Lake Havasu · United States · Freshwater
Steamboat Cove
Boat-only cove of underwater trees, on average 5 to 8 m (15–25 ft) deep
Photo: BLMArizona · Public domain
Steamboat Cove is a cove on Lake Havasu that can only be reached by boat. It is on average 5 to 8 m (15–25 ft) deep and normally has decent visibility, and its floor holds many underwater trees, where a lost box anchor is not an uncommon find.
Also known as Steam Boat Cove.
Where it is and how deep
34.3974° N, 114.2535° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Steamboat Cove has no shore entry, so every dive here starts from a boat in the cove. The water is on average between 5 m (15 ft) and 8 m (25 ft) deep, a shallow profile for the whole dive, and visibility in the cove is normally decent, so the bottom and its features show up soon after the descent.
The cove has many underwater trees, and it is not uncommon to find a box anchor caught in one of them, so much of the dive is spent working slowly around the trees and looking into their branches. With that shallow average depth the cove is a gentler dive than the wall sites elsewhere on the lake, such as Victoria Cliffs, before the swim back to the boat.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Lake Havasu: March to September are the prime months on the lake; the water is coldest in January at about 13 °C and warmest in August at about 19 °C, and the lake is still dived on New Year's Day.
Know before you go
- The cove has many underwater trees, some holding lost box anchors; divers keep clear of the branches to avoid snagging gear.
Dive videos
Treasure diving Steamboat Cove · robocurran in havasu on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Steamboat Cove at Lake Havasu?+
Steamboat Cove is on average 5 to 8 m (15–25 ft) deep, and it can only be reached by boat.
Sources
- Steamboat Cove — Scubago
Photo credits
- Divers surfacing beside a work boat in a lake cove below rust-red desert cliffs by BLMArizona, Public domain, via Openverse
More dive sites in Lake Havasu
Three-sided cove with walls dropping straight from the surface to the floor
Wall
Half a mile of sheer freshwater walls with swim-throughs and sunken boats
Similar dives elsewhere
Submerged trees, some 6,400 years old, at 4 to 6 m
Flat granite pitted with round craters, in 6 m of water
The lake's most popular summer night dive, free and shallow
An artificial reef under the red marker buoy at 9 m