drrich2
Contributor
The event took place today at Pennyroyal Blue Springs Resort, and I participated for the 1'rst time. Thought I'd post some thoughts, in case anyone else considered it.
1.) $35 pre-registration fee. Just $10 more than regular entrance, and you can dive all day if so inclined. You get a turkey & ham sandwich, choice of side (e.g.: little bag of cookies) & a drink included.
2.) Gate opens at 8 a.m., but get there early so you can grab a table - I got there at 7:30 a.m., waited in line, got checked in and got down in time to secure the last completely empty table.
3.) I got my tank filled the day before; you only need one. Saves hassle the day of.
4.) They do an orientation at 11 a.m. By this time, have your gear set up, ready to put on. Your goal is to dive in the shallow section, around 18 - 22 feet deep, where the varied sunken attractions are, and find a white golf ball with a number on it. These are linked to prizes. You only take one ball, and anyone who dives & doesn't find one will get one on exit anyway, so everybody who participates will win one prize, regardless.
5.) Go down, gear up, & head to the water. Around noon, the crowd heads out to the far end of the flooded parking lot, and waits for the signal.
6.) Over 90 people hitting the place at once stirs up a lot. At times this was muck diving; viz. well under 10 feet. But not all the time.
7.) I got in a 56 minute dive, max. depth 23 feet, found 3 white golf balls (only took one).
8.) Prizes were at least decent & often quite good. I won a pair of polarized sunglasses with a dive flag-like case. People won a number of mixed product bags, with things like stainless steel drink containers, towels, lights, etc... Somebody won a reg., somebody an octo., somebody a medium Sherwood Avid BCD, and so on.
9.) Prizes not handled out for golf balls were auctioned off.
10.) There were other games you could pay to choose to participate in, searching for yellow or pink golf balls (chance to win money), 'pieces of 8' or a necklace. And there was some sort of 'follow the clues' treasure hunt.
11.) There were $1 & $2 'grab bags.' I bought 2 of the $2 bags. The first had a kittens 2014 calendar bookmark. The 2'nd had an Innovative Scuba Concepts Slap Strap. So a 'good buy' overall.
To sum it up, it's kind of fun although muck diving, between the food and the guarantee that you'll 'win' something you've going to get your extra $10 worth, and it benefits a # of charities.
Worth participating.
Richard.
1.) $35 pre-registration fee. Just $10 more than regular entrance, and you can dive all day if so inclined. You get a turkey & ham sandwich, choice of side (e.g.: little bag of cookies) & a drink included.
2.) Gate opens at 8 a.m., but get there early so you can grab a table - I got there at 7:30 a.m., waited in line, got checked in and got down in time to secure the last completely empty table.
3.) I got my tank filled the day before; you only need one. Saves hassle the day of.
4.) They do an orientation at 11 a.m. By this time, have your gear set up, ready to put on. Your goal is to dive in the shallow section, around 18 - 22 feet deep, where the varied sunken attractions are, and find a white golf ball with a number on it. These are linked to prizes. You only take one ball, and anyone who dives & doesn't find one will get one on exit anyway, so everybody who participates will win one prize, regardless.
5.) Go down, gear up, & head to the water. Around noon, the crowd heads out to the far end of the flooded parking lot, and waits for the signal.
6.) Over 90 people hitting the place at once stirs up a lot. At times this was muck diving; viz. well under 10 feet. But not all the time.
7.) I got in a 56 minute dive, max. depth 23 feet, found 3 white golf balls (only took one).
8.) Prizes were at least decent & often quite good. I won a pair of polarized sunglasses with a dive flag-like case. People won a number of mixed product bags, with things like stainless steel drink containers, towels, lights, etc... Somebody won a reg., somebody an octo., somebody a medium Sherwood Avid BCD, and so on.
9.) Prizes not handled out for golf balls were auctioned off.
10.) There were other games you could pay to choose to participate in, searching for yellow or pink golf balls (chance to win money), 'pieces of 8' or a necklace. And there was some sort of 'follow the clues' treasure hunt.
11.) There were $1 & $2 'grab bags.' I bought 2 of the $2 bags. The first had a kittens 2014 calendar bookmark. The 2'nd had an Innovative Scuba Concepts Slap Strap. So a 'good buy' overall.
To sum it up, it's kind of fun although muck diving, between the food and the guarantee that you'll 'win' something you've going to get your extra $10 worth, and it benefits a # of charities.
Worth participating.
Richard.
