Quarry Diving: 500 Dives in a Quarry - Are You SERIOUS???

[SeaHorse81]

Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that there is nothing to see in quarries. Having done most of my diving on vacation in the Caribbean (once a year), I can understand why quarries look somewhat less impressive as an option. So if there's nothing to see (which isn't quite true, anyway), all you're left with is weightlessness and total, three-dimensional freedom. And it's a short car-ride from your house and just costs a few bucks. Yeah, that's terrible.

 

[SeaHorse81]

it sure seems to me that if you're willing to spend thousands of dollars on the latest gear, drive several hours in traffic, then wait through long lines of divers at these places, you'd at least want to dive where you get to see more than well-fed Blue Gills and rusty cars?

I just now read post #1, including the above. This one is easy -- having spent thousands of dollars on really cool gear, one cannot afford to go where it's warm and blue all that often (unless one is uncommonly well off). Hence... quarries!

 

[Bazzabug]

I completely understand those who dive in a quarry if they face the dilemma of: quarry diving or no diving at all.

But those who say ocean diving is too expensive... diving every weekend of the year at $55 bucks ends up being nearly $3000 - there is your money for a trip like this:

‪Pure Scuba Joy in Hawaii‬‏ - YouTube

 

[SeaHorse81]

Diving all year vs. diving for one week. Tough one, and not an obvious choice if you really love to dive.

 

[Bazzabug]

Diving all year vs. diving for one week. Tough one, and not an obvious choice if you really love to dive.

Completely agree that diving once a year is certainly not enough, but I was trying to make a point - IMO diving is more than just breathing gas underwater. Its about adventure, traveling to new, exciting places. Exploring underwater environments and seeing new stuff.

A hole in the ground with some rusty cars is not my idea of what diving should be - all I am saying is save up, and go on a trip.

 

[Splitlip]

I dived in a quarry. once.
Came home.

‪June Diving-West Palm Beach-Walker's Dive Charters‬‏ - YouTube

 

[Garth]

I just completed my 500th pool dive. Figured... I trained in the pool so it seems like the place to be. It's great for practicing skills so that I'm good at shooting a bag from 2 meters. Boy does it freak the wifey out when the SMB pops up, she always lowers the spare air down even if its not written on my slate!

 

[TSandM]

You know, something bothered me about this thread from the beginning, and today it finally gelled . . . I think there's something not great about discouraging people from diving, WHEREVER it is that they dive. Diving is an activity that gets better with practice, and better means not only more fun, but safer. I'd MUCH rather see someone dive every weekend in a quarry, than save up their $3000 and do one trip a year. The person who hasn't been in the water for a year just isn't going to have good habits ingrained to the extent that the frequent diver does, and certainly won't have practiced any emergency procedures (which is not to say that everyone who dives regularly does that, but if you haven't dived, you for sure haven't practiced!).

I think we should celebrate quarry diving! As Mike's photographs show, it can clearly be great fun (not sure I wouldn't prefer a tour around Dutch Springs in that kind of viz to some of the OW dives we get in the summer in Puget Sound!) and it's great to keep people wet when they aren't lucky enough, as I am, to live thirty minutes from fantastic shore diving.

 

[101recon]

I love diving quarries.I have 5 of them ranging from 1 to 2 hrs away.When water temps are above 50F,that's where you will find me most weekends.Sure, I would love to run down to the coast every weekend.It's only 5 hrs.But the trip costs around $300.A quarry dive is around $30.I simply can't afford a $300 per week diving addiction.But I can manage $30.
Quarries have a lot to offer.They're great for working on trim and weighting.They're great for trying new gear or configurations.They're great for working on nav skills...more so when a large class is there. It might be hard to find a regular quarry diver who is bothered by low vis.They're also great for BBQ's,cookouts,camping,treasure hunts,pumkin carving,etc.Not to mention meeting and hanging out with other divers.
I would have to agree that the ocean has a greater variety of things to see with much more color.But I wouldn't say it is more beautiful.A fresh water jelly is just as interesting to watch as his salt water cousin.My father is a master fresh water fisherman.He has shared his knowledge with me since the late '70s.But in 2 yrs of diving,I've learned things about bass,blue gill, and crappie that he never even thought of.I'll get to the coast as often as possible,but I won't overlook the opportunities at home.

 

[Chris Horn]

I can't say that I have ever dove a quarry. No reason, we have a few close, but I can be on a lake just as quickly. Being that is enclosed water some may consider that quarry like. I like to dive where ever I can, be it in a pool, a lake or a pond. As Jim said its what you make of it. I would use any excuse just to be in the water. I can dive cheap like that for nothing but air and a few bucks in gas split between me and a buddy and still save up enough for the "big" trip. I have dove in my dad's pond (about 5 acres of water), with <3 foot of vis, with my tank practically sticking out of the water because I liked getting up in the reeds with my camera and taking macro type shots of the minnow swimming around in them. I spent almost an hour in there doing that. I thought it was fun, and I still think its fun. Admittedly it still freaks me out for a fish to just "appear" in front of me in that low of vis, but at least I was diving. Just have fun, if the only place you can have fun is on a reef in the ocean, then far be it from me to tell you your wrong. But in SW Missouri we got quarrys and lakes and ponds and rivers and pools, no ocean.