Bonneville SeaBase
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Bonneville SeaBase is a commercial scuba and snorkel site near
Grantsville. Click here for map. As Utah's "inland
ocean," SeaBase lets you swim year-round in warm salt water among large tropical
fish. While many divers know SeaBase only through its role as a scuba training facility,
our review will focus on the recreational aspects of this site. Mike and Dominic stand on the entry platform of Bonneville SeaBase's scuba training pond, "Habitat Bay." Picture by Bruce Argyle, October 22, 1998 |
| Bonneville SeaBase is named after the giant lake that once covered much of
Utah. Originally a series of warm salt-water springs a few miles from the Great Salt Lake,
the "hot-pots" have been deepened, enlarged, and interconnected. The shoreline
and bottom have been stabilized to reduce silt in the water. And tropical fish have been
added -- not your pet store tropical fish, but BIG guys. "White Rocks Bay" has a dome over the water entry area, and a plexiglass cover protecting the pond. Here Mike and Dom watch a six-foot shark cruise by. Picture by Bruce Argyle, Oct 22, 1998 |
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Because multiple divers affect the visibility in these ponds, weekdays are the best. (However, classes aren't allowed in White Rocks Bay where most of the fish hang out, so this area remains fairly good even when there's a lot going on in the other ponds.) And because the fish are habituated to coming up shallow for feeding, snorkel-jockeys can have a good time here too.
| The water: These salt-water ponds are about as salty as
the ocean. (Allowing for the effects of altitude on your wet suit and the salt content of
the ponds, you might need a tiny bit more weight here than you use at the ocean.) The
water is light green in color. With no natural currents and plenty of sunshine, algae
tends to build up in the summer. So visibility is best in the winter and early spring.
There are four interconnected ponds that vary in temperature, depth, fish life, and
visibility. Mike Engberson feeds a French angel. Photo by Dominic Bria, Nikonos V 20 mm w 2 YS-50 strobes. October 22, 1998 |
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The pond banks are loaded with small mollies. These fish are two to three
inches in length, and serve as food for larger fish. Photo Dominic Bria, Nikonos V 20 mm w 2 YS-50 strobes. Oct 22, 1998 |
Visibility in the first pond, White Rocks Bay, is the best of all the ponds at 9-12 feet. Most of the fish will be found hanging out here. The temperature in this pond varies from place to place, usually running between 72 and 80 degrees. This pond offers a dome area for gearing up and entering the water out of the weather. A transparent cover extends from the dome across most of the pond's area, trapping warmth and reducing algae growth. Depth is 17 feet. Water entry and exit is via a ladder inside the dome.
| The second pond, called Habitat Bay, is connected to White Rocks Bay by a
swim-through tunnel. Being exposed to surface winds, the upper water is cooler. On our
visit, surface temperature was 68 degrees, increasing to 78 degrees near the bottom.
Visibility varies, but is around 5-9 feet. Improvements include a concrete water entry and
exit ramp with handrail, giant-stride entry platform, 4-foot platform and 23-foot
platforms for scuba instruction, and an underwater habitat at 15 feet. Maximum depth is
around 25 feet. Dominic Bria peeks out of the habitat, an airfilled chamber divers can swim to. Picture by Bruce Argyle, Nikonos V 20 mm. October 22, 1998. |
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The Grantsville Trench connects Habitat Bay to Iron Bottom Bay, which then connects to Bubbling Sands Bay. These bays are small and fairly shallow, with much of the bottom covered with pond weed. Temperature is around 74 degrees here, with visibility of 6-9 feet. You'll encounter some large shrimp and an occasional fish here. These are good areas to practice underwater navigation.
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Facilities: Full dive services are available, including
replacement parts, rentals, lessons, air fills, Nitrox, and rebreathers. The resort is not
nearly as "Spartan" as it appears from the highway. You'll find pop and snacks,
indoor and outdoor eating areas, warm-water (indoor) showers, freshwater rinse tanks, and
heated changing rooms. For the overnighter, SeaBase even has small trailers. We found the
staff very helpful and enthusiastic. Inside, you'll find classroom areas, warm changing rooms, eating and lounging space, and a small snack shop and dive store. Photo Bruce Argyle, October 1998 |
| Fees: Bonneville SeaBase is a bargain at
$15 per person.
(This fee lets you dive all day.) Special activities such as night diving or shark feeding
are available for an additional charge. Go to the SeaBase
web site for current information. Additional Note: Invest $2 in a couple of heads of Romaine lettuce to bring with you -- instead of just seeing fish swim by, you'll be mobbed by dozens of the biggest tropical fish you've ever seen. Photo: Bruce holds the Nikonos at arm's length to snap his own picture while feeding an argus fish (scat). Nikonos V w 20 mm lens, 2 YS-50 strobes, October 22, 1998 |
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Hours of operation: Usual hours are 9 am to dusk,
Thursday through Monday. (Although Tuesday and Wednesday are usually the SeaBase staff's
"weekend," groups can dive by special arrangement.) Regulations: You'll be required to show your certification card. No dogs and no smoking. You must watch a 15-minute video and sign a waver before diving or snorkeling. SeaBase has rebreathers and Nitrox available, and (of course) teaches classes in these and other advanced scuba skills. Photo Bruce Argyle, October 1998. |
Exposure: Most divers are comfortable in a shorty or a farmer john. (We'd recommend the farmer john, because the buoyancy on your legs will keep your fins off the bottom, reducing stirring of bottom sediments!) If your weighting system is set for temperate ocean diving, wear your full suit for better buoyancy control.
What to see: SeaBase is best enjoyed with the fish up close and personal. Don't plan to cruise rapidly through grand vistas of coral. (Some divers are disappointed by the limited visibility, but after all, this isn't really the Caymans.) Instead, slow down, control your buoyancy, and play with the fish. This is, no question, the best place in Utah to interact with fish.
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SeaBase has several nurse sharks, with the largest over 6 feet in length.
An awesome spectacle when they're out cruising, you can usually find them lounging in
their favorite cave or inside a sunken boat. Three nurse sharks rest in their daytime cave. The shark closest to the camera is six feet long. Photo Bruce Argyle, Sea & Sea MMII w 20 mm lens, YS-60 strobe. |
The fish are used to divers, and will readily approach. A single leaf of Romaine lettuce is all you need to get your heart pounding. Our biggest challenge in photographing fish-feeding at Bonneville SeaBase was trying to spot a hole in the mob of fish so you could see the diver. The fish shown below are only a tiny sample of the many species in the ponds.
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Left: Emperor Angel, 10 inches. Nikonos V w 20 mm lens, 2 YS-40
strobes. Dominic Bria, October 22, 1998 Right: Argus Fish (also called a Scat), length 18 inches. Sea & Sea MX-10 w 20 mm lens, YS-40 strobe. Bruce Argyle, October 22, 1998 |
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Left: Gray Angel, 15 inches long. Sea & Sea MMII w 20 mm
lens, YS-60 strobe. Mike Engberson, October 22, 1998 Right: Sailfin Tang, 12 inches Sea & Sea MMII w 20 mm lens, YS-60 strobe. Mike Engberson, October 22, 1998 |
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Left: Mono, 8 inches. Nikonos V w 20 mm lens, 2 YS-40 strobes.
Dominic Bria, October 22, 1998 Right: Mitzi the Porcupine Puffer hides in her cave, length 18 inches. Nikonos V w 20 mm lens, 2 YS-40 strobes. Bruce Argyle, October 22, 1998 |
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| Some very large shrimp can be seen, even in the daytime. We hadn't thought
of salt-water shrimp when we created the dive-site rating system that awards points for
crayfish density. After huddling, we gave SeaBase a "crayfish" point for the
shrimp. A four-inch shrimp. Sea & Sea MX-10 with macro
set. |
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In the south end of Habitat Bay, you'll find a sunken 22-foot cabin
cruiser called the Sheer Joy. You're welcome to explore inside it. We put SeaBase's
"terrain" rating at two because of the sunken boat and other objects for
exploration. Mike Engberson pops out of the front hatch of the Sheer Joy, while Dominic Bria stands by. Photo Bruce Argyle, Nikonos V w 20 mm lens, 2 YS-50 strobes. October 22, 1998 |
| Our Recommendation: Dive Bonneville SeaBase. For less
than you'd pay for gas to get to Fish Lake or Flaming Gorge, you can have giant angel fish
eating lettuce six inches from your mask. See a nurse shark. Come face to face with the
biggest puffer fish you'll ever see. SeaBase is a great place to practice your fish photography. We recommend a 20 or 15 mm lens. Here Bruce prepares his Nikon system. Photo by Mike Engberson, October 22, 1998 |
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Take your older children along. They can snorkel under the dome of White
Rocks Bay, looking at gazillions of small fish and giant shrimp among the rocks. And your
kids will never forget feeding the big tropical fish. Bonneville SeaBase is also a good spot for brushing up your skills -- you know, getting used to the water and equipment before that exotic dive trip. Adjust your weight system for salt water. Practice navigation. Maybe you certified at SeaBase with a bunch of buoyancy-impaired duffers. You need to see SeaBase as a real diver. Go again. Kristen Argyle (age 10) prepares to snorkel SeaBase |
But go with appropriate expectations. This isn't the ocean. These are salt-water ponds, where -- on a bad day -- algae and silt can reduce the visibility to a few feet. Get personal with the fish, go slow, and you'll have a good time.
Getting there: Click here for map. Take I-80 west out of Salt Lake. Take the second Grantsville exit (the one by the salt extraction plant -- Exit 84) to U-138. Turn left (south) and drive 5 miles. Bonneville Seabase is just off the highway on your left. (If you've forgotten your Romaine lettuce, Grantsville is 4 miles further east.)
Contact: Bonneville SeaBase
9390 West Hwy. 138
P.O. Box 1179
Grantsville, UT 84029-1179
Fax: 801-884-0132
Phone: 801-884-3874 or 800-840-3874
Email: info@seabase.net General information
requests.
reservation@seabase.net All reservation
inquiries.
Web site: www.Seabase.net
| This dive review was completed by Dominic Bria, Mike Engberson, and Bruce Argyle on October 22, 1998. |
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