Floating in the aqueous space of Clear Lake, Oregon

Floating in the aqueous space of Clear Lake, Oregon

Oregon’s Clear Lake is located near the east end of OR-Hwy 126, about 3 miles south of the junction with OR-Hwy 20. It’s about 85 miles from Eugene, Oregon. Aptly named, Clear Lake is definitely one of Oregon’s most unique dive sites, especially since typical Oregon underwater visibility (e.g., on the coast) is often measured in inches. In Clear Lake’s northern end, it is typical to have 100-200 feet of visibility. Oh, and in case you’re thinking it would be nice to skin dive in such crystal clear waters, keep in mind that the average water temperature in Clear Lake is about 43 degrees F — and easily a few degrees cooler if you drop down into one of the many cold water vents in the north end of the lake! So, a dry suit is recommended, though plenty of people dive it in a thick wet suit. Clear Lake is at just over 3,000 feet in elevation, so it is technically considered an altitude dive. In fact, many area shops use Clear Lake for check-out dives in their altitude specialty courses.

Here are a few resources for Clear Lake:

• US Forest Service page
• Clear Lake Resort
• Google Maps

I’ve taken quite a few photos during my many dives in Clear Lake. Click on the first thumbnail in each set to browse through all the images.

Clear Lake (Oregon), 2006

Clear Lake (Oregon), 2004

Clear Lake (Oregon), 2003

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