Visibility: 20 Feet – June 6th
Come discover Sand Hollow Reservoir; one of the best places to scuba dive around St. George. Southern Utah’s Sand Hollow Reservoir has some thrilling places to explore underwater.
Southern Utah’s Sand Hollow Reservoir has a remarkable scuba dive park with some of the best underwater topography around St. George, Utah. Rent and suit up with Access Scuba’s wetsuits and diving tanks to go explore the sunken Cessna 310, VW bus or swim through a buoyancy course.
Sand Hollow has become popular for people throughout the United States. Sand Hollow has warm water temperatures and great beaches. There is an abundance of largemouth bass and bluegill that will tease you during your dive. Seeing the fish while diving will make you want to grab your fishing pole when you get out. But remember, it’s a state park, so no spear fishing! If fishing isn’t your thing, bring your wheeler and hit the dunes. There are over five square miles of sand dunes what that make this park a hot spot of Utah. Dives and dunes: the best way to spend your weekend!
At Sand Hollow the scuba diving and swimming area is south of the boat ramp and is marked with buoys. The scuba diving area has a maximum depth of 45′ depending on time of year. In 2006 a local dive shop from St. George, Utah placed a Cessna 310 airplane in the reservoir at a depth of 40 feet. After taking some underwater photos of the airplane in Sand Hollow, try the Peak Performance Buoyancy Course; the buoyancy course was created to test your buoyancy skills. Southern Utah’s Sand Hollow reservoir is open to scuba diving year round.
Information
Elevation 3,000 (feet)
Depth (feet) 95′ maximum mean
Length (miles) Width (miles) Shoreline (miles)
Visibility: 15-20 feet
Summer Water Temperature: 75-80 °F Current Water Temperature
Aquatic life: Bass and bluegill
Sand Hollow is located approximately 15 miles east of St. George, and seven miles east of the I-15 Hurricane Exit. Visitors should exit I-15 at Exit 16 (Highway 9), travel east four miles and turn right on Turf Sod Road, travel one mile and turn left on the new Sand Hollow access road for two miles, turn left and proceed to the park.
Sand Hollow is one of the best places to dive in Utah. With swim/dive park you don’t have to worry about boats overhead. The occasional kayaker will ask where the fish are.
There are a few attractions to see at Sand Hollow. There is a twin engine Cessna, and old VW style bus, sign pointing to various locations, a buoyancy course and unique sand rock formations.
While the Cessna is quite the surface swim it’s well worth it. Sunken in about 40′ of water you’ll have ample time to explore.
After exploring the Cessna, from the tail take a heading of 270 degree and kick about 80 yards. You’ll find the sunken VW Bus. It’s sitting in about 30′ of water on top of a ridge. Heading from the plane once you locate a small wall you’re on the edge.
After exploring the bus locate the guideline tied to the bumper and follow it to the buoyancy course. Drop down or swim up through the vertical pipe, then head to the sloping pipe, then drop down and go through the hoops.
Afterwards locate the guidelines and follow it back to the sign or the training platform.
This circuit can be done starting from shore or the plane. The guideline from the bus to the plane has been broken so it may be hard to locate unless your navigation skills are on.
Watch your air; even though it’s shallow it’s not hard for newer divers to get low on air somewhere around the buoyancy course. If you do it right the whole circuit can be done on an aluminum 80.