Has anyone done any River diving in Tx?

[JT2]

I was wondering if anyone knew of a decent spot to do a river dive in this great state we live in? I have been to a few places on the Brazos that were deep enough and the water was clear enough, and I am thinking that there might be a spot or two on the Colorado. I understand that there is some river diving done on a regular basis down in San Marcos, does anybody know about this? I don't know why but I have always wanted to do a river dive, anybody else want to join my quest???:mean:

 

[metridium]

Haven't been there, but it sounds nice....

click here

 

[JT2]

Okay, I have to go and do this San Marcos River dive thing, who's in?

 

[scubatexastony]

nice clear water shallow drift dive.

tony

 

[JT2]

Comal???

 

[carlislere]

There are several places to dive San Marcos River. The Falls where the water comes out of Aquarina Springs into the river (There is a Joe's Crab Shack there). The water is 4-5 feet deep and some pretty hefty current. Float down river to under the bridge and around the s-curve at Sewell Park and the water gets to about 12-15 feet deep just before a foot bridge.
A second location is Rio Vista Park. You can swim up river to the railroad trestle and dive in 8-10 feet of water.
A third location is to the west of Interstate 35 at some baseball fields. You can dive up river and down river under the interstate.
Be aware that spearfishing is NOT allowed in the river. There are some good photo ops, especially when night diving. I have found a few arrow heads at the falls and a dive partner found a spear point just down river from the interstate.
The water is spring water, so the temp will be 68-72 degrees year-round. Have a great time!

 

[cmay]

Carlislere pointed out some nice entry/exit points. What I recommend, we used to do this, is to drop off a car under the interstate, and pile in another and go back to the small park at the falls. (behind Joe's Crab Shack) You can enter here and drift dive all the way back to your car. (about 1 to 1.5 hours) The current starts off pretty brisk at the falls (it's pretty fun!) but calms down once you get below Sewell Park. It also gets a little deeper. The water is usually crystal clear, and there is always tons of marine life to see. Keep an eye out for when you start to get below Rio Vista Park, there is a (very) small dam there that you probally should get out and walk around. Very fun dive, I highly recommend it. I lived there for three years while in school, and miss the river terribly. You could also go out to "five mile dam" on the Blanco River. It is a pretty good dive as well. It is not as clear as the San Marcos, but worth doing. You get there by going out Post Road ( the stop light in front of the SWT football stadium ) until you cross the Blanco. Once you cross the river, take a hard left, go under the old railroad bridge, and the park will be about a half mile on your left.

Have fun!!

Chris

 

[cmay]

I thought of something else. You can also take a scientific diving course from the University. I think it costs about $150. It is a two day course and takes place in Spring Lake, the spring that feeds the river. They teach you techniques for gathering scientific data and also underwater archaeology. Spring lake is a "gold mine" of archaeological artifacts. Once you have taken the course, you are put on a list and invited back for projects that come up. ( there is always a project going on ) This is the only legal way to dive in spring lake since it is owned and controlled by the university. I have been told that it is pretty educational, and the diving is great. I think the depth of the lake is 30-40ft in some spots. I have been meaning to take the course, but "have'nt gotten around to it yet", you know how that goes. Anyway, here is the link. I think the course is offered every weekend.


www.continuing-ed.swt.edu/aquarena/diving.html

 

[redacted]

In the summer time, lots of tubers and hot weather detracs. With a 3-5mm wetsuit, October thru April are great, especially week days. I usually arrange at least a monthly 'sick' day where I feel 6-ft under. I do a short stretch at a time so I can cover the bottom pretty thoroughly and walk back to car. Some small stretches may only be 2-3 ft deep so you may have to do a little crawling. Deepest I have found was 14'. Summer tubers and periodic floods restock the river with a variety of treasures so bring a collection bag for trash and goodies.

 

[Rockhound]

I've done the San Marcos and the Comal many times. Both are very nice float dives, although you may sometimes feel silly floating in scuba in 5' of water as you pass over shallow spots. Still, I highly recommend them.

My dive club used to participate in the Comal River Trashfest each October. Sponsored by the Texas Gulf Coast Council of Dive Clubs (TGCC), participation was very high. During the fest, several hundred divers from area dive clubs would splash into the river in a massive post-season cleanup effort. It was a lot of fun and a very nice thing to do for the city of New Braunfels.

I don't know if they still do it, since I quit the club and quick diving for several years when my son became ill. I've since moved and haven't found a local club to join.

Back then, we would enter near downtown New Braunfels and work a section of the river real hard. We won the "tonnage" award 3 years straight. It was a great event, with an nice BBQ at the end and lots of neat door prizes.

Once, during Trashfest, my buddy saw a couple of workers toss a lawnmower into the river from a downtown bridge WHILE we were working that section of the Comal. He went over and tried to haul the mower out when he was accosted by the men who took it and threw it BACK in the river. In broken English, he was told "Deese ees OUR lawnmower. You put back. We put eet in reever, not geeve it to jew!".

We called the sheriff. He had a gun AND he spoke Spanish. Possession of the lawnmower was then a non-issue.

Both rivers are great for "treasure hunting" after pretty weekends. Drunken tubers lose a lot of stuff over the "falls" and in the "chutes".

Watch the currents in both rivers after a big rainfall. The chutes in the Comal can get dangerous, since all the water is trying to flow through a narrow spillway.

One winter, we decided to try a "warm" Comal dive, even though it had been raining for several days. We decided to start at a local German restaurant, and end at the "last stair" exit from the river where we left a car (be aware of the exit stairs. DON'T miss the last one, or you end up in the Quadalupe, in a BAD spot.).

Since our normal access was blocked off, we used ski ropes to "rappel" (well, sorta) down the nearly vertical riverbank for about 30 or 40 feet. At that point, there was no turning back, even when we realized the river was a lot faster and lot rougher when viewed up close.

I did the first chute headfirst and U/W, and it scared the beejeebers out of me. It was all I could do just to use my hands to fend me off passing boulders. But, overall the dive was very nice and the water was a comfortable 68 degrees.

The San Marcos river is home to the
rare "San Marcos Prawn". This huge crustacean (like a giant clawed shrimp or long crawfish) is only found in this river and in the Gulf, where it breeds. I understand (someone correct me), that it must go all the way downriver to the Guadalupe, then all the way to Gulf of Mexico for reproduction. After the fry hatch and settle the bottom they begin a long migration back to the San Marcos.

I think you can also see these prawns in Aquarena Springs.

Both rivers have a lot of Koi, mostly dumped from folks ponds and aquariums.

IMO, both rivers are fun places "do dives", but read this for a different opinion (ignore the guy's spelling, I like his style):

http://www.menet.umn.edu/~kaszeta/scuba/sites/txok.html



I have also tried the Guadalupe, but it is a tough river, with high currents. It is not a dive for the timid and there is usually less to see, since the vis is lower.