Local diving -Must do dive sites

[LKunze]

I don't think many would argue with what Jason mentioned as being the "Best" dive sites to dive for good visibility and things to see. I think Lake Superior is hands down the best place to dive in my opinion.  I think the Cuyuna pits up near Crosby Ironton offer the "widest variety" of things to see due to the amount of pits and dive sites to choose from.  Lake Ore Be Gone in Gilbert, MN up on the Iron Range is unique in having man made attractions put in specifically for divers (Planes, Helicopters, school bus, rail car speeders, boats).  The visibility hasn't been as good in recent years at Ore Be Gone but it still usually is anywhere from 15 to 20 feet.  Lake Mine and St. James Pit offer the clearest visibility of all of the inland lake dive sites in the state that I have personally seen.  On a couple of occasions on a sunny day I have been able to see surface ripples on St. James Pit from 110 feet down!  I've seen some of the Cuyuna mine pits on occasion come close to the visibility of Lake Mine and St. James but generally they are a tad lower in water clarity.  One other lake that I have heard rave reviews on from our member AandA is Caribou Lake north of Grand Rapids, MN.  That one is on my list to visit this year.  Caribou is supposed to have excellent visibility and a unique contour.  Of course there are many lakes to dive but you need to ask yourself what are the most important features you are looking for?  The lakes mentioned above are the definate "A" list for MN.  I don't think there are too many people that would argue with that.  If lower visibility and/or the chance to explore sites that not many divers have ventured into then you are right...there are plenty of options.  I think for most divers me included, once you have dived the lakes with the best visibility...diving in lakes that aren't very clear become kind of a let down.  When I first started diving just being in the water was awesome but after logging hundreds of dives you start to become more selective with the sites you dive.