New to Phoenix Diving

[dstahn236]

Hey,

I am new to the Phoenix area and have been out of diving for a few months now. I am here from Minnesota and dove local lakes often while there. I never bought a wetsuit while there but usually dove with a 7mm in the early spring and a 5mm or a 3mm in the summer. I was wondering if anyone here had some insight on what lake temperatures here are like throughout the year. Also what is it like getting out of the water in the summer here? Minnesota air temperature is a little different than Arizona.

 

[tracydr]

Summer's it warms up to mid 80s by end of summer. Winter/spring of s pretty chilly,esp below the thermocline. I can't remember the exact temp but I wore a drysuit the few times I dove in fall/winter.

 

[KevinNM]

In the high desert east of Albuquerque it gets damn hot fast when gearing up, and after a few minutes after getting out of the water during the summer (once the sun and heat evaporates the water). Particularly if you are in direct sunlight. Pulling on a drysuit and gearing up gets pretty awful, typically in summer you end up pulling on the suit and jumping in the water before you pull on all your gear so you you don't melt.

When it's hot in Albuquerque it's a damn furnace in Phoenix, and worse in Tucson. Albuquerque temps are usually vaguely similar to temps in Prescott if that helps.

 

[dstahn236]

In the high desert east of Albuquerque it gets damn hot fast when gearing up, and after a few minutes after getting out of the water during the summer (once the sun and heat evaporates the water). Particularly if you are in direct sunlight. Pulling on a drysuit and gearing up gets pretty awful, typically in summer you end up pulling on the suit and jumping in the water before you pull on all your gear so you you don't melt.

When it's hot in Albuquerque it's a damn furnace in Phoenix, and worse in Tucson. Albuquerque temps are usually vaguely similar to temps in Prescott if that helps.

Thanks for the info. Most of the time after a dive, or in between, we would peel our tops down and just sit next to the water in Minnesota, at least in the summer. It was not uncommon to have a bit of a walk from the shore to the camp site/truck. I will have to keep in mind the distance to and from the lakes here.

---------- Post added December 7th, 2015 at 01:54 AM ----------

Summer's it warms up to mid 80s by end of summer. Winter/spring of s pretty chilly,esp below the thermocline. I can't remember the exact temp but I wore a drysuit the few times I dove in fall/winter.

Thanks. I have never used a dry suit before and in MN I usually wore a 7mm... though after the thermocline the hands got cold fast. I might have to look into using a dry suit.

 

[BFRedrocks]

Welcome to Phoenix! I'll try to keep this short, but there is a lot of variability. The lake most folks dive here is Lake Pleasant, and the temperatures vary quite a bit throughout the year, both the water temps and obviously the air temps. I used to dive a 7mm in the winter with water temps ranging from the low 50s up to the low 60s or so. Now I dive a drysuit in the lake all the time except for late July and August when I dive a 3mm with water temps more in the mid-upper 70s at depth (surface water temps in the summer can be as high as mid-80s, with temps below the thermocline at around 35 ft dropping into the 70s). So your exposure suit choice is partly based on your diving depths because of the thermocline(s). Air temps can be in the upper 30s to low 40s in the winter mornings to 110 in the summer days, so YMMV based on your heat/cold tolerance.

Shore diving at the lake varies from simple right-up-close water entry to a decent hike down to the water, especially in the summer when the water levels drop. You also have to be super careful in the summer with surface intervals as you can get overheated real quick when temps are in the 100s. There is at least one dive shop (LP Scuba) that does boat dives in the lake, which makes entry much easier and they go to areas where visibility is better most of the time. As a geologist and a diver, the lake is a fun place to dive, although obviously it can't compare to the Caribbean, there are things to see there.

 

[turnburglar]

The main trick is being efficient on the boat. Like others said you can over heat pretty quickly while its 105 and you are still wearing a wetsuit. In september the water was in the 70's until I hit the thermocline around 40'.

Inland water divers are out of goodyear, and great people. Pete has a pontoon boat that was easy to dive off of.