[tbill618]

I ran across this website which rents houseboats/watercraft on Lake Mead. (If anyone can recommend them I would appreciate it. I rather rent than own a money pit know as a boat.) According to them the water temperatures on Lake Mead is 80 and 84 degrees in July and August, respectively. That seems very high to me. What about you? Do you need a wet suit to water ski or tube in Lake Mead? Does the temperature vary a great deal from one place to the next?

[m73m95]

No, that's about right.

Its slightly warmer than bath water.

We usually do the summer rental boat trip out on the lake this time of year (Not this year, due to money constraints). No wetsuit needed...and a proper swimsuit is probably to much clothing

Water is very warm during the summer...and the air temp feels warmer than Vegas proper. Probably due to the added humidity.

[Buzz123]

Lake Mead is lower in elevation than Las Vegas, therefore the temps at the lake usually average about 5º hotter. Given that it runs between 105º and 120º in the summer out there, and the days are longer, it figures the water would be warm, and it is. You can waterski, or scuba, out there all year round, but would need a wet suit in cold weather. The low elevation that makes the lake warmer in summer also makes it colder in winter than it is in town. I've fished there in summer and nearly burned up, and I've hunted there in winter and nearly froze; but I think on average it's pleasant unless the wind is blowing. Then you get some pretty big white caps.

BTW: Because the water is warm, trout don't breed there, so they are only in the lake when Fish and Game stocks them; but bass, and others, seem to love it.

[johninvegas]

Buzz,

I scuba dive and you still need a wetsuit in the summer in Lake Mead, that is, unless you are really resistant to chilly water. Once you pass through the thermocline (around 25-30 feet) it gets down to 70 or so in the middle of the summer.

[tbill618]

Originally Posted by johninvegas

Buzz,

I scuba dive and you still need a wetsuit in the summer in Lake Mead, that is, unless you are really resistant to chilly water. Once you pass through the thermocline (around 25-30 feet) it gets down to 70 or so in the middle of the summer.

Is there much to see down there? I noticed a dive place in BC that offered trips below the dam for when they released water. A fun ride for sure. But that probably doesn't happen anymore.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by johninvegas

Buzz,

I scuba dive and you still need a wetsuit in the summer in Lake Mead, that is, unless you are really resistant to chilly water. Once you pass through the thermocline (around 25-30 feet) it gets down to 70 or so in the middle of the summer.

Yeah, I guess you're right. Was only thinking of surface temps.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by tbill618

Is there much to see down there? I noticed a dive place in BC that offered trips below the dam for when they released water. A fun ride for sure. But that probably doesn't happen anymore.

There are sunken boats and dead mobsters down there, and this: B-29 Superfortress That Lies at the Bottom of Lake Mead Continues to Draw Attention | National Parks Traveler



Lake Mead - B29 WWII plane

[johninvegas]

You can't dive on the B-29, it's a protected wreck. But there is a PBY somewhere in the lake that you can dive on, the local dive shops know where it is. Also, in Lake Mojave, there's the remnants of an old ferry that was used before the lake was filled. Most of the stuff in Lake Mead is too deep for recreational diving. There are a lot of fish to see at any depth, though.

All in all, as lakes go, diving in Lake Mead and Lake Mojave is okay. But no lake (with the possible exception of the Great Lakes) has as good diving as the ocean.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by johninvegas

You can't dive on the B-29, it's a protected wreck. But there is a PBY somewhere in the lake that you can dive on, the local dive shops know where it is. Also, in Lake Mojave, there's the remnants of an old ferry that was used before the lake was filled. Most of the stuff in Lake Mead is too deep for recreational diving. There are a lot of fish to see at any depth, though.

All in all, as lakes go, diving in Lake Mead and Lake Mojave is okay. But no lake (with the possible exception of the Great Lakes) has as good diving as the ocean.

Don't lots of local divers go out to Catalina Island ─ 26 miles across the sea, etc. (except it's really 22 miles)?

Can you still catch humongus strippers by spear fishing in Lake Mead?

The links I posted make it sound like you can get permission to dive on the B-29. Is that bad information?

[m73m95]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

There are sunken boats and dead mobsters down there, and this: B-29 Superfortress That Lies at the Bottom of Lake Mead Continues to Draw Attention | National Parks Traveler



Lake Mead - B29 WWII plane

That's AWESOME!! Never knew it was down there...