Going to Vegas - Worth planning a dive?

[gcarter]

I am going to Vegas at the end of June for a conference, and even though it is desert, I of course have to look for a dive opportunity

I will be staying at the Mandalay. The aquarium dive - worth doing? Seems a bit pricey @ 650, but I'm keeping an open mind. Experiences?

Lake Mead & Mohave. Worth lugging my gear to do a dive? Recommended ops / sites?

Any info is welcome...

TIA

 

[Max Speed]

There is a B29 in Lake Meade. AFAIK you need advanced nitrox and intro to deco at a minimum to visit it. For the cost of the aquarium dive you can almost pick up both those certs if you don't have them.

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[nclspin]

There is a B29 in Lake Meade. AFAIK you need advanced nitrox and intro to deco at a minimum to visit it. For the cost of the aquarium dive you can almost pick up both those certs if you don't have them.

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As long as i know is not allowed to dive in the B29 anymore, is that true?

 

[diversteve]

I think you're correct, at least both of the previously licensed pperations don't seem to exist anymore. Websites are non-existent also - (divethebomber.com, divetheb29.com) Joel Silverstein at Tech Diving Ltd. in Lake Havasu was one of the permit holders.

But it does look like it's been shut down:

Lake Mead - the following are areas closed to diving:

Above and below Hoover and Davis Dams.
The portion of the Lower Overton Arm of Lake Mead, from a northern boundary at approximately Latitude N. 36° 15' to a southern boundary at approximately Latitude N. 36° 10', and from the western shoreline to the eastern shoreline, to be closed to SCUBA and all forms of underwater diving unless a permit has been issued by the Chief Ranger's office.

The restriction is necessary to protect a sensitive archaeological resource, the submerged B-29 aircraft, while the National Park Service completes a resource protection plan for the area. The B-29, and the site upon which it rests, are managed by the National Park Service under the National Historic Preservation Act. Permits for scuba diving in this area may be obtained by contacting the Chief Ranger's Office at (702) 293-8908. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

http://www.nps.gov/lake/planyourvisit/scuba.htm

I will be staying at the Mandalay. The aquarium dive - worth doing? Seems a bit pricey @ 650, but I'm keeping an open mind. Experiences?

Lake Mead & Mohave. Worth lugging my gear to do a dive? Recommended ops / sites?

It's a pretty good sized tank but not like what you'd see at a public aquarium like Atlanta or Monterey. IIRC all the coral/rocks are fake. Lots of sharks. $650 though - whew!!

If you get down to the other end of the strip, the Dolphins at the Mirage are worth the price - you can't touch them but you can sit on the wall of the pool as long as you want after your tour. There's also a long saltwater tank the length of their lobby counter. And another small round one in the Caesar's shops.

Cabinsite in Lake Mohave is supposed to be one of the better dives. Vis will most likely be better there also. We've had a prolonged drought here for the last decade or more and Mead had dropped almost 100?' a few years ago. It may be better now, we've had a few good winters in the upper Colorado plateau. Assuming the water is released thru to Mead - sometimes it's held in Lake Powell.

Current Dive Conditions:

Lake Mohave, AZ - 55°F with 60 ft. Visibility
Lake Mead, NV - 52°F with 20 ft. Visibility

Check with http://www.lakemohavescuba.com/ for more info.

 

[oldflounder]

My wife and I did a 7 day road trip through Arizona and that part of the country a couple of summers ago. We did a drive through of Vegas for an overnight and happened to stop at the park at Lake Mead for a few minutes. There was this floating restaurant and at the gangplank there were these 2 - 3' Carp or some kind of fish wanting to be fed. What a photo op that would have been. I wished I could have been underwater with them feeding them and had them all around my head and had someone take a picture. But I bet the viz is gross. Oh well - it gives me an excuse to go back to Sin City someday.