Dive Site Access
40.915975861275925, -109.42537253724124
Shore access. Picnic tables, shade, and paved walks make the shore access descent for hanging out for a day of diving. You cannot dive “on” the dam, nor “near” the dam, but there is plenty of opportunity for a great wall dive on the east side of the point, and shallower relaxing diving on the west side of the point.
Dive Site Features
West Side
Shallow diving with a bit of protection from boats exists to the west side of the point. You can find fish, things people drop from boats, and a variety of other random things. Some of the features include rock formations, “hills”, and other interesting topography that change as the water levels fluctuate.
East Side
The first thing you’ll notice as you enter the water is the hum of the dam’s turbines. The closer you swim to the dam, the louder it gets and the more you can feel it in your chest. The “cliff” drops off to about 400′ at high water, providing what appears to feel like an “endless bottom”. Around 30-50 feet, you may encounter an old dock system that has sunken, given the appearance of a broken down log cabin. There is a large pipe protruding out of the wall as well. At 70 feet, it looks like dusk, at 100 feet, it’s nearly pitch black. Fish are only above the thermocline.
Diver Cautions
There are some factors on this dive site that can offer a challenge: your own buoyancy, an excessive amount of fishing line with sharp hooks, cold water, disappearing light at 40′ and the hum of the turbines. Some divers will find the chest-pounding drone of the dam unsettling as they feel the vibration in their chest. The sound can also disorient divers, making this a more risky dive than even just a few 100 feet around the point.
What to Bring
Cold water gear, a torch, a cutting tool, a buoy and reel, a keen sense of your own well-being as you enter the deep or loud portion of this dive.
Plan your dive, dive your plan and follow the “any reason” rule for opting out of this dive.
