina where all the boats leave from, and they have a beach club nearby.

Closer is Rocky Point/Puerto Penasco, I haven't been there in decades but there was some decent diving at Bird Island - a short distance offshore. Afaik there's only one diveop in Rocky Point now.

I'll probably get some heat for this, but I'm not currently planning to drive into Mexico anytime soon. There's a lot of drug cartel related activity across the border. Both Tucson and Phoenix also get their share of violence - mostly as the gangs battle it out.

[-]Around Tucson I think the only lake I'd try diving might be Patagonia Lake. But it could be really shallow now depending on the seasonal runoff. If the water levels are good, it's about 90' in places - otoh they rent paddle boats there also if that tells you anything. And it's at 4000' so it's elevation diving. BTW, even though Tucson (and Phoenix) are in the desert, the water is mountain fed so bring a wetsuit - it's cold even in the summer at depth. A friend mentioned that the visibility at Patagonia was terrible about 5 years ago, not sure if that's improved lately. I don't hear much about anyone diving there so maybe it hasn't.[/-] What Rob posted below...

The drive from central Tucson to Lake Pleasant would be about 2-1/2 hrs. depending on the time of day you pass through Phoenix - we have a lot of traffic and not enough freeways. It might be best to skirt Phoenix by connecting onto the 101 fwy. when you enter the Phoenix Metro area on I-10, it takes you within a few miles of the lake turnoff north of the city on I-17. There's a Sport Chalet at Happy Valley Rd. and I-17 that you'll pass about a mile north of the 101/I-17 interchange, you can rent tanks there on your way to the lake. Might want to reserve in advance if it's the weekend.

Only about 5-6 hrs. driving to San Diego from Tucson. Great diving in and around LaJolla Cove and Wreck Alley. There's really good shorediving off LaJolla.

btw, it's TuCson...lol

 

[Dive-aholic]

Patagonia is still about an hour south of Tucson...and not worth trying to dive. Visibility is nil there, especially at depth...like 5' depth. You also have to watch for the fishing line that is everywhere. Especially the line that's coming from people fishing. It's difficult to find a spot to dive where someone isn't fishing in the summer at Patagonia.

Parker is about the same distance, maybe a tad bit farther and will provide somewhat better conditions. You can expect 5-10' of visibility in the shallows. Unless you have a boat, 25' will be your max depth. Not much to see there, but it can be a fun dive.

Both of these lakes are at about 5000' elevation so you will have to plan these as altitude dives, even for the shallow 20' dives. If you're not trained in altitude diving procedures, consider getting this done.

I would recommend just heading up to Lake Pleasant and doing a couple of dives there one day. There's a lot more variety and you won't be the only diver there.