Indiana Diving

[hansonian]

i'll be travelling to indiana the first week of august and was wondering about doing some diving while i'm up there. i'll be staying east of indianapolis and would like to find some dive spots in that area of the state. anyone want to help a floridian out with some local knowledge? i'll probably only have a day or 2 tops to dive so any info would be appreciated. are wetsuits necessary up there in the summer?

 

[crpntr133]

You will want a thick wet suit. The quarries don't get too warm in Indiana.
As for diving around Indy there would be Blue Springs, France Park, Hidden Paradise and Natural Springs Resort.

 

[hansonian]

crpntr133, thanks for the info. what would you consider a thick wetsuit? exactly how cold are we talking for water temps? would a 3mm suit cut it or do i need to go thicker?

 

[crpntr133]

If you stay shallow you might get by with a 3mm. Quarry temps below 30' + - usually drop like a rock due to thermoclines. Big advantage will be that the SI temps will be warm.
Looks like water temps below the thermocline will be someplace in the upper 50's from my log.

Hidden Paradise or Natural Springs are around 20' so they would be a good choice.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Natural Springs should have warmed up to 3mm temps by August but that's above the thermocline (about 20 feet). Most of the quarry is 16-18 feet deep and in the summer the visibility is beyond dismal and the weeds have grown all the way to the surface so you almost need a machete to dive in some areas. (OK, you do need a machete.) There is a trench along the far side that drops to a little over 25 feet, it's colder but the visibility is better. You'll want a 5mm suit for the colder water and you'll probably want a hood and gloves if you plan to stay there any length of time.

Where on the east side of Indianapolis? I'm near Brookville, OH about 20 miles east of the Indiana/Ohio border. It takes me an hour and 45 minutes to get to Gilboa Quarry from the house. That's our premier site around here and would be worth the trip if you have a weekend available. If you're not too far from the Ohio border it would be a nice day trip as well but you're looking at over 2 hours of driving. Gilboa is best on the weekdays when there aren't any classes tilling the bottom. There are several Great Lakes Wrecking Crew people who are available on weekdays to dive, just post your intended dive date and location in the GLWC section and see who crops up! You'll want a 5mm suit at Gilboa but he does have some available to rent on site.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[hansonian]

Ber Rabbit, i'll be in a small town called Shirley (might not be spelled correct) from July 26th until August 3rd for my wife's family reunion. she's informed me that there isn't anything to do up there for entertainment except watch the grass grow. i'm not against driving a hour or two to do some diving, if there's some locals who wouldn't mind showing me the good spots . my main concern would be the need for a thicker wetsuit. living in florida i've only ever needed a 3mm and i'd hate to go buy something thicker just for a couple of dives.

next question, is there anything to look at in the quarries? i have nothing against diving just to dive but it's nice to occasionally see something swim by.

overall, driving 2 hours to dive in cold, weed infested water is still sounding better than sitting around doing nothing.

i appreciate all the feedback from you guys.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Gilboa is going to be the farthest from you. Looks like Shirley is about 60 miles from me so it would be almost a 3 hour drive...however...there is a TON of stuff to look at and the fish will not leave you alone. Not only do the large Rainbow Trout swim by, they follow you and will look expectantly in your mask if you go to the bus as that's where a lot of people feed them. Check out Gilboa's website.

Natural Springs is closer and has some boats and cars as well as a computer sunk in it. The fish there aren't as aggressive as the ones at Gilboa but you can find them pretty easily if the visibility isn't horrible. Unfortunately the visibility is extremely unpredictable that time of year.

Blue Springs might be closer but it's been years since I've been there so the others will have to give you the tips for that one.

Gilboa rents wetsuits so no need to buy one if you want to go there. Natural Springs will probably be warm enough for a 3mm by then.
Ber :lilbunny: