Wyoming/ Colorado diving?

[noobascooba]

Hi
We are based in Laramie, WY and we are keen to dive soon. We have been to Seabase in Utah a few times but want to try some 'real' diving. Blue Hole is a bit far and the Crater is expensive, do we have any other realistic options, preferably in WY or CO?

I have been reading about places like Blue Mesa and Horsetooth crater, Blue Mesa in particular sounds really cool. The problem is we are inexperienced. In particular we don't have dry suits yet, the coldest water we have been in was 64F.

Any local divers out there we can tag along with in WYor CO? Or can anyone reccomend places to go locally that might be less taxing?

It'd be good to go with more experienced people, but I promise we can look after ourselves ok!!

I have read about drysuits, but would people reccomend doing the speciality course? If so, anyone have experience with local providers?

Thanks

gotta get wet soon!!

 

[RonFrank]

Hi
We are based in Laramie, WY and we are keen to dive soon. We have been to Seabase in Utah a few times but want to try some 'real' diving. Blue Hole is a bit far and the Crater is expensive, do we have any other realistic options, preferably in WY or CO?

I have been reading about places like Blue Mesa and Horsetooth crater, Blue Mesa in particular sounds really cool. The problem is we are inexperienced. In particular we don't have dry suits yet, the coldest water we have been in was 64F.

Any local divers out there we can tag along with in WYor CO? Or can anyone reccomend places to go locally that might be less taxing?

It'd be good to go with more experienced people, but I promise we can look after ourselves ok!!

I have read about drysuits, but would people reccomend doing the speciality course? If so, anyone have experience with local providers?

Thanks

gotta get wet soon!!

I think your best bet is going to Flaming Gorge. I have not dove that, but I hear it's rather good, and from my childhood recollections the water clarity was likely better then anything I've dove in CO.

As for the drysuts, get ready to spend some $$$. If you buy locally, they should throw in the class for free IMO.

 

[Divedoggie]

Its really not any further (if at all) to Blue Hole from Laramie, then it is to SeaBase.
You also have the option of hooking up with some of us from Ft Collins, and car-pooling down to Blue Hole.

I agree that Flaming Gorge could be good, but you should dive there with experienced divers. We may be talked into going there early spring.

Blue Hole is a great place to get your teeth wet in a new drysuit. You can look into them locally, but also check out www.divetank.com Richard puts some pretty sweet packages together.

 

[Footslogger]

Hi
We are based in Laramie, WY and we are keen to dive soon.
===================================

Greetings from another Laramite. You've been more adventurous than we. Since moving here in 2002 all our dive trips have been either in the Bahamas or Belize. Headed for the Caymans next May.

We backpack up in the Medicine Bow and I do ocassionally wonder what it would be like to don tanks and jump in. But that water's MIGHTY COLD !!

What brings you to Laramie ?? Not exactly the dive center of the west ...

'Slogger

 

[noobascooba]

Thanks for all the advice

We would go to places like belize and cozumel if we could afford it!

We are looking into drysuits, but again the price is a problem. We are also having problems finding a local course provider.

We'd definately be interested in tagging along to Flaming gorge.

This time of year, are CO and WY lakes too cold even with a dry suit? Should we wait until spring?

thanks again and hopefully meet some of you soon (maybe at blue hole sometime)

ns

 

[The Chad]

Flaming gorge is good but don't count me in until July. Dove it last year about the same time, bring a drysuit and a boat. It is over 130 feet deep just off the boat slips by the dam

 

[knotical]

Found these guys on the net. Don’t know anything about them, but if they are still in business they probably know about local diving.

Western Divers in Casper: http://www.westerndiversltd.com/
Desert Divers in Green River: http://www.desertdiverscuba.com/home.html
Mountain Bay Scuba in Rock Springs
High Mountain Divers in Sheridan

 

[roakey]

Make sure you fly a dive flag at flaming gorge, a friend of mine got fined for not having one there...

Roak

 

[Divedoggie]

Blue Hole is really the only local drysuit diving area until May, unless you want to get into ice diving.
There are plenty of places like the California coast, Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver, that are road trip distance, and are drysuit meccas.

We are less than an hour away in Fort Collins, and you can get certified at our dive shop.

 

[noobascooba]

DD are you at Alpine Scuba? If so I emailed about the PADI dry suit speciality but didn't get a response.