Dive Sites in Arizona, United States

A set-up underwater park near Copper Canyon along the Arizona-California state line on Lake Havasu, one of about 30 named dive sites on the lake. Guide lines connect purpose-sunk attractions including two sailboats, a small tri-hull, a mock submarine and a truck in an average depth around 28 feet; the nearby Miller's Folly party-boat wreck lies in 25 feet beside a large fish habitat. Lake visibility runs 10-50 feet seasonally with water from the mid-50s F in winter to 85 F in summer; the site is reached by boat.

A steep-walled Salt River reservoir on the Apache Trail east of Phoenix, dived primarily from the Acacia recreation site. A cove between the day-use area and boat ramp reaches about 60 feet, and following the old riverbed exceeds 100 feet; sunken attractions include a bus at ~50 ft, a van at 30-35 ft and a boat at ~80 ft. Visibility is generally poor, and boat traffic requires a flag and caution.

A state-park lake in the rolling hills of southern Arizona near Nogales, averaging about 80 feet deep near the dam, which is reachable only by boat or a long shoreline carry. It is a dark-water dive: light fades by 20 feet and divers report effectively zero visibility at 25 feet even with lights, so most stay at 10-15 feet along the rock wall near the day-use area to see fish. Paved walkways at the day-use area provide decent entries.

The Phoenix area's primary dive lake, a 10,000-acre reservoir in Lake Pleasant Regional Park reaching about 260 feet when full. Established dive areas include Vista Point, Sunset Ridge, the protected beginner cove east of the 10-Lane boat ramp (~30 ft), and the submerged Old Waddell Dam; shore dives commonly reach 60-100+ ft and boat dives can exceed 200 ft, making it a regional technical-diving venue. Winter visibility can hit 40-60 feet while summer drops to 5-10 feet.

A Salt River reservoir in the Tonto National Forest northeast of Mesa, dived mainly at the Keyhole cove (with a dock allowing a giant-stride entry) and Vista Point. It is a low-visibility desert lake — typically up to 15 feet at best, with a sharp thermocline around 19 feet in summer dropping temperatures 6-10 degrees — used by Phoenix-area divers for convenient training and night dives. Silty bottoms demand careful fin technique.