Deer Creek Reservoir

Location: Top of Provo Canyon, east of Heber. Click here for map.  Altitude around 5800 feet. Camping is available at a state park. The water: Visibility 6-12 feet due to algae; darkness in daytime below 40 feet.  Upper water temperatures around 67 degrees in summer, thermocline about 45 feet with temperatures near 50.   Max 120 feet. Sailboat beach dive. Picture by Bruce Argyle, Diver Gary Argyle

Shore diving is easiest at Sailboat Beach (State Park #1), north of the island (State Park #2), or north of Rainbow Bay. Water World (a full-service dive store in the University Mall, Orem) is Deer Creek's sponsoring store. They welcome you to contact them for current diving information, air fills, and group trips to Deer Creek. Catching a crawdad at night. Picture digitized from video, Diver Steve Argyle

Our recommendation: Find a rocky area away from boats and waders.  Clip your dive float to your BC with 25 feet of line.  Buddies must stay close.  Cruise in 12-20 feet.  Keep bouyant -- if you rub the bottom, you can't see.  Roll rocks to find crawdads.  Slow down and watch for curious smallmouth bass.  If you see nothing, move on another hundred feet along the shore. Meeting a crustacean friend. Picture digitized from video by Bruce Argyle, Diver Dominic Bria

Seasonal variation: Diveable in March, temperatures becoming tolerable in May. Visibility lessens towards the end of June as algae builds. May night dives will reveal crawdads with eggballs under their tails and thousands of ripped-off claws from mating battles. The temperature is good for nighttime lakeside crawdad-cookouts during July; a team of 4 divers can catch 100 in a 1-tank dive. In October the shallows cool and the visibility improves; as the water "turns over," trout come up into the shallows. Ice forms in December.

What to See: Crawdads are out at night, but hide under rocks during the day.  With stealth, you'll see smallmouth (black) bass, perch, bluegill, carp, and walleye.  Trout can be seen in late October through November -- the best time to get a trout meal is very early morning in mid-November. (But the spearfishing season ends in September -- write the Division of Wildlife Resources to protest!)

Hungry divers will find the black bass at 15 feet in areas with large rocks.  However, it takes a REAL diver to feed them by hand. The diver holds two crawdads for a black bass. Digitized from video

With rock-rolling, you can grab 20-40 crayfish on a day dive. At night, you can quickly get over 100 if you've picked a good area. Click here for crawdaddy cooking recipes!

Fees: $6.00 to get into the State Parks. Exposure: Full wet suit (farmer john and jacket). If you're going below the thermocline, you need good gloves and hood (or a dry suit).

Regulations: Spearfishing allowed -- click here to review the rules.
You WILL be ticketed if you don't use your dive flag properly! Click here to read the law.

Sample Dive #1: Sailboat Beach Bass 'n Crawdads. After crossing the dam coming up Provo Canyon, continue east to the first state park (on the left).  After paying, take the left turn going to Sailboat Beach, then next right to go down to the parking area.   Go to the small cove at the far west end of the area to prep and begin the dive. GPS N 40° 24.874' W 111° 30.721'. If you're shallow, consider towing your dive float along with you. (Clip it to the BC using a quick-release or break-away snap.)  Go west (towards the dam) at 12-15 feet.  Plan on covering 1/4 to 1/2 mile.  In the rocky areas, find crawdads and watch for bass.  Snorkel back.

Sample Dive #2: Junk Dive.  In the late fall (when the state park dock is closed), try a night dive at the state park (see above).  Instead of going to Sailboat Beach, continue straight to the boat-launch area.  Dive to the left of the boat ramp where the floating docks were located.  Plan on picking up a dozen sunglasses, a couple of fishing rods, a boat battery, etc.

(There's no brush or other "entanglements, but any buddy line should have a "breakaway" attachment for safety.) Each diver should take a main light and an emergency light -- it's like an inkwell after 50 feet -- and ideally, an alternate air source.  You need a reliable compass.  Proceed down the channel that exits the cove, hugging the bottom to prevent disorientation.  Once you've hit 110 feet, circle back, watching the compass and your console.  CAUTION: this is not a casual dive!  Fine silt makes the visibility bad; it's cold and black; your regulator may malfunction in the combination of high pressure and cold water; you may lose your buddy; high-altitude diving invites the bends; and there are several thousand boats with sharpened propellors circling over your head.   An equipment malfunction or panic may kill you.

Sample Dive #4:  North Island.  Enter the second (Island) state park.  Go to the far left end of the parking area.  (Late season, you can drive over to the east end of the island.)  Hike or surface-swim to the northeast side of the island (facing the main body of the reservoir).  GPS N 40° 27.036' W 111° 28.791'. Towing your dive float with 25 feet of cord (attached with a safety break-away), cruise at 15-20 feet.  Visibility gets much better as you enter the rocky area.  Roll rocks, pick up fishing reels, watch the bass.

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Sample Dive #5: Cliff Cruise.  Going east, watch for a round bay called Rainbow Bay.  Immediately afterward, the road makes a sharp right turn to go east. (From the turn, you'll see the island and the state park to the east.)  This sharp turn is the place. GPS N 40° 26.441' W 111° 29.359'. There's usually room for one car to park at the point.   There's a trail down to the water, about 100 feet.  Plan to tow your dive float with 25 feet of cord.  To the right, cruise along the cliffs at about 20 feet.   Coming back to the rocky area, hunt crawdads in the rocks.  This is one of our favorite night-dive spots.

Getting there:
Utah County/south: From I-15, take Orem 800 North east (US-189) through Provo Canyon. About two miles past the dam, you encounter Deer Creek State Park, with boat ramps and sailboat beach. Continuing another mile or so, you'll pass Rainbow bay. Around the sharp turn, you'll see Island State Park.
Salt Lake: Take I-80 over Parley's Summit to US-40/US-189 and turn right (south). At the far end of Heber, US-189 turns west (right). About 5 miles later, you'll find Deer Creek. Island State Park is a mile west, Rainbow Bay 2 miles more, and Deer Creek State Park another 2 miles.
Ogden: Take I-84 east to Echo Junction, then take I-80 south/west to US-40/US-189 and turn south (left). Follow the directions above to the reservoir.

This dive site review was compiled July 1998 by Bruce Argyle, based on dives during 1990 to 1997 and is only as accurate as his failing memory.  Additional information and feedback is welcome.