Interactive Dive Site Map

I just found a really neat website that shows a map of Texas with pushpins to show the location of many dive sites in Texas!

Here is a screenshot of the website called Texas Dive Sites:

Red pushpins show dive site locations (www.texasdivesites.com)

I hope you find the map helpful; leave a comment if it helps you out or not. I'm still searching through all the pushpins myself. :)

Mammoth Lake

This is a guest post from one of my friends, Grant.

Hey, I'm Grant T. Amanda has been awesome enough to welcome me for a guest post on her blog. I've spent some time researching a new Texas dive site named Mammoth Lake. The lake has an interesting history and is a premiere attraction for divers.

Clute is a town of 10 thousand people hugging the gulf coast of Texas. In 2003, a backhoe uncovered a mammoth in a sand pit. The town and the sand pit gained some notoriety. Shortly after, the owners decided to make a dive site out of it¹.

Red dot shows location of Clute, TX. (Source: Wikipedia²)

Starting with an empty hole as opposed to a lake gave them freedom to build an interesting site. The owners also manage a junk yard, so they're able to look over lots of interesting items to put use. The lake has an old church steeple, a military vehicle renovated to look like a submarine, several boats, and 8-foot metal turtles, to name a few³.

It measures 50 acres in surface area and is around 70 feet deep.

The dive site has been opened to the public. If you're interested in diving in Mammoth lake, there are a few things you need to know⁴:

• Divers pay a $20 fee. 
• Snorkelers pay a $10 fee.
• Primitive camping is available. 
• There is a restaurant on site. 
• BBQ pits are allowed.

Thanks, Grant.
And here's one more picture that I found of Mammoth Lake.

Sunken skeleton & boat at Lake Mammoth (Source: Scuba Board⁵)

Footnotes

[1] Gene Gentrup. (n.d.). 'Mammoth Lake' Filling Up in Southeast Texas. Dive Training. Retrieved April 26, 2011, from http://www.dtmag.com/dive-usa/locations/MammothLake_TX.html

[2] File:TXMap-doton-Clute.PNG. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 26, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TXMap-doton-Clute.PNG

[3] Sandpit owner in Texas wants to create an underwater attraction for scuba divers. (2006, June 14). The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 26, 2011, from http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003059902_lake14.html?syndication=rss

[4] Mammoth Lake Scuba Park. (n.d.). Bay Area Divers. Retrieved April 26, 2011, from http://www.bayareadivers.org/map-directions-mammothlake-scubapark-lakejacksontexas.htm

[5] Mammoth Lake. (2011, March). Scuba Board. Retrieved April 26, 2011, from http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/texas-swamp-divers/372943-mammoth-lake.html

Interview: South Padre Diving and Snorkeling

I interviewed my classmate and friend, Janice, who visited South Padre Island. This island is at the southern tip of Texas in the Gulf of Mexico. Janice went with her father on a boat, and he scuba dived in the ocean. Here she shares her experience.
 

Hi, Janice. So when was your trip, and how did it all begin?

I went to South Padre in June last summer, with my dad. We started at a dive shop on the day before his dive, where he made the final reservations and things. It was American Diving, a big blue building.

How was the day your father dove?

He loved it. We both went out on a boat, and I was able to snorkel as he dove. I saw coral, fish, and a barracuda! My dad took lots of photos, and so did the other divers that we were with. 

Here's a picture from Janice's father's dive.

Source: J, 2010

Janice, what would you recommend as advice for people wanting to visit South Padre?

I'd say that if you're diving, make sure to get 2 dives or more each day, because you will fall in love with the beauty. Also, ask for permission to have a mixed scuba and snorkel dive, so that non-divers in your family can snorkel like I did. Plus, be sure to plan in advance all your gear rentals if you need gear - you don't want the dive shop to run out of your size of wetsuit because you didn't plan early!

Thanks again, Janice. 

You're welcome! And I hope everyone enjoys my story and advice!