Monroe Dive Center - Quarry (MI)

[Coachwah]

I dove it on Sunday with some buds. We took the boat ride and did the buildings, the island drop off, and then a shore dive around the quarry wall. The buildings were very cool, although my bottom time was limited to my air hog buddy (fwiw he's new and is still working out the kinks).

This site is as virgin as they come. The guys from the LDS said it filled in 10 years ago when they dug too deep and the water came in so fast they didn't have time to get everything out, hence the buildings. There are desks and even tools left inside. The trees stills have most of their branches. Wildlife is sparse, however, it is big. We saw plenty of carp, bluegill, big bass (large and small), and a couple of nice walleye.

The guys at the LDS were a good bunch. They have alot planned and in fact sunk two boats while we were there.

I snapped, what I think, are a few decent pics but I have not loaded and resized to share as of now. Here is a taste.

We'll be back. HTH.

Later,
Ken

 

[gtxl1200]

Dave(cldwdiver) this is Ted..... when we hitting this quarry??? I have this weekend off hint hint hint. any one else off this weekend want to check this out.??

 

[diver_paula]

I just got off the phone with the owners...

The quarry is open on weekends from 8:30am until the last diver leaves - typically around 10pm.

 

[diver_paula]

I'll be there this weekend. Haven't figured out if it'll be Saturday or Sunday yet.

Paula

 

[cldwdiver]

Hi Ted,

Yes, we will have to plan a trip. But this weekend I am off to the Manitou Islands for a charter my cousin put together.

A trip to this quarry is definitely in our future.

 

[diver_paula]

Plans are made. Brett (compression_nut), myself and another dive buddy will be meeting at the quarry on Sunday @ 9am.

If you are interested in joining us, let me know.

Paula

 

[Reggae Joe]

Have a good dive! Will we get to see some pix?

 

[gtxl1200]

Plans are made. Brett (compression_nut), myself and another dive buddy will be meeting at the quarry on Sunday @ 9am.

If you are interested in joining us, let me know.

Paula

I might try and make it I prefer saturday but I will see If Im not there dont wait on the dive for me.

 

[MSU99]

A buddy and I dove here on 07/13/07 and I would aggree with the statements regarding viz and thermocline. At that time the boat was down that went out to the sunken island so we did two shore dives. Off the one entry point you can see 2 cabin cruisers, a cessna, and a nose to a leer jet. Off the other that they call the boat launch they have two speed boats and a old pumphouse shack. They have one training platform in about 20-25 feet and talked about doing a deeper one.

The crew that run this seem like good people and from my disscussions with them they have some big plans at the site for the next 8-10 years.

 

[AirBreather]

I am one of the individuals who is involved in the operation of the Monroe Quarry So here is the straight scoop. It is open Sat. and Sunday from 8:30 AM until last diver is out. That is usually about 5:00 to 6:00 PM. Special arraignments can be made for diving during the week and night dives. Entry fee is $10.00. The quarry is 156 acres of water. That is a lot of water. At present we have one pontoon boat. For an additional $15.00 we provide boat ride and enough time for a two tank dive at remote locations of the Quarry. The depths vary for 50 to 120 feet. There is no beach access at this time. The site is “rustic” There are several old submerged buildings located at the far side of the quarry hence the need for the boat. There is a submerged island in the middle. It has a sheer walls on all sides but a lot of trees and vegetation on the top. Most people report seeing carp, bass, blue gill. Other than pontoon boats no power boats are allowed on the quarry. We have a training platform suspended at 20 feet for instructors who wish to do open water check outs. There are several submerged boats, one airplane(small)and a metal pump house we raised from 80 feet and moved to near the boat ramp. We have air fills available at the shop which is about a mile away. We would like everybody to call first, even for weekend dives, but it is not necessary. Call Brandon 734-731-5056, Steve 734-777-8965,. Bruce 313-363-6338 Keep in mind these are cell phones so if you do not get an answer leave a message, you will get a call back.
We plan great things for this place. We will be moving our dive shop to the site in the near future. We will have air fills on site. Gear sales and service and many more things to see and do. I will provide future updates as things change.