The Meadows Center - "Aquarena Springs"

[Charles2]

Just got an e-mail from a local dive shop inviting me to "Attend a Diver Authorization Program (DAP) at The Meadows Center, formerly Aquarena Springs and become certified to dive and explore all of the uniqueness of Spring Lake. $230 pp for DAP and then free to dive afterwards with a reservation."

The location is only about 3 hours from where I live; and, looking at the pictures, appears to be a pretty nice place to make a few relaxing dives, even if you seem to be tasked with cleaning the springs and removing some of the unwanted growth there. On the other hand, there is the matter of an initial $230 (although free thereafter). I have dived Lake Travis, The Blue Lagoon, Mammoth Lake, and a few other Texas inland locations but haven't really found a place that I would call 'a local favorite'.

What are the general comments from this board regarding this opportunity? Is the place truly worth a three hour drive? Is it possible to do multiple dives in a day? Anybody else doing this? Should I sign up?

 

[lord1234]

Its the most crystal clear fresh water diving you will probably get in TX. The max depth is ~30ft. Training area runs 15 feet. You need to make a reservation typically ~3 weekdays in advance. There is an emphasis on good trim and bouyancy, as they do not want you to damage some of the more fragile parts of the lake.

I live 25 minutes away, and regularly make the drive. I also know many who live 3+ hours away and do too.

 

[driftwood]

I hear you on the $230 course fee. When I got certified to dive there the course fee was $75. Windy Point is running $15 a day, so you are money ahead after your 16th day.

It is a very unusual day when you don't have Carib vis at the beginning of a dive. Of course once you start working the vis can easily drop to zero. The other big thing about Spring Lake is that it is a constant 72 degrees year round. A lot of local shops move their open water classes to the lake in the winter to take advantage of the warmer water. Even when I am working hard, a 80 will last me well over 1 1/4 hours. Wearing a 5mm I run out of heat before I run out of air.

3 hours is a lot of driving for a couple dives. You might want to bring three tanks, get your diving in by 3pm and get your tanks filled in SM for the next day. There are many inexpensive motels in town. I know a lot of people from DFW who do three dives Saturday and 2 Sunday before heading home.

If you decide to take the class, drop me pm and I will try to meet you that Sunday morning for a couple dives. There are a lot of things you really should know that aren't taught in the class.

 

[Sushi Boy]

I took the class 11 or 12 years ago. It was a little less expensive then, but even using the current $230 cost, given that I dive there probably 4 days a year (usually a couple of two-day weekends), that averages out to about $5/day to dive. YMMV.

It's well worth the drive from the Houston area, although as others have mentioned, its way more relaxing to spend the night in town and make a weekend getaway out of it. Lots of great things to do in the area once the diving's done for the day.

It's a gorgeous place. I wish that I lived closer so I could dive there more often.

 

[Foo]

Just the course itself is worth the fee. It's extremely interesting. We live over 8 hours away and don't get to dive near enough. Haven't been since it reopened, and I think we have to take the course again. The diving is amazing and relaxing, even if you're working.

 

[gkrane]

If you take this course are you able to dive there any time? What do you all mean by "working"?

 

[ReefHound]

If you take this course are you able to dive there any time? What do you all mean by "working"?

You are becoming a volunteer diver, with an task assigned each diver. The task is not hard and you can "work" for awhile and enjoy for awhile but technically you are doing a task and not just showing up for a leisure dive. A common task is fanning algae from the river bed. And you are also part of the show for the glass bottom boat tours.

You must make an appointment beforehand to dive. They will assign you a task and a section of the lake. There may be times when they have to impose limits (don't want too many people in at the same time) but generally they can accomodate your requests.

 

[gkrane]

You are becoming a volunteer diver, with an task assigned each diver. The task is not hard and you can "work" for awhile and enjoy for awhile but technically you are doing a task and not just showing up for a leisure dive. A common task is fanning algae from the river bed. And you are also part of the show for the glass bottom boat tours.

You must make an appointment beforehand to dive. They will assign you a task and a section of the lake. There may be times when they have to impose limits (don't want too many people in at the same time) but generally they can accomodate your requests.

Seems like a fair trade off for diving clear 72 degree water in Texas. Although for a family of 4 divers I am not sure I am willing to drop $1000 on course fees to fan the algae off the bottom of the lake unless I lived extremely close to it.

 

[driftwood]

Right now I am getting close to a dime per dive based on the course fee at the time. But I live 30 minutes away and before the "deconstruction" they gave me free fills after the dive.

What you get to do in the lake has a lot to do with your skill level diving in the lake.

As an example, after a flood a couple years ago, they tasked me to do a survey of all the sites from the Headwaters down to Cypress Point. It's a long ass swim and navigation challenge ( the jump from Salt n Pepper II to Weissmuller is an act of faith and the run from Kettleman's to Cypress point is a maze if you don't know the trick).

I also get tasked to collect water samples from different springs, teach new, to the lake, divers basic lake navigation, plant and algae clearing techinques (with the support of the cutter boat, two people who know what they are doing can easily fill a stake bed truck with material in less than a hour) and things like how to do a "critter hunt".

 

[gkrane]

Very interesting. Is there a shop for fills there as well?