Blue hole Santa rosa mm

[Icculus]

My coworker is a newbie and has been bugging me to dive with him. We have opted for the blue hole in Santa Rosa NM as I refuse to dive in bad visibility and I also haven't been west of hill country yet.
i am aware it is a altitude dive at approximately 5,000 ft. My computer does altitude diving as well as adjusting my conservativism. we are planning on two dives one in the early AM and one early afternoon. Then drive back early evening and night.

I have no experience with altitude diving, so I am looking for anything I need to know. From what I have gathered my dive times with be shorter, decompression stops at all times (of course) and my biggest question is, as we drive back east the elevation decreases. From what I read this is a good thing. Am I correct in this thinking?

any help/thoughts would be great.

 

[DandyDon]

My coworker is a newbie and has been bugging me to dive with him. We have opted for the blue hole in Santa Rosa NM as I refuse to dive in bad visibility and I also haven't been west of hill country yet.
i am aware it is a altitude dive at approximately 5,000 ft. My computer does altitude diving as well as adjusting my conservativism. we are planning on two dives one in the early AM and one early afternoon. Then drive back early evening and night.

I have no experience with altitude diving, so I am looking for anything I need to know. From what I have gathered my dive times with be shorter, decompression stops at all times (of course) and my biggest question is, as we drive back east the elevation decreases. From what I read this is a good thing. Am I correct in this thinking?

any help/thoughts would be great.

Never been west? It's a whole different world.

Santa Rosa is a historic town, where Coronado's army camped one winter, also with scenes in "The Grapes of Wrath." Visiting and diving there is generally discussed on the Rocky Mountain forum where you'll find numerous threads. Stella runs the fill shack there, a sweet widow working hard to make ends meet - tipping is nice. Hopefully the city will have someone on duty to sell you your dive permit, the restrooms are clean - and the new building may be open.

It is an altitude dive, yes - but 5,000 feet is not a big deal. Albuquerque and Colorado divers do need to allow extra surface time before crossing the high passes on their way home, but yes - it's all downhill for you, so no problems there. It's also a 9 hour drive from Austin, so you'll need hotels the night before your dives and the night after. Many of the local hotels there have Diver Discounts if called direct, and it's nice to have a room with hot showers ready after diving - but you might want to drive back part way first.

The water is clear if no one kicks up the silt on the bottom, and always 62 degrees. Got 7 mil suit? Perch Lake nearby is shallow, maybe murky, different.

 

[Icculus]

Thank for the info!
Yeah we both work nights so driving through the night is no big deal. Also I got a 14 week old baby girl at home so the wife gave me the go ahead for a quick getaway. So we are gonna squish it into 2.5 days.
I just called and they said to just swing by and by the $8 permit. Pretty pumped up. Hopefully we will have it to ourselves on a Monday......

 

[DandyDon]

Thank for the info!
Yeah we both work nights so driving through the night is no big deal. Also I got a 14 week old baby girl at home so the wife gave me the go ahead for a quick getaway. So we are gonna squish it into 2.5 days.
I just called and they said to just swing by and by the $8 permit. Pretty pumped up. Hopefully we will have it to ourselves on a Monday......

Driving thru the night after 3 dives, carry vacuum bottles of coffee and keep drinking! Between Fort Sumner and Santa Rosa, the last 45 miles - watch for deer and slow down for the signs. I almost hit a big buck there one night. Scary! I braced for impact as it was too late to do much else, but he vanished by the time I opened my eyes. Well, for most of your drive both ways, from Austin to Sweetwater - watch for wild hogs. They've totaled many cars.

Swing by where to get the permits? I've always gone on weekends and paid on the spot. Are you just diving one day - Monday? Stella will meet you to supply tanks and weights, but you need to call ahead I think. 575-472-3370 is the old number I have for her, but check that soon - and let me know if not. It's been a few years since I've gone. In fact, my favorite hotel closed.

Take some eggs to the bottom, break them, and play catch. The fish will eat them and the crawdads will eat the shells. Take an empty, plastic bottle with cap on and see how much it crushes.

Oh, I take a cooler of very warm water and a smaller jug to pour a quart down my back inside my suit. A quart each before every dive, and maybe after.

 

[Icculus]

Prolly dive Sunday night when we get there and then two dives on Monday. It says open all night for night dives and the lady I talked to yesterday said I could dive when the shop is closed also. My buddy gets free tank rentals here in Austin so we will just take them with us.
Good word on the hogs and deer. And I'll def take the egg and plastic bottle!

 

[Nmpilot87]

Blue Hole will be closed to divers September 4-6 2015. It's for a biker rally that the city hall folks wanted. Makes no sense to me because a biker isn't going to go jump in blue hole. Please pass the word along since Santa Rosa government hasn't advertised it. It would be terrible for someone to drive from way out of town and not get to dive.

 

[lord1234]

If you are in Austin, why not take the Dive Authorization Course in San Marcos? Just as blue!