Central Texas Diving - Stillhouse Hollow Lake

[George Monnat Jr]

Here are my notes on the dives I've done in Stillhouse Hollow Lake, specifically Stillhouse Park, in Belton, TX. The rankings are relative to other green-water diving in Texas (not blue water). Feel free to post comments, opinions, questions, etc., including your dives there.

Updated: 14NOV2013

Click here to see current lake level.

Accessibility: good, even if the lake is down, it's usually less than 20' with gentle slopes to walk down to the water (no need for stairs or rock climbing like at Travis)

Cost: good, entrance to Stillhouse Park (USAR Corps of Engineers park, only one I've been to) is free if you tell the gate you're going to the marina

Visibility: poor to good, typically 2'-8' (has some of the best visibility in Texas lakes, but rain or algae growth can reduce to near zero)

Variety of Sites: good

Wildlife: good, mostly typical sunfish, bass and catfish, and I've seen schools of white bass and several large blue drum. There's a lot more plant life than in Lake Travis.

Sites ('obstacles' means things to see, swim through, etc.):

Stillhouse Hollow Lake Shore Dives

Marina/Island View Pavilion, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Belton - 11 dives, latest May 2012;

facilities: good; there's a dive shop, restroom and resteraunt at the marina

obstacles: good; the dive shop has placed platforms, wrecks and other stuff with lines between them, and there are some old water plant structures that are interesting (SE of the entrance)

overall equivalent to Travis but more life, less people and easier access, dive shop on the marina pier

Scuba Divers Paradise Pier, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Belton - 3 dives, latest October 2012;

facilities: excellent; there's a dive shop, restroom and resteraunt at the marina

obstacles: moderate; the dive shop has placed items under the marina with lines between them

overall equivalent to Travis but more life,less people and easier access, dive shop right there on the marina pier; you must be careful when surfacing, because there is boat traffic into and out of the marina!

Stillhouse Hollow Lake Boat Dives

I haven't done a boat dive in Stillhouse Hollow, yet. I know that Scubadiver's Paradise does do them, especially to get to the 'advanced' dive site that is deeper than 60'.

[mFrame]

I went snorkeling in Stillhouse many years ago and was my favorite such experience in a Texas lake. The water was crystal clear and I was in a school of sunfish. Beautiful day and beautiful experience, they treated me like I was one of them. It was the best such experiences i had before diving on reefs on my honeymoon.

[George Monnat Jr]

I agree. I prefer SHHL to Travis. The only issue is it's about an hour plus away from us through I-35 traffic while Windy Point is only 10 minutes.

A couple years ago we dove from the pavilion out where the platforms are. I saw something flash out the corner of my eye. I looked and saw a large bass. Then another one and another one. I realized that they were schooling around me like a bass-flavored cyclone. I'd never seen that before, because I was used to Big-Mouth Bass that are fairly solitary. These were White Bass that apparently school. I started wondering if this was a new Piranha movie, because on the previous dive a blue-gill bit my left ear multiple times. My wife just laughed at my flailing, and the only warning I got was her staring and underwater giggling.

[subsea]

Geoge,

Who bite your ear?

Paatrick

[George Monnat Jr]

A Bluegill. I think. It was a sunfish like that, but hard to tell the excat species when it was assaulting my ear from behind.