Is Lake Diefenbaker a good lake for scuba diving? 

Are you looking for a new place to scuba dive? Want to practice and hone your skills in a large body of water close to home? Lake Diefenbaker is the answer you’re looking for!

Lake Diefenbaker is one of the more popular places in Saskatchewan to scuba dive. With its central location to Saskatoon and Regina along with the deepest waters around, Diefenbaker is a top choice for divers in the province.

The Saskatchewan Underwater Council have laid out navigation lines for the divers to follow at the main two dive sites.

Scuba Diving Locations on Diefenbaker 

Two main shore diving sites at Lake Diefenbaker are Greg and Mel’s Beach (Conquest Beach) and The Dam Drift.

Greg and Mel’s Beach  

Also known as Conquest Beach, it has easy access to the water and is an exceptional recreational site. This site is excellent for beginner and experienced divers, as the lake can descend to 29 meters or 95 feet. At those depths, divers can start work at technical diving depths.

Once in the lake, the bottom varies from coarse beach sand to finer sand dotted with underwater weed vegetation. Local dive clubs have set up lines running north to south at roughly 6 meters deep.

At the north end of the line, a hula-hoop swim-through obstacle course exists allowing divers to practice their skills. On the south end, a few sunken boats can be explored, and crayfish and minnows can be seen.

(It is noted that dive flags should be secured in this area to keep boats away.)

The Dam Drift 

Located on the north side of Lake Diefenbaker, the Gardiner Dam is the third-largest embankment dam in Canada. It is almost five kilometres long and rises to 64 meters.

Experienced divers can suit up and ease into the dam’s current outflow. Although the depth is relatively shallow, between 2 and 6 meters, it makes for a great shallow second dive. It should be noted that because of the changes at the power station, water levels in the creek can vary as much as 1 meter or 5 feet in as little as 10 minutes.

Divers will encounter long green aquatic plants, snails, and fish sheltered away from the current. The bottom is mostly a combination of hard and soft clay. The overall visibility at this dive location depends on the time of the year. Typically, visibility is 3 meters (10 feet) in summer and 6 to 8 meters (20 to 25 feet) in fall and winter.

After experiencing a short drift and correctly timing the exit, divers can swim up to the entry side of the dam and float along the creek’s eddies, returning you to the dive’s starting point.

If your goal is to gain experience as a scuba diver, Lake Diefenbaker is an excellent experience. You can also view diverse fish life during the spring and autumn seasons.

How big is Lake Diefenbaker? 

Lake Diefenbaker is roughly 225 kilometres long at its max and 6 kilometres wide. With over 800 kilometres of shoreline, the total surface area is 430 square kilometres. Technically, the lake is a reservoir when Gardiner Dam was completed, and a bifurcation where the South Saskatchewan and Qu’Appelle Rivers meet.

How deep is Diefenbaker Lake? 

Lake Diefenbaker is 66 meters (217 feet) deep at its maximum and has an average depth of 21.6 meters. Its depth can fluctuate between 3 and 9 meters each year depending on runoff levels and snowfall. The depth allows for more technical dive by scuba divers if they so desire.