Quarry Diving: 500 Dives in a Quarry - Are You SERIOUS???

[Davemohio]

Drewski, although this was posted about 5 months ago, I have JUST seen it. I am quite sure you are referring to me congratulating a good friend, dive buddy and fellow Instructor, who I admire tremendously. The fine gentleman in question is a Fantastic Advocate of Diving in general and is a personal Diving Mentor of mine.. I know he has in excess of 1300 career dives (Many off the coast of NC) and around the world and has certified hundreds of students. (My wife and two children are amongst these) His decision to dive in our fine local Quarry is primarily due to it being a good training Location and the most convenient place to conduct classes. While we willingly joke about his 500+ "Quarry Dives" we also know his qualifications.

You missed the excitement.

And one of my favorite threads!

It has been 4 weeks since my last quarry dive..feeling withdrawls already..

 

[FM1520]

I'm in the opposite situation, near the mighty Pacific and wish there was access to a calm quarry. At times the surf is just too rough, surge is strong, parking is a problem as well as a long walk to the beach. It's nice to have a place without currents and waves and just be able to swim underwater or try out your gear. And rinsing is easier from a fresh water dive.

Adam

Good point Adam. I live in San Diego so some of the best diving in the country is in my backyard (literally), I was in Virginia last month on business and dove Lake Rawlings. It was my first fresh water dive and kind of nice. Bottom line: You have to dive whats in your area, I dive La Jolla shores and Wreck Alley off Point Loma not because its spectacular but because its all I've got.

 

[vladodessit]

When we cannot go boat diving with my 10 year old-we jump in our (fairly small) pool. We don't even put fins on in our pool, no point. Actually, I believe it was pretty beneficial, especially to my son. He got very comfortable with the gear this way. Last Saturday local Sport Chalet had "pictures with SCUBA Santa" day. We went too. From what I understand, it was meant to be for kids to do "discover scuba" thingy. It turned out that out of 16 people that were there before us that day (they started couple of hours before we came), only 1 was not certified and my son was only 3rd child Mostly 30 to 50 something old men decided to take pictures with Santa that day

I guess divers are this way. It doesn't really matter how you get wet. If we had quarry around-we would dive it too, on regular basis.

 

[offthewall1]

Sorry, but I've learned over time that provocative titles on Scuba Board seem to get better reads, LOL.

In truth, however, I'm having difficulty understanding the attraction to East Coast quarry diving. Sure, I dive quarries. I use them for warm-ups, gear testing and training skill dives. A few weeks ago, I was speaking with another instructor who had just congratulated a fellow diver for logging his 500th quarry dive at Lake Rawlings, Virginia. 500 dives in a quarry? Really?

Surprisingly enough, and what I really find AMAZING, is the number of divers that show up at these places each weekend. Some dive shops do ALL training there. I've seen divers with custom dry suits, cave rigged doubles, side mount systems, stage bottles and now - get this - rebreather systems with dual computers and full bail-out support. Doing some quick math, one individual was walking around wearing at least $12,000 in gear. Most of this gear looks brand new, with little sun wear and undoubtedly has never tasted salt. Perplexing, given that millions of these people live only a short drive from an ocean with outstanding opportunity. Some folks actually drive further to dive a quarry, than a shorter ride to a boat dock.

So, I'm asking. What is the attraction? Is it easy, cheap, or is it what you trained in? I can understand some of that, but it sure seems to me that if you're willing to spend thousands of dollars on the latest gear, drive several hours in traffic, then wait through long lines of divers at these places, you'd at least want to dive where you get to see more than well-fed Blue Gills and rusty cars?

Please, post some feedback!

BTW, here's what you're missing:

[vimeo]26704030[/vimeo]

Drewski,

I have two answers.

1. There is no attraction to quarry diving. There is a fear of real diving. After watching the phenomena for 15 years now... I have come to the conclusion that most of these divers - especially the really techie oriented ones are "wannabe's." I know people who quarry dive all year long... some of them even break the ice in winter at the local quarry... but almost none of them will consider a trip to dive Alaska, Antarctica or for that matter things like the Great Llakes or St Lawrence... and the farthest thing from their mind is any offshore upper east coast diving. They prance around like they're gods gift to get the oohs and aaahs from the rest of the recreational divers at the quarry... but what's really funny - is that most of the recreational divers at the quarry dive travel more and dive far more challenging locations going to deeper depths than the techies.

2. My second answer is what most of them will claim. They're saving up for a big trip... or they just don't have the money to travel right now - so better to get wet at the local quarry then no diving at all. I always laugh at this...because here is this techie - with as you noted - $12,000 worth of gear... but can't afford a dive trip. You know, maybe you should have spent $6K on the gear and took a $6K trip? They don't do this because they want and need the excuse... the excuse to not have to do any real diving.

With all that said... I'm not just out to pick on techies. Some of these people are the real deal... but even they - among themselves can identify the wannabe's... and I bet most techies would agree with me... that there are more wannabe's than real techies. Seriously... how many routinely make trips to the Doria or do deep cave penetrations? It's a very small number in the scope of things.

I laugh when I see people with all this high-end tech gear - even doing wreck dives along most of the east coast that sit within recreational limits... because none of it is needed. In almost all cases it is overkill. If the trip is set up as a tech trip where everyone will be doing extended bottom times and deco hangs... fine - it makes sense... But when these guys (and it's always guys - lady techies have more sense) show up on a recreational charter with doubles and stage bottles and jump reels and lift bags and ... you know... and they get back on the boat the same time as everybody else... they really look quite silly.

So do what I do when I'm at the quarry... walk over to them and admire their gear... talk it up... tell them how great it all is... and then ask them where they've been with all that gear... you'll always amuse yourself and get a good chuckle when they stumble and bumble around trying to make up an answer... You and I both know we can tell the real ones from the wannabe's.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Drewski,

I have two answers.

1. There is no attraction to quarry diving. There is a fear of real diving. After watching the phenomena for 15 years now... I have come to the conclusion that most of these divers - especially the really techie oriented ones are "wannabe's." I know people who quarry dive all year long... some of them even break the ice in winter at the local quarry... but almost none of them will consider a trip to dive Alaska, Antarctica or for that matter things like the Great Llakes or St Lawrence... and the farthest thing from their mind is any offshore upper east coast diving. They prance around like they're gods gift to get the oohs and aaahs from the rest of the recreational divers at the quarry... but what's really funny - is that most of the recreational divers at the quarry dive travel more and dive far more challenging locations going to deeper depths than the techies.

2. My second answer is what most of them will claim. They're saving up for a big trip... or they just don't have the money to travel right now - so better to get wet at the local quarry then no diving at all. I always laugh at this...because here is this techie - with as you noted - $12,000 worth of gear... but can't afford a dive trip. You know, maybe you should have spent $6K on the gear and took a $6K trip? They don't do this because they want and need the excuse... the excuse to not have to do any real diving.

With all that said... I'm not just out to pick on techies. Some of these people are the real deal... but even they - among themselves can identify the wannabe's... and I bet most techies would agree with me... that there are more wannabe's than real techies. Seriously... how many routinely make trips to the Doria or do deep cave penetrations? It's a very small number in the scope of things.

I laugh when I see people with all this high-end tech gear - even doing wreck dives along most of the east coast that sit within recreational limits... because none of it is needed. In almost all cases it is overkill. If the trip is set up as a tech trip where everyone will be doing extended bottom times and deco hangs... fine - it makes sense... But when these guys (and it's always guys - lady techies have more sense) show up on a recreational charter with doubles and stage bottles and jump reels and lift bags and ... you know... and they get back on the boat the same time as everybody else... they really look quite silly.

So do what I do when I'm at the quarry... walk over to them and admire their gear... talk it up... tell them how great it all is... and then ask them where they've been with all that gear... you'll always amuse yourself and get a good chuckle when they stumble and bumble around trying to make up an answer... You and I both know we can tell the real ones from the wannabe's.

Other than bashing tech wannabees, I'm not really sure what your point is.

As to those of us who use 'techie' gear, as you call it, on recreational dives, you're missing a key point. Let's discuss doubles specifically. Doubles aren't just 'techie' gear. It's simply gear that has a purpose. I know many wreck divers who are completely recreational divers, but who dive doubles for the redundancy, stability, ballast to offset drysuit and heavy undies, and the nice added benefit of not needing to swap tanks between dives. While I've had some tech training, I'm not a 'techie'. I don't pretend to be. I do, however, typically dive what you would call a 'techie' setup. Drysuit, steel doubles, long hose, can light. Why? Because it's the rig I'm most comfortable in and that I use for the dives I most enjoy ... cold water wrecks in the 'deep' recreational range ... 80-130'. Doubles aren't solely for use in decompression diving. It's a proper tool for those type of dives. I don't see how that somehow makes me a joke or a 'wannabe'.

How this applies to 500 dives in a quarry, I have no idea! I dive quarries alot. I LIVE IN INDIANA for crying out loud! I get up to the Great Lakes, out to NC or down to Florida when I can, but the quarries are a fraction of the distance. Diving them sure beats not diving at all!

 

[herbdb]

Drewski,
There is no attraction to quarry diving. There is a fear of real diving.

This has to be one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever read on SB. You really think people dive quarries because they are scared of "real" diving.

I love my quarry diving, I can just pop over with my sons and grandson and grab a few dives. A season pass to my local quarry, Dutch Springs, is $200. A great value. A day at Dutch is also a social experience, a picnic with friends in a pleasant setting. People bring grills, lawn chairs and awnings to make it a day. I can always find someone from my dive club there.

I did my checkout in the Bahamas and did not think I would enjoy the quarry, well I was wrong. Last year, we made two trips to the Keys, one to Bonaire, NC wreck diving and a few days of black water fossil diving in SC.

I love going to different places to dive and wish I had started much earlier in life but I still look forward to my quarry diving.

 

[fjpatrum]

Other than bashing tech wannabees, I'm not really sure what your point is.

As to those of us who use 'techie' gear, as you call it, on recreational dives, you're missing a key point. Let's discuss doubles specifically. Doubles aren't just 'techie' gear. It's simply gear that has a purpose. I know many wreck divers who are completely recreational divers, but who dive doubles for the redundancy, stability, ballast to offset drysuit and heavy undies, and the nice added benefit of not needing to swap tanks between dives. While I've had some tech training, I'm not a 'techie'. I don't pretend to be. I do, however, typically dive what you would call a 'techie' setup. Drysuit, steel doubles, long hose, can light. Why? Because it's the rig I'm most comfortable in and that I use for the dives I most enjoy ... cold water wrecks in the 'deep' recreational range ... 80-130'. Doubles aren't solely for use in decompression diving. It's a proper tool for those type of dives. I don't see how that somehow makes me a joke or a 'wannabe'.

How this applies to 500 dives in a quarry, I have no idea! I dive quarries alot. I LIVE IN INDIANA for crying out loud! I get up to the Great Lakes, out to NC or down to Florida when I can, but the quarries are a fraction of the distance. Diving them sure beats not diving at all!

As with most things in life, a generic, "one size fits all" description of a group is not right for every member of that group. I can guarantee you, though, that many of the folks diving our local quarry here in NoVA (Millbrook quarry) fit Offthewall's description to a tee.

I've got about 6 or 7 dives at that quarry including my OW cert dives, and from the first moment these guys were all over the place. When I asked a couple of them (in different groups on separate occasions) where they dive they said "here". When checking out gear before I bought my BPW I was talking to a guy diving doubles, long hose, etc etc about his configuration he gave me all sorts of good reasons for the doubles and the long hose. He'd literally never dived anywhere but the quarry and supposedly had almost 200 dives. One of the local instructors boasts about how he can dive the quarry with a blindfold and find every feature. He only does one diving trip per year outside the quarry-- that includes getting to our local coastal waters or diving any of the local rivers. I'm not saying he's not qualified but he certainly doesn't get much variation to his skill set. He's okay with that. So are plenty of others... I'm not.

The description may not fit you, or even be applicable to those in the midwest who don't have easy options for something other than quarry diving, but it is definitely accurate for a reasonable number of "quarry divers", especially here in the mid-Atlantic region.

 

[DevonDiver]

If a quarry was all I had available for regular diving, then I'd be in a quarry. It beats being on the sofa talking about diving on the internet.

 

[Hank49]

If a quarry was all I had for diving...I'd move.

Just kidding. You quarry dives inspire me. You REALLY love diving.

 

[DevonDiver]

If a quarry was all I had for diving...I'd move.

I did

My first 6 years of diving were predominantly in an icy UK quarry. It was an 8 hour drive to the coast and I was poor (well, married... same thing).

If I were visiting back home, and had a drysuit available, I'd still splash in for old times sake. Got some nice Pike in there... and you can get a mean bacon and egg sandwich during your surface interval... and waterside pub for a hot pie and pint afterwards

Actually, a lot of tech training in the UK is carried out in quarries... beats the inevitable weather cancellations.