I am from West Monroe, grew up there but have lived many places since. I actually grew up on a spring fed lake with sand bottom that was often very clear but it is private and so built up now it is not diveable. Some people dive Toledo Bend. I suggest Lake Ouachita near Hot Springs. It is a beautiful lake in National Forest with often very decent viz. Been diving there many times. I also humbly suggest, between hurricanes, that you try the panhandle of Florida, the offshore rigs out of Lake Charles, the Flower Gardens of Texas and Stetson bank out of Houston.
I made spare money in college at NLU diving the rivers and bayous to recover lost items, not all that lucrative really. I suggest you not dive in the Ouachita River except at low water. Even then there can be currents, deep holes, no viz--at all---and other hazards. Same for the Mighty Mississippi, whirl pools, currents, hazards. Growing up on the rivers I have seen huge whirlpools that can suck boats down, leaking gas from pipelines is also to be avoided and stay away from the spillway at Farmerville on D'arbone during any high water. An olde couple retiring to the area who had boated the Great Lakes for years met their deaths at the spillway when their engine failed them and the boat was sucked into the downfall, there is a long history of drownings there. Due to numerous dive instructors there going back well into the 60s there are many resident divers so you should be able to find friends. N
