Hurricane Bay

Hurricane Bay is a shore dive site on Lake Tahoe, accessed directly from a roadside parking area with the water just 50 feet (15 m) from the car. The lake bottom drops off quickly from shore, reaching a maximum depth of around 110 feet (33.5 m). The site is open year round and requires minimal surface swimming to reach the dive area.

Two man-made landmarks are the main draw. The Alley Cat is a sunken sailboat resting in about 60 feet (18 m) of water southeast of the Mankato intersection — a large, easy-to-spot wreck that holds various curiosity items left inside over the years, including a pair of skis and a shoe. The truck chassis boat trailer lies deeper, at around 110 feet (33.5 m); to find it, swim out from the second dock to the left of the Mankato intersection to the farthest buoy in line with the dock, drop down, head east to 110 feet, then turn north until the chassis appears. At that depth, bottom time within no-decompression limits is tight, so careful attention to gauges is essential.

The site is rated intermediate and suits divers comfortable navigating to depth and managing their NDLs precisely, particularly for the truck chassis. Crowds range from low in winter to very high in summer.