Other Texas Scuba Parks?

[Jarrett]

Do they allow Juniors divers (kids?) Austin dives with us and he is 12.

I can actually answer that one:

"Thanks for your interest in our program. Skill level required is SCUBA certification and good buoyancy control. There is an underwater obstacle course that you will need to pass in order to participate in the program. As far as age, we do not accept Jr. certifications. Please let me know if you have anymore questions."

Now I gotta go read all this good info on the wetsuits

 

[Jarrett]

Cool, thanks for the info on the suits. That gives me a good reason to go get a 5mm Henderson Hyperstretch, hood and gloves

 

[Jarrett]

Oh I forgot to ask, does anyone know about diving in the Comal, San Marcos and/or Blanco rivers? Thanks.

 

[Crazyduck]

Oh I forgot to ask, does anyone know about diving in the Comal, San Marcos and/or Blanco rivers? Thanks.

I am a San Marcos river nerd.
How can I help?
I have two methods groups of people or a single car.
Big difference between them.

Single car-
When traveling in a single car we use this method.
We get everything ready at Joes Crab shack by the falls. Walk it down to the bank and then park the car across the street on university property (open on weekends.) Then we enter the water at the bank and play in the falls and cost down to the exit which is on the left side. You can exit at the University Park or float down to Veterans Park. Check attachment of San Marcos city parks. Veterans is very long concrete wall and this is a pretty short dive. When complete have someone walk back and drive the car down to Veterans Park.
Link http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=City+park+st&csz=San+Marcos+tex&country=us&new=1&name=&qty=

Driving Direction-
Take a right on Bobcat Drive and then an immediate right on Jowers street. You will see a small sign pointing down the street saying city park. The road bends to the right and becomes Main St and that dead ends into the city park. The park is called “city park or Jaycees city park.”

Group
Other option for Groups- Have everyone meet at Rio Vista Park. Someone in the group needs to drive a truck (not a problem in Texas.) Then pile everyone into the truck bed and bus them up to Joe’s parking lot and let them walk down to the bank. Then the last person parks the truck across the street or someone (not diving) drives the truck back down to the park. Depending on the group the trip can take anywhere from 45minues to a 1-1/2.
Sidenote- make sure your fins are attached properly. Then come off some how in the current. Bring a goody bag and a trash bag. We collect all sorts of trash and goodies.
There is a set of stairs at Rio Vista park. Good place to start to let the divers see where they are getting out at.

Any questions give me a yell.

 

[Jarrett]

Thanks a bunch for all the info. We are headed down to do the Scientific Diver course this weekend and hopefully scope out San Marcos for this dive in the river in the future.

 

[Willie]

I dove STillhouse Hollow Lake this past weekend. It's located between Belton and Killeen just south of Hiway 190 a few miles west of Belton. Vis was 8-10', lower in some spots. The area we dove was a structureless bottom basically mud and rocks. You could tell the platform had not been used in a long time. There was a rope that led from the platform in a circle to a kayak, boat, motorcycle, etc that were off the main rope connected to it by other ropes. It was difficult to get to the platform. You had to park near the road, dress, trek about 50 yds to the waters edge, swim about 200 yds, take a compass heading from a rock on the shore, swim another 100yds or so to the platform. It's out that far because that is where it finally got deep enough. My max depth was 35', temp at that depth was 79. Looks like to find the better dive spots you'd need a boat.

This is where we did our open water checkouts. The first day vis was around 3'. It had been raining a lot. It was so poor we postponed the sunday dives till the next week. Vis then was about 10-12'.

I just got a hand drawn map of the are you referred to from my LDS owner/instructor. I have been wanting to go back when the vis was better and look at the stuff again. Several local dive shops use this spot for their training. The lake has a max depth of 107'.

Willie

 

[MichaelBaranows]

Last word I heard was that the the "Texas Clipper" will be sunk in November. The ship is to be sunk about 17 miles offhsore of Brownsville in about 130' of water. I am so looking forward to this happening. If everything happens like it is suppose to I think I will be pulling my boat down south next spring to make a few dives one weekend.

http://www.divesouthpadre.com/Texas_Clipper.pdf

 

[Crazyduck]

Micheal,
Have you actually heard anything about this project lately?
Its like it is in stealth mode; I haven't heard hide nor hair.

Has Masrad released the boat? Has it been towed? is it being cleaned?
Cause to date I have seen noda...

I hope that it is going through. Give me a good reason to visit American Technical Divers and do some diving in south texas.

Has anyone considered making a sticky for the Clipper?

Andrew

Last word I heard was that the the "Texas Clipper" will be sunk in November. The ship is to be sunk about 17 miles offhsore of Brownsville in about 130' of water. I am so looking forward to this happening. If everything happens like it is suppose to I think I will be pulling my boat down south next spring to make a few dives one weekend.

http://www.divesouthpadre.com/Texas_Clipper.pdf

 

[MichaelBaranows]

Last thing I have heard was from Paul Hammerschmidt [Paul.Hammerschmidt@tpwd.state.tx.us]@ TPWD back in May. He is the the Texas Artifical Reef Program Director. They were close to awarding a contract for the cleaning and sinking. I will try to get incontact with him and see if this has happened. And status of this project.

 

[Crazyduck]

Thank you sir.

It is best if we have just one point of contact; that way he does not feel like every diver is calling him .

When open this would make a great group theorpy trip.

Thanks, Andrew

Last thing I have heard was from Paul Hammerschmidt [Paul.Hammerschmidt@tpwd.state.tx.us]@ TPWD back in May. He is the the Texas Artifical Reef Program Director. They were close to awarding a contract for the cleaning and sinking. I will try to get incontact with him and see if this has happened. And status of this project.