Mermet/Pennyroyale?

[shoot2retrieve]

Hey guys, My wife and I were planning on hitting the road this weekend and going to Mermet for the Memorial day weekend. Could not help but notice how close it was to Pennyroyale and wondered if it would be a good Idea to try and split days and dive one day at mermet and another at pennyroyale? We are driving from Whitewater, KS so will be a bit of a roadtrip no matter. Plan on diving Saturday, Sunday, and maybe 1 dive Monday before heading back to make it for work on Tuesday. We have never been to either, so maybe we should just spend all of our time at one place.
This has been a last minute decision to avoid all the weekend watercraft traffic at closer local lakes. Thanks a ton for any advice and help. Have a good one!!!!

 

[KY_BOB]

Hey guys, My wife and I were planning on hitting the road this weekend and going to Mermet for the Memorial day weekend. Could not help but notice how close it was to Pennyroyal and wondered if it would be a good Idea to try and split days and dive one day at mermet and another at pennyroyal? We are driving from Whitewater, KS so will be a bit of a roadtrip no matter. Plan on diving Saturday, Sunday, and maybe 1 dive Monday before heading back to make it for work on Tuesday. We have never been to either, so maybe we should just spend all of our time at one place.
This has been a last minute decision to avoid all the weekend watercraft traffic at closer local lakes. Thanks a ton for any advice and help. Have a good one!!!!

I think it's a good idea. I've been in both. Neither are Cozumel but they are both different with different charistics and things to see. I was in Pennyroyal Sat and Sunday, the vis was horrible due to the amount of rain that we've had but the next week is looking pretty good. It may clear up a lot. As a rule, I would say that the Vis is better at Pennyroyal than Mermet.

 

[tstormdiver]

I'll be at Pennyroyal both Sat. & Sun. doing some OW check- out dives for some students & trying out my new scooter. Feel free to look me up. I'll be in the yellow drysuit.

 

[shoot2retrieve]

Thanks guys!!! Can't wait to hit the road Friday afternoon!! I definitely would like to see the spoonbills at Mermet for sure, so hopefully that pans out. Again, thank you very much I hope we get to dive both places!!! Have a great week and weekend!!!!!

 

[tstormdiver]

You'll usually see the spoonbills along the back wall at about 20ft.

 

[tstormdiver]

Mermet & Pennyroyal are very different in many ways. Mermet has more diverse fish & fantastic facilities (flush toilets, hot showers, a heated changing room), but the water tends to be murky with 15- 20 vis as a norm. It also tends to be quite dark. I believe this is because it is a very deep quarry, but not a huge surface area. I would think the sheer tall walls blocks out the sun considerably. Pennyroyal tends to be clearer (in general) with normally 20- 30 vis. The light underwater seems brighter, but once again I think that's because it has a much larger surface area & more sun can get past the walls. There are lost of fish, but not of the variety of Mermet. Pennyroyal's facilities are also quite primative (port- a- potties, no running water,...). There is a changing shed, staging tables & picnic tables, but that's about it. If you could combine Mermet's facilities & Pennyroyal's clarity of water, that would be nearly the perfect combination for local divers.

 

[hammer67]

The vis is more like ORONOGO right now at MERMETSPRINGS. I just got back from BLUEHOLE in Santa Rosa, NM with Vis of 70+. Just a thought it is only 8 hours drive time to BLUEHOLE from Towanda Ks. & MERMETSPRINGS is around 12+ hours, & MERMET is more like a 4 day trip. 2 days drive, 2 days dive.

 

[shoot2retrieve]

I'll definitely have to plan a trip to Blue hole sometime in July or August. We're leaving Friday at noon and going to make the length of trip to Mermet and dive saturday, sunday, and 1 dive Monday. Hopefully split the days between Mermet and Pennyroyal. Thanks for the info, I had no idea blue hole was that close. Definitley on the summer radar now!!!! After Mermet/Pennyroyal this weekend we're going to Oronogo the next weekend, a rescue class the following weekend, and then the weekend of June 19th we head off to Roatan, for a week!!! So Blue hole would fit right in for July I think. Thanks again guys!!

 

[crpntr133]

Hope to see you at Pennyroyal. I'll be the guy with the broken thumb in a removable cast..yes I'm diving.

 

[hammer67]

If you call in advance they will reserve a pavilion for you & if you have time, stop at the saint louis arch, since you'll be driving right past.