Colorado

Larimer County

Divers will travel far and wide to find the best diving. But those who live in the United States have plenty of great diving on their doorstep as well, with plentiful access to the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. From warm-water reefs to temperate seas, here are some of the top places to scuba dive in the United States.

United States



Horsetooth Reservoir, Fort Collins, Colorado

Fort Collins

Horsetooth Reservoir

Almost 200 feet deep, 3x1 miles; trout and salmon; 50DegF; dive flags required; campground, marina.  See www.co.larimer.co.us/parks/carter_map.htm

From Denver, take interstate 25 north to hiway 56 west(Berthoud exit)-- then follow the signs to Carter Lake.

Carter Reservoir

This site is excellent to introduce people to diving.  You are guaranteed to see fish.  It is weather proof, extremely safe and exciting to almost all divers.  It is possible to dive with sharks or if that is not what you want you can dive with fish.

Downtown Denver Colorado.  

Downtown Aquarium

Aurora Resevior is over what was formerly a U.S. Air Force gunnery range, so there is the *very* occassional ordinance to be found.  This is not even remotely likely, but keep an eye on your compass while down there.  The vis is ok if you're the first ones in after some time.  The bottom is mud, loaded with crayfish, and a lot of large, planted fish.  Watching the Walleye go after the crayfish is fun (I've had them taken right out from in front of the camera).  There is a dual-engine plane sunken about 130 yards/35 feet out that you can swim-through.  There is no night-diving here.

Park pass and SCUBA permit required.  Go to the main office to get these.  Ask for the "SCUBA KEY" so you can go through the gate to drop and pick-up your equipment, otherwise you have to haul it about 1/3 mile over the top of a dam.  The office will instruct you as to how to best access the scuba egress.

Aurora Resevior

Aurora Reservoir is a 3.625-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Colorado, USA West which is accessible from shore based on 8 ratings.

Aurora Reservoir

It's a good sizes lake , It's not very deep ... It's does not need to be deep , Because you are at att. you will need your tables! Ok the north side of the lake is a cool dive. The south side is a little more of a risk ..... Lots of concert pipe and Re-bar !! There ia a small boat on the north side , The water is cold in the winter, and warm in the summer .... It's a good fresh water dive.

Near Littleton. It's in side of the state park , chatfiled state park. Off the hwy c-470 going around the city of Denver colorado . @ wadswroth blvd & c-470 go south from the hwy ( trun left ) in to the park. Pay your $5.00 to get in . Go south along the big lake , right befor the river. Trun right in to the parking lot in front of the king fisher pound..

King Fisher Ponds is also known as King Fisher Lake.

King Fisher Ponds

Extreme Altitude Diving 13,420 feet.

Spruce Creek Trail to Pacific Tarn Lake

From the last traffic light on South Main Street in Breckenridge drive south on Highway 9 for about 2.3 miles to Spruce Creek Road. Turn right onto Spruce Creek Road and drive 1.2 miles to the well marked Spruce Creek Trailhead 10,380 ft. This is a good place to park passenger cars. From here the road gets rougher, but 4wd and high clearance vehicles will do fine and can continue for another approximately 2 miles until it ends at 11,100 ft. This is the upper Spruce Creek Trailhead.

Start hiking and shortly, you will find a trail intersection for Mayflower Lake to the right and Mohawk Lakes and Continental Falls to the left. Go left toward Mohawk Lakes. The trail twists steeply by a mining cabin to a marked split for Lower Continental Falls. It follows a useful mining cable past the falls split up open rock, moderating to the edge of Lower Mohawk Lake.

Once above the falls, the main trail heads for an old mining apparatus that looks like a ski lift. Go right past this mining apparatus and continue on the trail. If you made it this far, then you are on the right trail, and staying on it now is much easier.

The trail goes skirts Lower Mohawk Lake on its south side, and then takes a hard left turn south. The trail now is taking the long way around the cliffs and waterfalls below Mohawk Lake.

After Mohawk Lake the trail immediately begins to veer away from the lake to the north, and will take you past Upper Mohawk Lake #1 on the lake's north side and continues across relatively flat open tundra to the Upper Mohawk Lakes #2 and #3. Cross this lake on its north side by rock-hopping across the exit of the lake. Skirt the lake and proceed directly toward the slope that is now directly ahead.

From here it requires a steep and demanding rock climbing to Pacific Tarn Lake.

Pacific Tarn lake

Many freshwater fish (trout, walleye, carp, sunfish) and crawfish inhabit this rocky bottom.  The dam area and Sandy Beach usually has the best visibility on the lake from June through August.

Alcova Lake is a short drive 30 minute drive from Casper, WY south on highway 220. Site is best accessed by boat, however access by vehicle is possible by a short walk (100ft/30M) with gear to dive location.

Alcova Lake Dam

Lake McConaughy is a 5.0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in Nebraska, USA Mid which is accessible from shore based on 1 ratings.

Lake McConaughy



Old Pontiac station wagon sits in 95' of water in Pactola Reservoir. You will need a flashlight and visibility is usually less than 20 feet. Access can be by boat or shore. There is a white arrow pointing down and attached to a tree on the north bank just left of a large rock formation in the water know locally as Alcatraz. No local dive shop currently so will have to bring filled tanks with you.

Pontiac Wagon

Interesting site with some good underwater topography. Many rock ledges and walls to follow or go down. 
Lots of crawfish. Some fish.
Water fairly clear for the area. Several strong thermoclines, in mid summer the first 20' mid 60's, 20'-50' mid 50's and below 50-60' mid 40's. 
Can do an interesting dive along the rock wall following the shoreline and stay in the second thermocline or even warmer first with some curious fish, large crawdads everywhere and chicken bones everywhere from the crawdadders.
Can also dive from the drive at the east point of the bay for a more gradual, shallower dive that is similar to mud creek but less plants. 
There is also a bathroom which can be handy.



Horsetooth Reservoir

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Horsetooth Reservoir