Scuba diving in Blue Lake, Utah (United States), is fun, but it’s not for everyone! This is pretty much a lake made by divers for divers. In other words, this is probably not the best location to bring non-diving spouses, children, or friends.
Getting There:
First off, this lake is out in the middle of nowhere in western Utah (circle with the arrow). Approaching Wendover from the East will require entering Nevada (the casinos will have to wait) and doubling back into Utah. Make sure to bring everything you’ll need, including spares, as there’s nothing nearby. I’d also pack plenty of snacks and water since food is a ways away (Wendover, Utah is the closest city last I was there, underlined in the photo). (Map credit goes to Apple Maps.)
Arrival:
Did I mention there’s nothing around??
A several hundred feet walk through horseflies, sand, and snakes separates the sandy parking lot from the lake. Thankfully, some kind souls installed a board walk across the sand and over the snakes, but that doesn’t help keep the horseflies away.
The Lake:
Back when I dove here, the “dock” was a soggy algae-covered carpet along the shore (toward the mid-left in the photo), but I’ve heard there have been some great improvements! Although this probably sounds awful to non-divers, this is a near paradise for land-locked Utah divers.
The water is partially geo-thermally heated (see the photo with the hot springs), so it’s a bit warm. I wore a 3-5-3 wetsuit in September and was very comfortable.
I recommend arriving as early as possible so visibility is good before newbies join the fun and stir up all the silt. The bottom is very easy to disturb, so stay a few feet up to keep the lake nice for everyone (especially if you’re still learning proper buoyancy control). Visibility is usually about 10-30′, but be cautious as visibility can quickly drop to zero.
There are several dive platforms for safety stops and classes (as shown in the photo, with a fish tail photobomb), a few fish, and plenty of sunken treasures. Rope lines go from the platforms to the main attractions (sunken boat, praying mantis sculpture, turtle, etc.) Keep an eye out for road signs, a grocery cart, a shark, and other surprises…
Story Time…
So there we were (four of us), in the middle of our dive, when our visibility went to zero thanks to a class of new divers that caused a silt-out up near the dock. The four of us knew this would likely happen and had pre-communicated and decided to practice no-visibility navigation if this situation arose, rather than surfacing. We linked arms/equipment, checked our equipment the best we could, confirmed everyone was ready, released arms (maintained link via equipment), and then started trying to individually navigate back to shore.
After a few peaceful moments of sensory deprivation (I could only see brown silt and my bubbles ahead of me), I was deep in automated movement – just counting kicks and watching my equipment. Then, staring at me, within inches of my face, was another face. It was a dead, rotten, algae-covered head with unseeing eyes. I screamed. I won’t lie. I screamed.
Once I gained composure, I realized some pranksters had tied a mannequin’s head to a string anchored to the lake’s floor. I wouldn’t have to call the police, after all.
Conclusion:
For a desert-based lake, Blue Lake, Utah is warm, unique, and is full of surprises for the avid scuba diver. If you’re looking for new places (on the cheap and local), this one isn’t bad. Go fully prepped with low expectations, and it’ll probably be a good day in the water. After the scuba diving in Blue Lake, Utah, head over to the nearest city of Wendover for some food – and clean clothes!
If you’ve seen improvements (or challenges) with the area lately, let us know in the comments! Don’t forget to check out our other scuba diving adventures as well!
hello! my name´s johanna. im planning to go to work there in wendover, im form argentina ..is it A GOOD CITY or is it almost empty? are there shops, etc? if you can help me, please answer me here: verbenajg@hotmail.com
Hopefully this still helps, there are about 8 casinos with hotels and restraints, the next place pushing West is Elko and it is kind of small it is a train/ mining town with a few hotels and fast-food places.
East will be Tooele UT, that has a few more places to eat but thats an hour and some away from Windover and Elk is about 45 min from Windover.
Hello! Thanks so much for the info! It has been quite a while since I’ve been out there (very unfortunate), and I’ve since forgotten about all the local amenities. Great stuff! (By the way, I’m transitioning all of this blog over to http://www.coraleverafter.org if you’re interested in still following along!)
Hi! Um, unfortunately I'm not from Wendover – only stopped for dinner after diving. From my VERY limited experience, it's not fantastic to be honest. There are plenty of casinos, but other than that, there is not much there. It's out in the middle of nowhere as well. Sorry. :-/ I recommend you not take my experience to heart as we were only there about an hour.