Extremely BAD News: Dutch Springs likely closing permanently ...

[tursiops]

Money and/or government (in)action are the two prime movers in determining the final outcome.

The petition is, yes, an expression of personal discomfort regarding the situation. If a couple hundred folks sign, it is probably going mean little. If, however, many hundreds sign, it reflects a large, interested user base, and that may help to influence governmental action.

The news is just now spreading. and people are starting to consider how to organize to retain this as a training facility.

Broadcast spawning has a very low ROI. A better approach is a direct appeal to those who make decisions and have money. If any person/organization/business wanted to run the facility as a business, that would be a good start. Running it as a hobby -- typical in he scuba biz -- is a terrible idea. What is the biggest scuba shop in the area...who sends the most students there? Who stands to lose the most if DS is not open? Clearly, no shop will keep it open to benefit OTHER shops; it has to be a way to bring in some money from the other shops...

This is not a new problem. this is the third quarry I've seen close within driving distance of my home. There is one viable quarry left, south of Richmond VA, and then there is the fantasyland of Juturna Springs. Juturna does not have the projected capacity of DS.

 

[-JD-]

Broadcast spawning has a very low ROI. A better approach is a direct appeal to those who make decisions and have money. If any person/organization/business wanted to run the facility as a business, that would be a good start. Running it as a hobby -- typical in he scuba biz -- is a terrible idea. What is the biggest scuba shop in the area...who sends the most students there? Who stands to lose the most if DS is not open? Clearly, no shop will keep it open to benefit OTHER shops; it has to be a way to bring in some money from the other shops...

This is not a new problem. this is the third quarry I've seen close within driving distance of my home. There is one viable quarry left, south of Richmond VA, and then there is the fantasyland of Juturna Springs. Juturna does not have the projected capacity of DS.

One of the biggest leverage points I see may be the governmental/fire/rescue dive teams. I imagine that the local fire rescue squads would be willing to apply pressure for themselves (assuming they have a team) or in solidarity with the manifold more distant units that will be left facility-less. Pissing off fire/rescue is generally not particularly politically advantageous.

 

[Rob9876]

Gray Quarry in east Tennessee is owned by a group including several local scuba shops who formed a 501c3 non-profit to own the property. Perhaps something like that could work for Dutch Springs.

 

[coldwaterglutton]

Ironic that DS is now in the news. Just two weeks ago I went to Dutch Springs for the first time in 27 years to bring my older son to an advanced training class. It reminded me that as much as I like to mock Dutch Springs (living next to the LIS/Atlantic), it's an essential facility for the northeast diving community and a fixture. I hope it can be saved.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

There really isn't any comparable onshore alternative for quite a distance.
It is not unusual to see folks from MD to VT there.

The diver in the news video with the pink tank had a vis sticker on it from my local dive shop up here in London, Ontario, Canada

 

[lermontov]

Any one up for a Philly-50 kick starter campaign. 50M diving center, go for volume over depth. Buy some land out in the western suburbs and dig a really big hole. "If you dig it they will come."

i dont know the area but best to talk to the developer maybe they can incorporate it in the design as a novelty feature

 

[tridacna]

Any one up for a Philly-50 kick starter campaign. 50M diving center, go for volume over depth. Buy some land out in the western suburbs and dig a really big hole. "If you dig it they will come."

Bring it closer to NYC if you want real investor money. The monthly insurance bill on that facility will be stratospheric. West of Philly doesn’t really rhyme with ka-ching.

 

[sandanbob]

I believe that a number of IE's are done there. A group from Maine went down last fall.

 

[arew+4]

Bring it closer to NYC if you want real investor money. The monthly insurance bill on that facility will be stratospheric. West of Philly doesn’t really rhyme with ka-ching.

Check the median and mean income for Chester county pa

 

[tridacna]

Check the median and mean income for Chester county pa

You really comparing Chester County with NYC, CT and NJ? Seriously? Number of people and income? Certified divers?