Diving in Sulfur....ok?

[Marie13]

Happens every fall in my local quarry. Thick, black layer coming up from the bottom that a light won’t penetrate.

We try to stay away from it just because you can’t see through it. Seems to happen on the deeper side (below 45ft or so).

 

[rob.mwpropane]

It is black(ish) water, but it actually clears up a little down there. Hard to explain it's black and sort of clear? There is a "smoky" sulfur layer also at the bottom (at least there was a few months ago that you could not see anything in at all. Everything just disappears.

God awful cold down there though, and not much to look at.

I'm not sure if it's only just started, or I'm just now noticing during the last 2 dives.

 

[Marie13]

It is black(ish) water, but it actually clears up a little down there. Hard to explain it's black and sort of clear? There is a "smoky" sulfur layer also at the bottom (at least there was a few months ago that you could not see anything in at all. Everything just disappears.

God awful cold down there though, and not much to look at.

I'm not sure if it's only just started, or I'm just now noticing during the last 2 dives.

Yes, looks like dark, billowing smoke. Two years ago a buddyblost a fin on one of the vehicles at the local quarry. Of course, it was a black fin in the sulfur layer. Had to convince buddy he wasn’t going to be finding his fin until the spring.

 

[Chavodel8en]

It'll be good practice for where some of y'all will be diving full-time in the future



/s, /jk

 

[kelemvor]

There's a site local to me called "hospital hole" which has a hydrogen sulfide layer. I've always avoided it because I've been told that the hydrogen sulfide will damage any chromed parts of regulators.

 

[ontdiver]

While not a sulfur example, one drift dive we do on the St. Lawrence River takes us past a treatment plant. While I convinced myself that the water had indeed been treated, there was a great deal of "particulate matter" in the water that was being discharged into the river.

 

[Fires]

We have a local quarry that on one end of the 'deep end' also has a distinctive sulphur smell at times. In previous years I have written it off...but more and more now I try to avoid it. I think for the limited exposure it shouldn't do much...but it is also dark there (sometimes like 10cm vis) and it smells...so just no really worth the effort IMO.

 

[coldwaterglutton]

Just don't light up a cigarette while in that layer.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Lol.....I first read that as "Diving in Sulfur, OK" thinking, that's just down the road. There is a town called Sulphur, Oklahoma about an hour away from me.

I have dove cenotes in Tulum with a hydrogen sulfide layer caused by decomposing organic matter (leaves and limbs) that has settled on the floor. It's definately a little spooky descending into the thick fog. The layer is less than 10 feet thick and the general rule is not to breathe in as you descend through it. You definately smell it though. Once below, the water is gin clear again and the cloud blocks out most of the light. Definately one of my favorite dives!

No need to rinse your gear beyond the normal measures since the rest of the dive is in fresh water.

Safe travels,
Jay

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Lol.....I first read that as "Diving in Sulfur, OK" thinking, that's just down the road. There is a town called Sulphur, Oklahoma about an hour away from me.

I have dove cenotes in Tulum with a hydrogen sulfide layer caused by decomposing organic matter (leaves and limbs) that has settled on the floor. It's definately a little spooky descending into the thick fog. The layer is less than 10 feet thick and the general rule is not to breathe in as you descend through it. You definately smell it though. Once below, the water is gin clear again and the cloud blocks out most of the light. Definately one of my favorite dives!

No need to rinse your gear beyond the normal measures since the rest of the dive is in fresh water.

Safe travels,
Jay

Curious as why to not breath in as you go through it? I mean, you're breathing air in the tank, not smoke in the water? Is it just so you don't get the taste?

My local hole anything below 40' or so is blackish and has the funny smell to it. It gets in the back of my throat. The only way it can do that is through the mask and small amounts up the nose.