Less than a mile from the town square of Athens, Texas, and about 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Dallas in the midst of scenic lake country, Athens Scuba Park offers weekend divers unparalleled scuba diving facilities in East Central Texas
The Athens Scuba park is situated on a 50 acres property with a seven acre lake developed from an old clay slag pit fed from the waters of a nearby spring. The water in the lake gives off an unnatural blue hue that is intriguing in itself. The bottom of the lake is scattered with several unusual items that make dives here interesting. More than a dozen boats a golf cart, a couple of buses, a Volkswagen van, a Jet Ski, a motorcycle, grand piano and an airplane provide focal points for divers at the bottom of the 25-30 foot lake.
The Airplane, an old Lockheed C-140 Jetstar military transport jet is the biggest attraction out of the 30+ wrecks that you can dive in at Athens. And for those that are interested in overhead diving, there is a 5 foot culvert called the “Black-Hole” that simulates an underwater cave that leads 40 ft ending up in a deep pond. Night Diving is also popular at Athens, with many adventurous divers wishing to explore the wrecks and experience diving in the dark with underwater flashlights.
Unfortunately because of the Ph of the clay pit, you end up with good visibility as algae does not grow in the lake, but at the same time, neither do fish thrive here as well. This means that apart from the scattered wrecks, marine life is restricted to a very limited selection mostly of crawfish.
The 50-70 feet of visibility and the 12 docks and platforms, well stocked dive shop and outdoor facilities make Athens a perfect place to train beginner’s to Scuba Dive, and several open water classes are conducted here through the year.
Admission fee to the park for Divers (C Card required) is $15, and $5 for non-divers. Dive gear can be rented at the well stocked dive shop which provides all kinds of scuba diving equipment from Bouyancy compensators to drysuits and charge only $5 for air refills. Camping at Athens Scuba Park is permitted and campers are charged an additional $5 but can avail of the restrooms, showers and other amenities adding to the overall experience.
So the next time your in Texas and hankering to go Scuba Diving, why not look up Athens Scuba Park for a unique diving experience in a clay quarry, with no fish, but yet plenty to explore.
