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The Comal is a great river dive. It is located in the
heart of New Braunfels, TX. It is the shortest river in the world at
about 7 miles long. However, only the lower half is accessible to
divers. The top half is either too shallow or has too many obstacles,
i.e. gates and levee's from the old LCRA power plant.
The
river is spring fed and stays at a constant 70-72° F year-round.
Depending on the air temperature, this is a great winter dive. It is
not uncommon to see daytime highs in the mid 80°'s F to low 90°'s F on
certain days in the "Texas winter." Visibility varies, largely
depending on how many tubers and/or divers are in the water at the
time.
This river is a
major attraction in New Braunfels attracting thousands of tubers each
year. Great for SCUBA divers hunting for "treasure." Most people dive
the river above the area commonly referred to as the "tube chute." The
river is dammed up at Landa Park. The dam has a "chute" off to the side
so tubers can bypass the dam to the lower part of the river. Although,
it has been done before, it is not recommended that a diver go down the
chute. The end of the chute has a very rocky bottom and a diver could
get into trouble. Local fire departments and rescue teams can be seen
throughout the summer and even winter practicing their swift water
rescue skills at the bottom of the chute. There are several areas to
exit the water before getting to the dam. You can either walk back
upstream or walk across the dam and get in below.
The
local dive shop, Duggan Diving, hosts a night dive every Thursday
night. See website or call for details. The other dive shop, Makai, is
the closest.
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