Exotic/oddball/unusual dive spots?

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The deep ( 5-8') pools of an urban stream in Washington DC area. Pretty cool seeing the life that is really in there that you cannot see from above. The vis was awesome, and found a few credit cards and cell phones!
 
Two places that have not been mentioned are Spring Lake in San Marcos and Media Luna in central Mexico.

Spring Lake has six endangered species, constant 72 degree water and Carib visibility (diving there requires special certification and special permission)

Media Luna is a thermal hot spring, 82 degrees, that is a ninety foot deep cone with a diameter of 300 meters at the surface. Located east of San Luis Potosi near the town of Rio Verde.
 
I second Spring Lake! I didn't mention it before simply because there really isn't any "recreational diving" there (as you mentioned, special certification is required). But it's a truly unique dive!
 
Holy cow! What a ton of fish! It looks like it'd be great fun to go diving there.....it almost feels like Cozumel with all the fish...

Kristopher



Yup, Balmorhea is indeed great fun. I just dove there about a week ago, and it was my dive buddy's first time there. HUGE numbers of tetras, catfish, and pupfish (endangered), along with turtles, crayfish and ducks diving to graze on the bottom. Also, in several areas one can easily see where the spring water bubbles up from the bottom in sand plume "cauldrons" that look like huge vats of oatmeal. There are also some spring openings that will literally blow you backward with their output, well over a million gallons per day. My partner got his first night dive there, and it's always fun to carry a camera (still or video) there.
I think it's quite worth the long drive to get there from my home.
 

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The deep ( 5-8') pools of an urban stream in Washington DC area. Pretty cool seeing the life that is really in there that you cannot see from above. The vis was awesome, and found a few credit cards and cell phones!

That would be kind of cool, but I would tend to be really leary of diving in any urban settings without some serious hazmat protection. I'm picturing the Hudson River in NYC, the Charles in Boston, etc. Did you find any pistols while you were in there?? :D

DwayneJ,

The Nemo33 pool looks really cool. It'd be great to be able to dive that deep in completely clear water. It's gotta be fantastic for practicing deeper diving.

Kristopher
 
Midway, Utah, near Park City Resort, in the Beautiful Heber Valley (ok, I live here) has an interesting one. Check out Homestead Resort, and look at the Crater Dive. This is a natural hot spring in the guts of a real but dormant volcano. Pretty big pool, and 60 feet deep! A dock, tanks, gear, changing rooms, underwater bouyancy control toys. When not stirred up, about 35-40 foot viz. Very popular training facility, attracting divers from all over the Mt. West. Heading there myself tonight--gear check for a trip to Palau next week!
 
Hot springs really sound appealing. It's rough living here where the water doesn't get warm enough to be fun until about July....lolol.

Kristopher
 
Hot springs really sound appealing. It's rough living here where the water doesn't get warm enough to be fun until about July....lolol.

Kristopher

Right now 72 degrees sounds pretty good, but not what Texans would consider "hot".

Here is a link for Spring Lake, Diving for Science Class

Next dive Thursday the 17th at 9am. Life is very good!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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