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If you can pull it off, great - it’ll be a cool entry in your log book. But considering your stated experience, and the fact that in general lake diving is usually just looking at a bunch of muck, you may want to focus on more terrestrial activities. That said:
You’re talking about Yellowstone Lake, right - altitude 7700’? Here’s a site where you can download a fresh-water altitude table: http://www.scubalaketahoe.com/altitudetables.htm
The table is in 500’ increments, but I was taught to always round up to the next 1000’ for safety; since altitude diving is still being studied, I’d use the 8000 or even 8500 column. I recommend renting a computer - just make sure it has altitude and fresh water algorithms (most of them do, nowadays). Yoiu’ll probably want one if you’re planning multiple dives - trying to figure your Pressure Group after a surface interval at altitude is a total pain.
If the altitude you live at is more than a thousand feet lower than the lake, be sure to leave plenty of time for all aspects of setting up and breaking down your gear, including lugging it to and from the parking lot - pace yourself and pay attention to your physical condition. Altitude sickness, or even just breathlessness due to O2 deprivation, is no fun, and really puts the damper on a dive. And if you go in while you’re still trying to catch your breath you’ll really drain your tank fast!
Assuming you live at a lower altitude, make sure you’ve been at the lake’s altitude for at least 6 hours before your dive, to account for having ’surfaced’ from your lower altitude.
If you’re using your dry suit, hypothermia shouldn’t be a problem, but stay aware of environment conditions - temperatures shift rapidly at that altitude, and summer lightning storms may take a hankering to that massive amount of metal on your back! :-)
I can’t buddy with you, I’m afraid, but assuming you find someone (hopefully at least Rescue Diver certified) to dive with, make sure you have a complete emergency plan - how to contact emergency services and DAN, maps to the nearest medical facility, etc., and consider bringing along an O2 delivery system in case the worse happens. I don’t know what the services are like around Yellowstone Lake itself; maybe others can provide some insight on that aspect. But regardless of what’s there, make sure you have a way of summoning help in case of an accident.
I hope others with more experience will chime in on this thread and cover anything I missed.
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