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52 NEBRASKAland • JUNE 2016 concrete lawn ornaments, that divers are challenged to locate using their underwater navigation skills. Dive shops chose Sandy Channel because its visibility is the most consistent of all the sandpit lakes in the region. "I've had 60 feet of visibility in Sandy Channel in October," Purdy said. "That doesn't happen often, but when it does it's nice." Lake McConaughy, known for its white sand beaches, may be the top dive spot in Nebraska. The lake's excellent walleye population draws spear-fishermen from across the state and many more from Colorado and other neighboring states. "It's a lot easier than fishing," Dan Nichols of Ogallala said of spearfishing. Nichols spends plenty of time in his boat trolling for walleye, and the time he spends under it with his spear helps him understand the fish better. While walleye are the main draw, recreational divers enjoy exploring the rock-covered face of Kingsley Dam and the rocky points on the lake's southeast side. Some divers come to the lake to clean up after the fishermen, gathering crankbaits and other lures they snagged in the rocks. "You've got a lot more opportunity diving up there just for fun," said Jim Wiezorek of North Platte, who operates the Watersports Unlimited dive shop there and opens a satellite shop at Lake McConaughy on weekends in the summer to fill air tanks for divers. "I've been diving up there for lots of years and I've never gotten tired of that," he said of the rocks. "It seems every time I go diving it's a little different because of the changes in the water level." Visibility is highly variable at the 20-mile long, wind-swept lake. Recreational divers may have better visibility in the month or two before spearfishing season opens July 1. Rising and falling water levels, heavy inflows, and heavy boat traffic on most summer weekends can cloud the water, as can algae, which is at its worst in August. Wiezorek found 20 feet of visibility last November. "Every once in a while we'll catch it to where it's real good, but if we get 10 feet we're happy with that," said Wiezorek, who also dives I-80 lakes and trains divers at Hershey Wildlife Management Area. You don't have to be a scuba diver to explore Nebraska waters. Mark Schafer of Alliance and his son, Hunter, have for years donned wet suits and snorkels to spear fish in Box Butte Reservoir, another spot that occasionally offers good visibility and draws divers. "Sometimes you can see it as clear as 20 feet and other times it's 3 feet," Schafer said, noting that sometimes he has to search for clear water. Spearfishing season for game fish opens June 1 at Box Butte, a month earlier than other waters. Schafer said visibility is best when water is high and in the trees, and warns that swimmer's itch, a rash caused by a microscopic parasite, is prevalent from late July or August into the fall. Purdy has dove in several other lakes, both for fun and with his spear gun, and found Lake Minatare and Elwood Reservoir often have visibility of 6 to 12 feet. "It's a fun lake to dive. There's a lot of trees and a lot of structure to look at and a ton of fish," he said of Elwood, which is fed by water pumped from a canal rather than Go Fish While only a few offer enough visibility to do so, most of the state's irrigation reservoirs are open to underwater spearfishing for game fish from July 1 through Dec. 31. Box Butte Reservoir opens June 1. Spearfishing for nongame fish is allowed year-round on 19 sandpits along Interstate 80 in Buffalo, Dawson, Hall and Phelps counties. For a complete list of open waters, consult the Nebraska Fishing Guide. Dive Shops and Clubs The following dive shops offer a variety of services, including lessons, equipment rental and sales, and air fills. • Aquatrec, Lincoln. Aquatrec.com • DiVentures, Omaha. Shop sponsors Landlocked Scuba Club. DiVentures.net • Heartland Scuba Center, Lincoln. HeartlandScuba.com • Heartland Scuba Center, Kearney. ScubaHeartland.com • Underwater World Scuba Center, Omaha. ScubaUWW.com • Watersports Unlimited, North Platte and Lake McConaughy (weekends Memorial Day through Labor Day). WatersportsUnlimited.net • Greater Omaha Scuba Club. GO-Scuba.net Nebraska Dive Spots The following public areas offer enough visibility for an enjoyable dive and the chance to see numerous fish, including bluegill, largemouth bass and channel catfish. Sandy Channel SRA, Elm Creek Area includes six sandpit lakes left from a gravel mining operation. Lake No. 8, which is actually four connected lakes, is used for open water certification classes by several dive shops, which have sunk boats, a satellite dish, concrete lawn ornaments and other items for divers to locate in the portion of the lake just north of the entrance. Depths to 24 feet. Visibility 10-25 feet, sometimes more. Interstate 80 Lakes More than 50 sandpit lakes between Big Springs and Grand Island, 40 of them public wildlife management areas or state recreation areas operated by the Game and Parks Commission, created when Interstate 80 was built. Depths from 10 to 30 feet. Visibility varies from lake to lake and day to day, ranging from 5 to 60 feet, with 10 to 25 feet common. Hershey, East Hershey, East Sutherland, War Axe are lakes mentioned by dive shop owners, but any may be good on a given day. Lake McConaughy SRA, Ogallala Lake's walleye draw spearfishermen from across the Midwest. Rock-covered face of Kingsley Dam and rocky points on southeast side of lake are most popular dive spots. Boat traffic on busy summer weekends limits visibility. Visibility 10 to 20 feet. Depths to 160 feet at full pool. Lake Ogallala, Ogallala Located below Kingsley Dam. Fed by water released from bottom of Lake McConaughy, which keeps it cold, helping it support trout but making it not for everyone. Visibility to 15 feet. Depths to 40 feet. Elwood Reservoir WMA, Elwood Irrigation reservoir filled with water pumped from canal fed by Platte River diversion. Numerous coves and flooded trees. Visibility 6 to 12 feet. Depths to 75 feet. Lake Minatare SRA, Minatare Canal-fed irrigation reservoir filled with water diverted from North Platte River. Ringed by trees flooded when at full pool in spring. Visibility 6 to 12 feet. Depths to 48 feet at full pool. Sandhills Lakes Carp-free lakes can be crystal clear on calm days. Depths rarely top 10 feet, making snorkeling an option. Box Butte Reservoir, Hemingford Irrigation reservoir on Niobrara River. Swimmer's itch common in late summer. Visibility from 3 to 20 feet, best when lake is full. Depths to 39 feet at full pool. Louisville SRA, Lake No. 2 One of three lakes in popular area along Platte River and the only public dive spot east of Grand Island. Visibility to 10 feet. Depths to 27 feet.