Beautiful missions, ranches, and resorts, as well as world class skiing with feather light powder await in New Mexico, and so does some surprisingly good diving. One of the most intriguing places to dive in New Mexico is Bottomless Lakes State Park, which is located just outside Roswell. While you won't find Area 51 here, what you will find is some incredible geology and some amazing plants and animals.
What Makes Bottomless Lakes Unique
These lakes are water-filled sinkholes atop New Mexico's gypsum terrain. They got their name when cowboys tied their ropes together trying to find the bottom, since it can't be seen through the turquoise colored water; far from bottomless, the lakes are well within recreational diving limits at depths ranging from 17 to 90 feet. Lea Lake is the only one you can dive in; it's also the only lake where swimming is allowed. Other lakes include Devil's Inkwell, which has steep sides and very dark water, and the other is Pasture Lake, which supports stocked rainbow trout.
Diving Lea Lake
Luckily, Lea Lake is the deepest in the park, making it attractive to divers who come from all over the US to visit and to compete in games like underwater poker during the Bottomless Bubbles Festival that takes place over Labor Day weekend each year.
No visit to Lea Lake would be complete without a visit to Mecca, which is best viewed between mid-June and September, when the highest level of spring water flows into the lake. As this freshwater increases, the area around a group of submerged springs at a depth of 35 to 40 feet clears significantly, sometimes offering of up to as much as 75 feet; diving here is like being in a giant turquoise dome, with filtered sunlight streaming in from above. It's one of the most incredible underwater phenomenon you might ever see. You can visit Mecca year round and see a scaled down version of the phenomenon.
In the lake, you'll find Mexican Tetra and Pecos Pupfish, along with Rainwater Killifish, Green Sunfish, Rainbow Trout, and Mosquitofish; and you'll enjoy temperatures that range from 62 to 68 degrees during the warmer months of the year and temperatures in the 50's during spring and autumn months. Flags are mandatory, and all shore divers must dive with a buddy. If diving from a boat, you're going to need an extra person to stay with it while buddy pairs explore the lake.
There is a per-vehicle fee for day use, although if you plan to visit Lea Lake frequently, you can save money by purchasing an annual permit. There is camping on site, and there are plenty of amenities, including restrooms and hot showers, a bath house, a playground, and pedal boat and paddle board rentals, not to mention swimming and a nice beach for relaxing on after your dives. In the event you don't feel like camping out, there are hotels in Roswell, along with restaurants and topside attractions including the Roswell UFO Museum. A fun place to visit, Bottomless Lakes offers something for everyone.