Dive Incline Beach

Not quite 500 feet from shore, the relatively flat and shallow bottom of Incline Beach gives way to a sandy trench that drops hundreds of feet down at a sharp angle. As you get deeper, the sand forms mogul-like shelves covered in pine needles, the occasional rock and giant log, and—starting at around 120’—a shocking number of golf balls. Seriously, if you’re a golfer, just bring a bag with you, and you’ll never need to buy balls again. There’s also what could be what’s left of a sunken speedboat (no idea, see below). Because the bottom composition doesn’t change much as you descend in the trench, getting deep here is deceptively easy, so keep an eye on your gauges.

There’s a dock on the northwest end of the beach that basically points to the northwestern boundary of the trench. You’ll find the beginning of the trench due south of the end of the dock about 400 feet. It’s pretty well straight out from the orange buoy. The trench is obvious on both the depth chart and Google map below (zoom out a little).

Dive flags are required here. Parking is free. The area is open year round and has facilities all year, too, even if it’s just porta potties in winter.

Sunken speedboat wreck?

Fast facts

  • Access: Paid access during the regular season. Park as close as 125 feet to the lake. Open year round with facilities
  • Surface swim: A few hundred feet
  • Parking: Free
  • Crowds: Low in winter to very high in summer
  • Dive experience level: Beginner to advanced
  • Highlights: Trench that descends hundreds of feet and boasts amazing numbers of golf balls
  • Dive flag: Required
Incline Village
34°
Clear
7:03 am7:11 pm PDT
Feels like: 34°F
Wind: 2mph N
Humidity: 60%
Pressure: 30.12"Hg
UV index: 0
WedThuFri
54°F / 30°F
52°F / 34°F
46°F / 28°F

Incline Beach depth

Depth in feet

Source: NOAA Chart 18665 (1975) (2016 – depth in meters)

Shore dive: Incline Beach