I recently had a class dive at Lake Denton and after the dive, we got to talking about how the underwater guidelines had changed and that there was no updated underwater map. Since I had some extra cylinders with me, I figured I’d head back in after the class dives were over, and do some rough mapping.

A couple of hours later, I had some compass headings and notes jotted down. Since I didn’t plan ahead on doing mapping, I didn’t bring any of my reels to measure distances, but I was able to get compass headings which were better than nothing. A little bit of time cleaning it up and trying to figure out what I’d written on my wet notes underwater, and I had a map.

I didn’t have distances measured since I didn’t have any of my reels with me, but I was able to use a mix of depths and headings which are good enough if you’re looking for a certain area. I also wasn’t able to map the deeper areas past depths of 50 feet. The line on the dive flag wasn’t long enough and the visibility went to absolute 0. That, mixed with huge amounts of silt and gunk on the bottom, plus an unnatural fear of coming face to face with an alligator in zero visibility, and yeah.. reasons. From another map I’ve seen, the lines I mapped in this area don’t go much farther than what I recorded. I believe they connect to each other horizontally just past the missing area, but I didn’t confirm. I’d like to get distances the next time I’m there and then update the map, but feel free to use this map until then. If you’ve never been to Lake Denton, there’s some information below. If you’re using Google Maps, search for ‘Lake Denton Boat Ramp‘.

You can also download a copy of this map from here.

Lake Denton is a 66-acre freshwater lake in Highlands County, located between Avon Park and Sebring, Florida. Diving in Lake Denton is done from the property of the Lake Denton Church Camp, which is located on its shore. This lake is very popular as a dive training site, as well as with certified divers.

The water temp varies from 65F/18C in the winter months, to 89F/32C in the summer months. After October, the water temperature drops rapidly to the mid to high 60s.

Visibility ranges from 30 feet to next to zero when the bottom is disturbed. Generally, as the water gets warmer in the summer months, the visibility decreases dramatically.

Things you can expect to see when diving here are sunfish, catfish, bass, and turtles. The three submerged boats attract many types of fish life. Recently, items such as a bicycle, a ride-on lawnmower, and hula hoops have been added. The hula hoops are a great way to practice your buoyancy.

FACILITIES: Port-a-Johns and picnic tables are available. Picnic tables are for instructor’s use only. There is no seating available. We recommend you bring a lawn chair for your enjoyment.

https://www.lakedentoncamp.com/divers
https://www.lakedentoncamp.com/s/2020_DIVERS-LIABILITY.pdf