Lake Tahoe · United States · Freshwater
Baldwin Beach
Submerged trees, some 6,400 years old, at 4 to 6 m
Area photo: Jeff Hopper jeffhopper · CC0
Baldwin Beach on Lake Tahoe's south shore is dived for its submerged trees, scattered in a random pattern along the beachfront at 4 to 6 m. Some have been dated at 6,400 years old and are the subject of ongoing research. Visibility runs below Tahoe's standard — sometimes under 9 m — because Tallac Creek empties into the lake nearby.
Where it is and how deep
38.9436° N, 120.0683° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
Site maps published elsewhere
The dive
Parking and restrooms sit only 50 ft (15 m) from the water, which makes this one of the simplest entries on the lake; the U.S. Forest Service patrols the beach and charges $8 to park. The beach runs a mile and a half (2.4 km) and diving can be found all along it, with the trees dispersed in a random pattern along the beachfront rather than concentrated in one place — so pick a stretch, get in, and swim a search pattern parallel to the shore. Tow a diver's flag: it marks you to boats and avoids a citation.
The bottom is loose sand, and from the beach there is a long 800 ft (245 m) expanse of it before you reach deeper water, where the ground begins to descend at about 35 degrees. The trees lie at 12 to 20 ft (4 to 6 m), well inside that flat, so this is a very long dive on a single tank. Visibility is the trade-off: it can be less than 30 ft (9 m) here, below Tahoe's standard, because Tallac Creek runs into the lake nearby — you find the trunks by working close to the bottom rather than scanning ahead from mid-water. Leave them undisturbed; they are the subject of ongoing research.
Background
The trees standing on the bottom at Baldwin Beach are the site's main attraction, and some have been dated at 6,400 years old. Dr. Susan Lindstrom and the Desert Research Institute of Reno, Nevada, have ongoing research here, using the drowned trunks to learn more about the appearance of the lake in early times.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Lake Tahoe: Prime months run July to September; shore access such as D.L. Bliss State Park closes to vehicles once snow sets in, and deep water stays near 4°C even at the height of summer.
Sources
- Lake Tahoe Dive Sites — Sierra Diving Center
- Baldwin Beach — OpenStreetMap / Nominatim
More dive sites in Lake Tahoe
Freshwater
Flat granite pitted with round craters, in 6 m of water
Freshwater
The lake's most popular summer night dive, free and shallow
Freshwater
An artificial reef under the red marker buoy at 9 m
Freshwater
A trail of resort-era barges and boats sunk in California's first underwater park
Freshwater
Sunken trees from 12 to 30 m, with no surface swim
Freshwater
Sand slope off the swim buoys to a rock ledge at 18 m
Wall
A granite cliff face that keeps dropping long past recreational depths
Freshwater
Easy boulder swim-throughs and a sand slope off a Nevada beach
Similar dives elsewhere
A 15-to-20-foot (6 m) spring pool, entered by stairs from the park
A one-way drift over popcorn springs in 30 m (100 ft) of visibility
Drift through three linked limestone ponds on an Open Water certificate alone
.jpg){kind=link}
An iron grate closes the most dangerous part of the cave in the Ballroom