About Who's Been Here Photos Dive Log Revisions Lake Murray State Park - Sharky’s Cove 73401 More Info Max Depth: 101-110ft/31-34m Average Viz: 16-20ft/5-6m Entry Type: Shore Bottom Composition: Sand Aquatic Life: Plenty To See Rating: 4.00 by 3 divers Spring: 50-55°F/10-13°C Summer: 81-85°F/27-29°C Fall: 66-70°F/19-21°C Winter: Under 50°F/10°C Jrconstruction 8/24/2018 Waynebratton 4/06/2018 Waynebratton: Avg Viz: 5-10ft/2-3m. Water Temp: 50-55°F/10-13°C. 4/05/2018 10/12/2016 4:55 PM BillParker

Lake Murray State Park - Sharky’s Cove is a shore accessible fresh water dive site, located in 73401. This dive site has an average rating of 4.00 out of 5 from 3 scuba divers. The maximum depth is 101-110ft/31-34m. The average visibility is 16-20ft/5-6m. Training platforms are available.

Sharky’s Cove is one of a limited number of places on the South side of the lake you can do a shore dive from. To find it first go to the South side of the lake on 77S and look for the twin control towers. One is at the edge of the water and made of concrete. The other stands in the water near the concrete tower and is made of steel beams. They are both easily visible from 77S. From the towers head West on 77S. Less than 100 yards West are four crude ramps that lead to a rough road and then a rocky parking lot. You’ll have to have a vehicle with some clearance to go down and up the ramps. If not there are places on 77S near the ramps that any vehicle can park. From the parking lot there are two ways to get to the water. Straight North from the parking lot is a path with steep rocks that some, but not all, divers will feel comfortable using. The steep rock path allows the fastest access to the best sites. If that path seems too risky there is a short path that leads West through the woods that pretty much any one can use. Once in the water this site has a little bit of everything as lake dives go. Around 100 yards to the west are four wrecks (including a large house boat) around 30-40ft, a training platform, and a shark sculpture. The bottom terrain is varied from sandy/sily, rock rubble of any size from pebble to boulders, and even cliffs with a overhang. There is even a small cave but it’s too small to go through wearing typical scuba equipment. Depths are anything you choose. There are pockets as deep 100ft deep in the middle of the lake but expect boats over your head at that point. Marine life is rich in this area. The steel tower is easily reachable and usually attracts many fish. Most boaters don’t seem interested in this area and usually keep their distance and only rarely come close to shore. Viz can range from crystal clear to inches. As long as there haven’t been recent and heavy rains it’s almost always divable.

Comments

BillParker - 9/27/2018 1:49 PM I went scuba diving here on 9/25/2018. Average viz: 5-10ft/2-3m. Water temp: 71-75°F/22-24°C. Viz was not very good.

Jrconstruction - 8/25/2018 11:49 PM I went scuba diving here on 8/24/2018. 7-8ft of visibility. Surface temp 92 but dropped to 72 at 33ft.

Waynebratton - 4/13/2018 12:12 AM I went scuba diving here on 4/5/2018. Average viz: 5-10ft/2-3m. Water temp: 50-55°F/10-13°C.

BillParker - 10/12/2016 5:24 PM I went scuba diving here on 10/11/2016. Average viz: 16-20ft/5-6m. Water temp: 76-80°F/24-27°C. The water has cooled some but the viz is still good. I finally understand why the viz declines in the afternoon. Buffalo carp are common to see but usually avoid divers. This time one stopped right in front of me and spent some time digging a hole in the silt and mucking up the water badly while it was doing it. It was probably looking for buried clams or crawfish. I noticed many other holes in the silt that must have been dug by carp. There are so many carp in this lake. What must be happening is the silt settles during the night so the water is clear in the morning. But all day these carp are digging holes. By the afternoon they have noticeably mucked it up. Viz declining in the afternoon is linked to the heavy rain in the spring that silted out the lake and killed off the plants. While there was a drought the plants grew thick wherever there was a silt bottom and kept the carp out of the mud. But with most of the plants gone the silty bottom is easily accessible. The carp behavior also explains silt clouds I have seen many times. The viz could be really good but you can run in to a small patch where it’s only inches. It’s probably buffalo carp digging in the mud that causes it. I also saw all four wrecks for the first time in awhile. There were plenty of bass including an unfortunate one that had a lure hanging from it’s lip. It was a fun day of diving.