Hi, Kevin
There are several options for diving in PK that I think you will enjoy. By July, water temps at the surface are about 75 or so. The first thermocline is about 20 something feet and might drop the temp to about 65. Usually there's another thermocline at about 40 feet and it can get pretty chilly down there (maybe lower sixties in early July).
Of course, there is diving at Scuba Point, and you'll find info at the above link. That's where the air fill station for the lake is located, as well as friendly people and a well appointed dive shop. You can also charter boats there. Scuba Point is just about the only decent shore entry diving that is accessible. You'll need a boat for other good sites.
One of the favorite dive sites is Hell's Gate, a large cove about halfway down the lake. My friends and I like to patrol the area inside and opposite the 'gate' and check out the slopes for "treasure". Another is just inside the gate to the right (as you enter). It's a favorite partyboat destination, and people drop and lose lots of "stuff". However, there is a lot of debris (cans, bottles, etc...) so be careful. Also, I'd avoid diving the outside (main channel side) of the gate. Too much boat traffic and those high-speed folks don't know what a dive flag is!
Another good site is Governor's Cove, which is just about a quarter mile from the dam. Stay close to the cove, though, because the buoyed "exclusion zone" is nearby. The Brazos River Authority gets extremely cranky when divers cross under the markers and get too close to the dam. It's a hydroelectric dam, so it makes sense to give it wide clearance.
Just "upriver" from the cove is a long wall on the north side of the lake. It makes interesting diving as well. I like the area around lake marker 12 (the lake is marked off with numbered signs...even numbers on the north side, odd on the south). There are some dynamic swim throughs and slopes there.
Of course, there are all sorts of small coves and outcroppings to be explored if you feel adventurous.
Generally, the best diving is toward the south (dam) end of the lake. The north end is where the Brazos River and Rock Creek flow into it, therefore it tends to be more murky there.
There is a great article about PK in the May issue of Dive Training magazine, if you have access to those. (Check your dive shop...mine gives copies away.)
Hope this helps. Let us know how your trip goes. By the way, my CDOT friends and I make a boat trip on the lake every year, usually about late September or October. Let me know if you're interested and we'd be glad to meet ya'll!
Take care and have fun.
Guba (Bill)
