Exotic/oddball/unusual dive spots?

[driftwood]

A "dream dive" (as in..."in your dreams, buster!") would be the zero G trainer at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Bad part is not having the proper security clearance. I remarked to a couple of their divers that I'd give my eyeteeth to dive there. One remarked, "Well, we'd let you, but then we'd have to kill ya'."
I said, "What are y'all hiding, a Russian spy satellite?"
The one who spoke first looked at his partner and replied without batting an eye, "Looks like we're gonna have to kill him anyway."

But it would be a great dive!

Along those lines, there is a 60' tank at the Pickle Research Center in Austin. They do a lot of sonar research there.

 

[japan-diver]

The underwater structures of Yonaguni, Japan, the archaeological sites located off the Miyagi Coast in Okinawa.

 

[Tortuga68]

Didn't read the whole thread so maybe someone posted it already:

Big Blue SCUBA Diving Shanghai of China - Photo and Video - The Great wall of china - Underwater Great Wall

 

[Tim Self]

The underwater structures of Yonaguni, Japan, the archaeological sites located off the Miyagi Coast in Okinawa.

Since I'm new here and OKINAWA is the only place I've dove, I have to agree. Water temp of 65 in December and 80+ in the summer. Vis normally exceeds 100 ft. Guess I got spoiled there. Sold all my gear when I got back stateside.

 

[knfmn]

The great wall dive sounds really nice. I'm jealous of you for getting to dive in Japan, Tim. It sounds great.

Kristopher

 

[stdiver]

Bonneville Seabase in Utah (bad vis but it's fun to dive with sharks in Utah), Hmomestead Crater (very unique, especially in the winter) in Utah, and I stop by San Solomon Springs (not technically challenging but a lot of fun to dive the clear artesian water in the middle of the desert) every time in am in Texas.

 

[knfmn]

Man, I really want to get over to Homestead crater. It's now firmly on my bucket list!

Kristopher

 

[sooner]

Heading up to Homstead Crater this weekend to dial in some new gear. It is one of those you start to take for granted as a Utah diver since it is the go to place, but I don't know what I would do without it. It's fun to take out of towners there. They love the "cave" down to the water.

Another oddity in Utah is Belmont Springs. This is another hot pond. I was up there last month and it was 90 degrees. There was a good 6-8 inches of snow on the ground around the pond. I heard it used to be an aquarium fish hatchery. It is full of little mollies and cone shaped snails. Not very deep and vis can be poor, but it is worth checking out.

 

[Sea Lioness]

Unusual location: Jeju Island, South Korea

You don't hear much about diving in Korea unless you live in that area. Worth going there for the sushi alone!

Did you see or meet any of the Haenyos while you were there? They're these amazing women free-divers who have been diving at Jeju Island for thousands of years. You can see a clip from a documentary, called "The Last Mermaids," here:

2009 Student Academy Awards® – Documentary Category – “The Last Mermaids” | Video | The Academy

 

[Hammerhead]

The Wikipedia page for the jellyfish lake states that scuba diving isn't allowed there. Is that erroneous information? We all know that *everything* on Wikipedia is *always* accurate....lolol.

Kristopher

Nope, Wiki's right. Not allowed to dive there, something to do with the sulphur levels being potentially toxic beyond 6m of so in cases of prolonged exposure. Mind you, that could be utter crap; I'm a gullible soul.

I took the photo by holding my breath and waiting until all the bubbles I'd created by duck diving had gone, and then floating slowly to the surface trying to catch "that" shot. Took over an hour and maybe 30-40 attempts.

Worth it, though :cool2: