In South Carolina, if you want to practice diving, you gotta get out there and look.”

Though it might take some searching, says Zach Timmons, vice president of the Clemson Scuba Club, diving opportunities in South Carolina’s upstate region are not to be overlooked. In an area that’s probably better known nationwide for Clemson University’s football program than it is for its local diving, divers may not know where to begin. Coastal wrecks and artificial reefs in the Atlantic and fossils in the Lowcountry have piqued the interest of the dive community across the state—but spots like the Hot Hole at Lake Keowee make this upstate spot a worthwhile expedition.

Less than an hour’s drive east of Greenville, the 18,000-acre Lake Keowee has an expansive presence in this pocket of the state bordering Georgia and North Carolina. Multiple public boat ramps and parks line the man-made lake, which is fed by another man-made waterway filling a former quarry—Lake Jocassee—to the north. Duke Energy manages both lakes and their recreation sites. The company’s Oconee Nuclear World of Energy recreation site, off Rochester Highway, warms a spot of rushing water called the Hot Hole.

“The intake pulls in water, and they run it through the pipes for a cooling system,” says Cory Atkins, PADI Master Instructor and owner of the Scuba Shop in Spartanburg. “The water gets warmed up, it blows out and we dive at the blowout area.”

“It’s a gift in the wintertime that we don’t have to run down to Florida; we can dive in our own backyard,” adds Atkins, who schedules trips between November and April.

Trips to this unique spot on the lake help local divers prepare for “when we go to Palau or Cozumel and get their drift-diving specialty.”

“It’s kind of like a roller coaster,” explains Timmons, a PADI Master Scuba Diver whose first dive with the Clemson Scuba Club was at the Hot Hole. About twice a semester, the club takes a boat out on Lake Keowee, where divers descend along a rope and let the current do its thing. “What our divers will do, they’ll work their way down maybe 30 feet and just let go of the rope.”

The water temperature shifts as the ride comes to an end—something that Atkins recommends taking into consideration when packing for the dive: “We always tell everybody: Bring as much neoprene as possible because you don’t know where you’ll end up. You’ll be in 80-degree water and see the hazy tint coming toward you, and [suddenly you’re in] 58-degree water.”

Lake Keowee isn’t known for its visibility—it’s stirred up with lots of activity—and the current can be challenging. But Atkins says that less experienced divers still enjoy the Hot Hole even if they aren’t as familiar with drift diving; they stay off to the side, diving the eddy current.

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Sometimes, the power plant has an off cycle, reducing the water current. Before diving, Timmons briefs club members on the conditions so it doesn’t come as a surprise, and he reminds everyone to stay with their buddy.

Diving the Hot Hole feels like continuing a legacy among upstate divers, Timmons says. The supportive community he’s witnessed between experienced divers and newer divers inspires him to keep exploring his backyard. “The people who dive here love to dive, rain or shine.”

Need to Know

Conditions Prepare for low viz, strong currents and varying temps. Depths hit 35 feet.

Certification Build on your “current” skills in a PADI Drift Diver course.

Before You Go Check Duke Energy’s Recreation Information site for access info.

How to Get There Rent a boat or hire a charter: There are three boat ramps at nearby Warpath Landing.

Local PADI Shop The Scuba Shop scubashopsc.com

Site Spotlight

“A lot of different species school up around the Hot Hole,” says Zach Timmons, of the Clemson Scuba Club. “We frequently encounter largemouth and spotted bass as well as carp and catfish.”

Spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) are often mistaken for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) or smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), but it’s the distinct dark-patterned spots of spotted bass—as well as differences on their dorsal fins and jaws—that makes them stand out to anglers and divers.

They have been introduced to other waterways beyond their native habitat in the Mississippi River basin, bringing them to new bodies of fresh water in the southern United States, including Virginia and South Carolina.