Aquarena Springs

Aquarena Details

Aquarena Springs is a spring-fed lake in San Marcos, and the Aquarena Center cares for the area. The Center is provided by Texas State University and is open to the public for educational and fun activities. You can:

• Visit an aquarium featuring species from the lake;
• Ride on a glass-bottom boat to see the wildlife in the lake;
• Walk through the grounds on a group tour; and
• Walk through the Texas Rivers Center Exhibit Gallery.

No matter what you choose to do, looking at the blue water is free, and the view is beautiful, as seen below.

Aquarena Springs, from my own trip

Diving Requirements

Divers are required take a training course before they can dive in the lake. As the Aquarena Center explains on their Diving for Science¹ page,

The Diving for Science authorization course was developed to protect and preserve the unique and special aquatic environment. 

Aquarena's Diving for Science program is a great way for divers to get to dive in the cleanest and clearest water in Texas and at the same time get to become involved in one of the largest habitat restoration projects in the country.

By saying Aquarena has a "unique and special" environment, the Center means that there are species of plants and animals specific to this area, and some are endangered.

Critical Habitat

Aquarena Springs is home to eight endangered species, which is why divers need training before they dive, and why recreational diving is not allowed. 

From my own experience, the training was definitely worth the time and cost of $230, because the water stays crystal clear and at a constant temperature, too. Below is photo showing the clarity of the water, and the type of wildlife you can encounter.

Source: Aquarena¹

Endangered Species

There are eight species listed as endangered or threatened at Aquarena Springs:

• Texas Blind Salamander
• Fountain Darter
• Comal Springs Riffle Beetle
• Comal Springs Dyropid Beetle
• Peck's Cave Amphipod
• San Marcos Gambusia
• Texas Wild-Rice
• San Marcos Salamander

The Handbook of Texas Online² also notes that the springs contain "more than fifty varieties of fish and 125 species of plants," meaning you will not be diving in or looking at a barren lake!

Have Fun

Be sure to enjoy your time at Aquarena Springs, just as I did in 2010. 

Amanda (me!) at Aquarena in 2010

Additional Websites Used for Research

E. H. Johnson. (n.d.). Edwards Plateau. Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved March 2, 2011, from http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rxe01

Gunnar Brune. (n.d.). San Marcos Springs. Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved March 3, 2011, from http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rps06

Footnotes

[1] Diving for Science. (n.d.). Aquarena Center. Retrieved March 3, 2011, from http://www.aquarena.txstate.edu/Diving-for-Science.html

[2] Diana J. Kleiner. (n.d.). Aquarena Center. Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved March 2, 2011, from http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/dua02