In The News – Tahoe divers plunge into snowy waters
March 21, 2025 | Member Submitted
Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 03/21/2025, Written by Leah Carter
Snow and nearly freezing temperatures are no deterrent for Lake Tahoe’s dedicated scuba divers.
“Wintertime diving — I feel like you have to be a special person to want to go diving in the cold,” says Phill Abernathy, who leads Tahoe Scuba Diving, an informal network of roughly 20 regular year-round divers in the basin. “You have to love this. I hate cold. I despise the cold. But I love diving, so here we are.”
With a surface water temperature of 41 degrees that day, cold water diving offers its own unique set of both danger and benefits. Divers face not just increased discomfort, but also higher equipment expenses, logistics and risks.
Photos: Tahoe Daily Tribune – Leah Carter