Most unique dive in Alabama?

[Evans]

I know "most unique" isn't really english, but anyway...

I am looking for dives in Alabama that I can do on a whirlwind tour soon. They have to be recreational (less than 100 ft), legal, and preferably shore or otherwise easy-access dives (preferably fresh water) that an experienced diver would not need a guide to do.

What is the most unique such dive in Alabama--quarry, lake, river, spring, submerged missle silo, or whatever? Is there a single dive that is so strange or kooky that it is totally unique to Alabama? Or classic famous dives, maybe. Just a few names for me to research would be really helpful. Thanks.

PS, I may be asking the same question about other southern states soon. Hope no one minds.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Not much to offer as far as shore, saltwater dives. You have the Whiskey Wreck, which is ~150m offshore, it can be a great dive - being a 200+' boat... although, it can also be a non-existant dive while being covered by sand(which it was in Dec).

The only other saltwater shore dives to speak of are the jetties, which aren't unique in any right(P'Cola, Destin, PC, all have em).

I don't know of any decent springs to dive in AL.

Huntsville has a quarry, Rock Divers, that you can dive and it contains quite a few boats, an F4 Phantom fighter jet, sections of mockup space station, a 60' minuteman missle, silo's, and all kinds of other junk. Depths don't get too out of hand at 50-60' if that.

There's another quarry in/near Pelham with a sailboat - sail unfurled and raised. Not sure what else is there, but depths can get pretty deep.

Offshore, there are lots of shipwrecks (3) 400+' liberty ships, WWII planes, rigs, tanks, ect...

 

[Rick Murchison]

One of our favorites is the old Kowaliga bridge, which collapsed into Lake Martin when the state was attempting to disassemble and remove it. The old roadbed is on the bottom with the supporting structure piled under and around it like pick-up-sticks.
Max depth is only about 60' at full pool. Right now the lake is down about 10' so max is about 50'.
What time frame?
S

 

[steelslinger]

I wouldn’t say it is “most unique” but Blue Water in Pelham (Birmingham) offers some pretty good diving. Last year viz averaged over 35’ and we have plenty to see. Depths get over 150 but all “sites” are in under 90’ of water. All sites deeper than 100’ consists of only rocks and beer cans.
http://www.divealabama.com/
This is just a short list of what is at Blue Water.
School bus
Sail boat
2 Fire trucks from the 30s
Boats
Steel box
Computer
Satellite dish
Cars and trucks of different makes and models
A freshwater dolphin
Pipes 8’ diameter and 16’ long
A bed of beer cans

 

[mike_s]

I know "most unique" isn't really english, but anyway...

I am looking for dives in Alabama that I can do on a whirlwind tour soon. They have to be recreational (less than 100 ft), legal, and preferably shore or otherwise easy-access dives (preferably fresh water) that an experienced diver would not need a guide to do.

What is the most unique such dive in Alabama--quarry, lake, river, spring, submerged missle silo, or whatever? Is there a single dive that is so strange or kooky that it is totally unique to Alabama? Or classic famous dives, maybe. Just a few names for me to research would be really helpful. Thanks.

.

Well here's a good list of stuff to choose from.

From what I know, there are 3 quarries that operate as dive parks. Blue Water in Birmingham, Glencoe near Gasden, Rock Divers near Huntsville. Rock Divers has a minute man missile and a F4 fighter, plus some other stuff. Don't know about Glencoe. Bluewater has what Steeleslinger stated. There is also a quarry open now for diving in Moulton, but it has no great features. Only large items sunk are a sailboat and a bus.


SuPrBuGmAn covered the Gulf Shores area pretty well.

The guy who runs Southern Skin Diver Supply in Birmingham is a big "civil war" item collector and does dives in many of Alabama Rivers collecting cannon balls, muskets, etc. However, since you stated "legal" as a requirement, you should know that while filming a show for Discovery channel on the subject they were arrested for "plundering" state historical resources. The case is to go to trial soon and there is a new law in the works. Basically it was a conservation officer arresting him for a bogus reason. You might contact them about doing some of this type of diving, but also know the legal issues going on with first.

SDI does "Tennessee River Dives" on Wednesday night in Florence. I've never been on one and the vis isn't great, but you could check them out for that. (http://www.sdiscuba.com I think).


Another interesting dive is the UAT at the Space and Rocket NASA center. I dove it several years ago with someone who worked there... It's in the museum and is basically a 20 or 30 foot tank that's around 20 feet deep that they take kids from Space Camp in to show them diving and give them an example of "weightlessness" that the astronauts experience. The tourists in the museum can view the tank through portholes. it's not open to the public for diving though. Still might qualify as an "interesting" dive though if you can "arrange" it.

NASA used to have a large about 50 foot deep tank that was about 5 million gallons here that they did astonaut training in, but that's all done in Houston now and the tank here is either empty or dismantled. (not sure which) Too bad we can't dive that now. I've been to it before, but I've never dove it.

Next summer the USS Oriskany is going to be sunk off the coast of Pensacola. I'm sure there will be some dive charters leaving from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Alabama as well. (something to think about if your trip is that far away).


Resources to click on for your research.
http://www.rockdivers.com
http://www.divealabama.com
http://www.headsouth.com/diveland/
http://www.ssdsupply.com/
http://www.spacecamp.com/spacecamp/sims/uat.php
http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/butowsky4/space17.htm
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/aviation/neu.htm
http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/USA_/Alabama_/index.htm


enjoy -mike

 

[adder70]

This is just a short list of what is at Blue Water.
...
A freshwater dolphin

Would this be a living dolphin, as in the Amazon pink type?
http://www.isptr-pard.org/dolphin.html

If so, is there only one, and how did it get there? I am usually not a nature preservation freak, but having a social animal completely alone is really cruel. (Plus, it's endangered.) If noone wants to send it home, maybe another, or even a few, can be brought in for interaction. (OK, bad, due to endangered status.) Of course, if the site is connected to rivers, etc, that could pose a threat to the local species if they start breeding.

 

[mike_s]

Would this be a living dolphin, as in the Amazon pink type?
http://www.isptr-pard.org/dolphin.html

heh. Nope. I think steeleslinger was "pulling your leg" a little.

There is a "freshwater dolphin", but it's not the Amazon pink type.

It's the "Fiberglass" type and is moored to the bottom.


See it in this picture on their website (look at pic in bottom right corner)

http://www.divealabama.com/gallery_3.htm

 

[steelslinger]

It is fiberglass but I have used it to win many bets over there being a fresh water dolphin in that quarry.

 

[mike_s]

I know this thread is "old", but I saw on Deep Sea Detectives the other night that they were diving in Mobile Bay on the USS Tecumseh.

Now that would be a "neat Alabama Dive"


However, they weren't able to actually touch the wreck. They found it with a magnatomator but it was buried under the sand.

For those who don't remember, it was one of the Civil War Ironclads. It was
sunk off the shore of Fort Morgan and the mouth of Mobile Bay.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Dredge that beast up and sink it in a shore divable location!