Where do you dive in Arizona?

[superchoriflai]

Seeing as how the AZ dive site directory isn't up and running yet, I thought I'd borrow the idea and start a thread.

Where do you dive in AZ? Which places are good and why and which places are bad and why?

 

[ScubaSteve2000]

I've been to Lake Pleasant:
Desert Tortoise and Vista Point. Both pretty easy to get to. The East side of Vista Point is in a little cove area so I think that the conditions there are pretty good.

Saguaro Lake (Keyhole area):
It's a little difficult to "put in" unless you go from one of the boat docks. I've never tried Butcher Johnes Bay.

Has anybody ever gone to Apache Lake or Roosevelt Lake? I know that Canyon is pretty low right now.

 

[broncobowsher]

Roosevelt is more like the Mississippi river. Too thick to drink, too thin to plow.
Powell has rocks, more rocks, a little visablility on a good day, a canyon here or there and sometimes a fish. But you only get 10% of the lake, the other 90% is in Utah which only has 3.2 beer.

 

[superchoriflai]

How many dives have you done at Powell? I've only water skied and boated there. What's the viz like?

 

[tep]

I cert'ed in Phoenix, and we almost always went to San Diego. About 4 times a year.

Then I moved there so I could go diving all the time.

Didn't get back in the water for 5 years :-(

But now I'm back...

 

[booth22]

We've tried Canyon and probably won't be back anytime soon, and I gather the other east side lakes are similar. Pleasant, despite being on the other side of town is our usual stop. We liked Scorpion Bay as a dive site until that closed to make way for the new marina. Our first time to Vista Point was just a few days back and it was a pretty decent little area, could get some depth quicker than Desert Tortoise, but the vis was about the same. There are some other spots at the lake we've used, but I have no idea what their names are We did try lake Mohave once and plan to go back, that wasn't too bad- surface conditions the day we were there didn't help (wiiindy and cold) but the dive was nice. And we also hit SoCal from time to time...

 

[AzAtty]

Saguaro Lake:

Keyhole can be done off the dock and the rocks. The rocks are not fun in summer with a drysuit and doubles.

Butcher Jones is a waste of time. There's a couple hundred yards of "beach" to cross. It is the "swimming area" for Saguaro, so there is a lot of traffic on the weekends and you may want a babysitter for anything you leave on shore. You have to dig a hole to get below 10 feet (unless you want to swim half a mile). Visibility is six inches. A TON of suspended dirt and other junk is in the water. Plus, the ore-bearing rocks/submerged UFOs make your compass go haywire.

There's a ramada to the west of the fishing dock on the Keyhole road. There's a small path leading to the water from it. That's the place I dive when I go to Saguaro. You can hit 30-ish feet, there are lots of fish habitats, and some interesting rocks around the fishing dock.

Pleasant:

RIP Scorpion Bay. Great place to dive. I hope all the boats in the marina sink.

Canyon:

Mud dive.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Canyon used to be better than Saguaro. Decent visibility and stuff to see at Boulder and Acacia Beaches. At that time (about 3 years ago), Saguaro was a mud pit. I agree with Blake on Butcher Jones. You can walk 1/2 mile before your head ever submerges.

Apache was pea soup when we were there. Roosevelt was a puddle when we were there.

Mohave is the best dive in Arizona without fail. Not only is the visibility good there, but there's actually stuff to see - bus, van, and boat.

 

[AzAtty]

Mohave is the best dive in Arizona without fail. Not only is the visibility good there, but there's actually stuff to see - bus, van, and boat.

Whaddya mean? Cheap sunglasses and beer cans don't count as "stuff to see"?