Alabama Blue Water Questions

[Dixie Diving]

I was wondering if anyone that goes there regularly could telling me what the viz is usually like there. Is it like Vortex Springs where you can see everything in like 10mins? Are crowds usually like Vortex? I'm trying to figure out if it's worth the 4 hour drive to do it, when less driving could put me in pensacola, destin, gulfshores area. I know I will dive it oneday just to see it for myself, just wondering if I need to move this place up on my list.

 

[brockbr]

I was wondering if anyone that goes there regularly could telling me what the viz is usually like there.

Considering that I live 10 minutes away, and dive there year round, I think I qualify

Is it like Vortex Springs where you can see everything in like 10mins?

It is very different from Vortex. Bluewater is spring fed too, and consists of 26 acres. About 1/3 is depths to 80', while the other 2/3's is as deep as 140+. There are roads underwater from when the quarry was still functioning. There are enormous vertical rock walls, fissures, and many, many other geological formations to see.

In addition to the natural sights, there are also many things left behind from when it flooded. There are pump heads, telephone poles and shacks, all were caught up the night it flooded. Yes, you read that right - The NIGHT, as in single night that it flooded.

There are also cars, trucks, boats, huge concrete pipes, a full size school bus, and many other sights to see.

The history is interesting too. Original construction started in the late 50's. They continued to pump out normal seepage etc, until in the late 1960's, a charge was set off that nicked an underground river. The water rushed out of the wall with a deafening roar. The quarry flooded within 24 hours - All 85 million gallons worth. 300 people lost their job that day. This makes Bluewater unique - It isn't a stagnant pond of water. Rather, it is fed from the underground river and has multiple points in it where flow can be observed.

Are crowds usually like Vortex?

That depends on the time of year. Because of the nature of the water source, the bottom is almost always 52F. The top can be as warm as middle 80's during the summer, but during the winter, the top is usually 52F as well. This means most people diving it in the winter are in drysuits.

Even in the warm months, it never gets so crowded that it's a problem.



Another unique aspect of Bluewater is the the depth and temperature. This makes it a great facility for doing technical training. Course up to AN/Deco and Trimix are taught at Bluewater (with the deeper trimix dives being done at other locations such as Lake Jocasse).

I'm trying to figure out if it's worth the 4 hour drive to do it, when less driving could put me in pensacola, destin, gulfshores area. I know I will dive it oneday just to see it for myself, just wondering if I need to move this place up on my list.

You'll find the convenience of the facility hard to beat. I do a lot of diving all over, but Bluewater never ceases to be a great place to dive.

Also - to really enjoy Bluewater, stay off the beaten path. Because it is one of the only places in the southeast to do checkout dives, it is a very popular place for open water classes to come to. This means visibility along in the most common areas can be pretty bad when people are working out their buoyancy.

I constantly hear from people returning from dives how bad the visibility it. The fact is, they are diving within a very small, well traveled area where there are many, many people kicking things up. There are *fantastic* dives that you can do out away from these groups where the visibility is 50'+.

During the winter (like right now), finding 100' of visibility isn't hard because the majority of people diving are technical divers.

Another thing to consider is that there is a sizable group of technical divers who call Bluewater home. If you'd like to be exposed to lots of different equipment and training opportunities, there's not many better places. Most of the technical divers (if not all) are Full Cave, and have a wealth of varied backgrounds and experiences. There are 2 in particular (both here on scubaboard) who are particularly crazy. They are both female (one is my daughter), both solid technical divers, and both are full cave.

Here's a video of them shot at Bluewater last year - In February while it was FREEZING outside and a water temp of 52F:

YouTube - ABWA bikini doubles dive 3

There is a mix of OC and CCR, and many own scooters (which, by the way, is a great way to see Bluewater).

Diving the Jetties is great, but you'll be glad if you make the trip to Bluewater. Just make sure to venture out from the "normal" path

 

[Docc]

I was just wondering if I need to move this place up on my list.

Yes.

 

[ClayJar]

The viz is pretty much quarry viz. It's usually respectable, occasionally really great (especially when it's cold), and sometimes not so hot in a few areas (like the middle of the vast plain of the "shallow end" when there's a silty water layer, but there's not really much of interest in that area, anyway).

There is *vastly* more area to cover and things to see than you'd find at Vortex. If you race around the shallow end, heading straight across on the road bed (70-75' or so) to the opposite side, head down to the corner (80-ish), and continue along the wall all the way back to where you started (without playing around at any of the locations you'll encounter), you'll have a full enough dive. If you look at things and have more fun, you can easily burn your whole dive and not have made it to all the stuff there. Then there are all the things counter-clockwise from the main entry... (It took mb and I something like an hour and a quarter of steady swimming to circumnavigate the entire quarry in one dive.)

The crowds are not nearly as dense (especially in the water) as Vortex. There's plenty of room, and unless you're there on a DUI Dog Day or something, you're not likely to be fighting for space or access.

It's a six-hour drive for me to get to Blue Water (versus five to Vortex or about six to panhandle salt), but it's certainly worth it. It's not an all-the-time spot, but it's a nice diving day in my opinion. It's not like a spring where you feel so shallow you're wondering why you bothered with a tank, but it's just about as convenient. It's inland fresh water, so your rainbow of colors is limited to earth tones, but it's got plenty to see.

I do note, by the way, that their site now says that they prohibit solo diving except for those who have the card. If that's a problem, keep it in mind. (I picked up the SDI Solo Diver card a while back, so it doesn't affect me.)


(Or, to put it more briefly... Yep, what brockbr said. :biggrin

 

[Dixie Diving]

Thanks for the info guys. I am really wanting to dive this place. I just had someone tell me that the viz is really bad and it would be better to just head some else.

But after reading you guys input I will definetly hit this place up before summer. Thanks for the help, yall gave me even more info than I had hoped for thanks!!

 

[brockbr]

I just had someone tell me that the viz is really bad and it would be better to just head some else.

Yup - Pretty much as I mentioned Most people who make that comment are staying in the common area. If you go, make sure to steer away from the highly traveled line that does the sailboat-bus-box circuit and the first firetruck circuit. A MUCH better dive is straight out from the 20' platform to the far wall (surface swim it if needed), then follow the wall at 40-60'. The wall drops to 130' - You'd be very surprised how nice of a dive this is.

You can also leave the platform on a 180* heading at 72'. You'll hit the center wall which bisects the quarry. You can follow the top edge either direction. This wall drops to 130'+. Awesome dive, and the viz is always good out there.

If you're AOW or AN/Deco, the bottom of the wall is a fantastic dive too.

If you're AN/Deco, I can tell you of all sorts of dives you can do and never see the same thing twice.

I've done 3 hour CCR dives at bluewater and never see the same thing twice on a dive. I have hundreds of dives there, and it never gets boring.

 

[mmwal]

I tend to disagree on this subject. I have been to ABWA 4 or 5 times and while it's a great place to get wet, I would pick Gulf Shores/Destin/Panama City over ABWA every time. I definitely wouldn't drive 4 hours just to dive it. But if you do...follow the advice of everyone and stay off the beaten path b/c viz is always bad there!

 

[ClayJar]

I have a feeling we're pretty much getting the results of a variety of viewpoints here. Even when I've been told that the viz is pathetic at Blue Water, invariably it's been better than the viz I've had at Dive Haven (or Vortex on a major training day, for that matter). And I happen to really enjoy the beaten path, even it it may be rather well beaten, indeed.

One of the things I *love* about Blue Water is the lack of schedule. No boats, no tides,... er... no motorcars? (sorry, Gilligan flashback)... just diver and water. I can show up when I want, dive as long as I want (or until closing... hey, nobody's perfect), and worry about nothing. Then again, I'm the type of person who's gone on a five-day dive vacation that included quarries, small lakes, and other such things in Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois, so you can imagine I'm a bit skewed in one direction.

If you've never been, it's certainly worth trying it out. You may love it. You may loathe it. You'll probably be somewhere in between. Regardless, it'll be a new site with its own variety of diving that you can add to your experience, and if you enjoy it, you'll have won yourself another option.

 

[brockbr]

I tend to disagree on this subject. I have been to ABWA 4 or 5 times and while it's a great place to get wet, I would pick Gulf Shores/Destin/Panama City over ABWA every time. I definitely wouldn't drive 4 hours just to dive it. But if you do...follow the advice of everyone and stay off the beaten path b/c viz is always bad there!

Anytime you would like to dive bluewater and have a great dive, please ask for me - I am usually there on the weekend. I don't work there or anything like that, it's just that I spend a lot of time there.

It doesn't matter the time of year - I can show you places that are fantastic, but as I mentioned, you cannot go where 90% of the rest of the divers go.

b.

 

[Lone Frogman]

I dove there on the 17th, my buddy and I were the only ones there. As we were packing up another car pulled in. Even the lower viz areas had good viz. On Sunday the 20th there were only 6 cars. The viz was even better. Easy 60 ft, temp at surface to 100 ft was 59-60 degrees. I'll be back after the first.