The Old Waddell Dam

Capt Forrest Packebush   Mar 01, 2025

The dam was completed in 1927, now approaching 100 years of age, the old dam is over 2,160 ft in length with an upstream height of 166' and a downstream height varying from 40' to 296' of depth in the center of the original Agua Fria riverbed.  We have several sites along the dam, because of its enormous size, lake levels and diver certifications. Due to the normal seasonal lake changes in water levels, the top of the Old Waddell Dam is seasonal for Open Water certification depths and is normally rated as an advanced dive which requires a minimum an Advanced Open Water certification and 100 logged dives.  Most often this is where you can find our technical dive team Sea Team 6 (r) exploring, mapping and continuing to find new treasures from the deep, even when the dam was built back in the 1920s.