We (my wife and I) are looking for dive sites within a two hour drive of Chicago. We are freshly certified and looking to build our skills and confidence by diving quarries, lakes, etc. Places with no or low current to start then possibly a Lake Michigan dive. Any info or links or site addresses would be appreciated.
Haigh Quarry in Kankakee IL. and Pearl Lake in South Beloit IL. are both within 2 hours of Chicago. Both are good dive sites although I prefer Haigh Quarry. Both have Web Sites. Haigh Quarry.com and Pearl Lake.com. Pearl Lake has easier dive access (all shore), Haigh Quarry has a shore entry area, most entries are from the floating docks. Both have interesting things sunk in them for you to interact with. Haigh Quarry has on site air fills and equipment rentals/sales. Pearl Lake has on site air fills. The closest Dive Shop to Pearl Lake is Loves Park Scuba in Loves Park Ill. This is about 5-6 miles south of Pearl Lake. You will have a great time at either location but Haigh Quarry will be little less hassle IMHO.
I had a very bad experience with the owner and staff at haig quarry, they were very rude to myself,my son (16 years old) and a fellow scubaboard member. We were told straight out and i quote word for word she does not like dogs or kids on her property. I would not recomend this place to anybody.
I am very sorry to hear that you had a bad time at Haigh Quarry. I have been there several times with the Boy Scout Troop that I am involved with and we have always been treated very well. I hope you give it another try as it is truly a great place to get wet.