Lake Charles
The visibility of the lakes and rivers in the area vary from zero to about 2 feet year round. What makes the area unique is that if something falls into the water (and lots of stuff does) it is generally written off without a search. We have found thousands of items over the years (outboard motors, propellers, boats, automobiles, firearms, fishing and hunting gear to name a few) so diving in these waters is never dull. There are also lots of critters (turtles, gators, garfish and catfish) which are bigger than I am you just never see them until you come into contact with them. There is some lake diving in the northern part of the state which affords better visibility (upwards of 10 feet in places). The most popular type of diving in the southern part of the state is offshore rig diving where we can generally achieve 25-40 feet of visibility and the rigs are like vertical reefs with a sizeable accumulation of marine life. These decommissioned rigs have been in place for 10-20 years and it's similar to an open wreck dive. We also visit the Gardens, which is the northernmost natural coral reef in North America.
