Quarry Diving: 500 Dives in a Quarry - Are You SERIOUS???
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I just did two more dives at Dutch yesterday. There were literally only me and my son by the main set of tables and one other couple of divers parked under the trees.
Our first dive was 73 minutes, we saw lots of the bass, trout, sunfish, lots of fry too. We grabbed some crayfish and fed the bass who wait inches from your mask for a treat. We swam down the ledge and through the forest at 76' before circling back up to the reef rocks, fire engine, and back to the bus, and platforms.
Second dive was 55 minutes where we dove to the Cessna and circumnavigated the island is sits on. The islands top is 25' and it drops to the 60' range so we stayed around 40' enjoyed the fry darting in and out of the Algae mats and sharp drop off with lots of interesting ledge formations.
I dove wet for the first time this year, at the platform on the way back I had 1000psi left so I bleed it down to 600, so I could have 500 on my safety stop and check my weighing. I had my 6lbs backplate on and two 2 lbsers in each pocket. I was able to get rid of both the weights and still had a tiny bit of air in my wing to keep me neutral. Was nice to know I didn't need any weights beside my BP.
All in all it was 2 fun quarry dives with 30-40' vis. Then my son made me go to the aquapark there and do the slides and such. Was a fun day!
Our first dive was 73 minutes, we saw lots of the bass, trout, sunfish, lots of fry too. We grabbed some crayfish and fed the bass who wait inches from your mask for a treat. We swam down the ledge and through the forest at 76' before circling back up to the reef rocks, fire engine, and back to the bus, and platforms.
Second dive was 55 minutes where we dove to the Cessna and circumnavigated the island is sits on. The islands top is 25' and it drops to the 60' range so we stayed around 40' enjoyed the fry darting in and out of the Algae mats and sharp drop off with lots of interesting ledge formations.
I dove wet for the first time this year, at the platform on the way back I had 1000psi left so I bleed it down to 600, so I could have 500 on my safety stop and check my weighing. I had my 6lbs backplate on and two 2 lbsers in each pocket. I was able to get rid of both the weights and still had a tiny bit of air in my wing to keep me neutral. Was nice to know I didn't need any weights beside my BP.
All in all it was 2 fun quarry dives with 30-40' vis. Then my son made me go to the aquapark there and do the slides and such. Was a fun day!
It did not seem to me that drewski's comments were directed at the inland diver who doesn't really have a choice. Maybe what he meant to say was this instead 
"Thou art not as the heathen whose lot is to toil inland and far from the sea. Thou livest next to the briny deep where go the ships and their manifold misfortunes; there is the leviathan, whom the Lord hath made to play therin. The Lord hath blest thee immensely. Thou lackest not for gear nor for training of any sort. Yet thou boardest not the boats, nor dost thou make part of any charter. Thou undertakest jouneys where thou playest in the depths that are the devise of man and thou rejecteth the many splendors laden on the table which the Lord hath prepared for thee before all ages. At the end of the age, thou shalt be numbered among the blue gill or the few blind creatures that habit the caverns measureles to man where nought but eternal darkness reigns. For not of the hopes of silver and gold or precious gems but of limestone didst thou adorn the temple of the Lord."
"Thou art not as the heathen whose lot is to toil inland and far from the sea. Thou livest next to the briny deep where go the ships and their manifold misfortunes; there is the leviathan, whom the Lord hath made to play therin. The Lord hath blest thee immensely. Thou lackest not for gear nor for training of any sort. Yet thou boardest not the boats, nor dost thou make part of any charter. Thou undertakest jouneys where thou playest in the depths that are the devise of man and thou rejecteth the many splendors laden on the table which the Lord hath prepared for thee before all ages. At the end of the age, thou shalt be numbered among the blue gill or the few blind creatures that habit the caverns measureles to man where nought but eternal darkness reigns. For not of the hopes of silver and gold or precious gems but of limestone didst thou adorn the temple of the Lord."
Here are some of my real photos of Dutch Springs - OK, it isn't Bonaire, but it's very pretty for a quarry!
BVickery
Contributor
I'm mere minutes from the ocean and the dive charters. The thing is, it is much cheaper to go dive the springs here. It costs me between $100-$125 for either a 2 tank or 3 tank dip in the Atlantic or up to $60 for a day of diving at the springs, some can be MUCH cheaper if you dive the parks.
I would love to be able to afford to head out every weekend to dive the ocean, but at over $100/pop, I can't afford it. The OP's son said it best, I'd rather be blowing bubbles than not blowing bubbles. I take the diving when/where I can.
A fond dive memory was playing with a small fresh water flounder in 5' of water (run from the main spring to the river @ Ginnie Springs). So Jim is right, you just need to look to see cool stuff.
I would love to be able to afford to head out every weekend to dive the ocean, but at over $100/pop, I can't afford it. The OP's son said it best, I'd rather be blowing bubbles than not blowing bubbles. I take the diving when/where I can.
A fond dive memory was playing with a small fresh water flounder in 5' of water (run from the main spring to the river @ Ginnie Springs). So Jim is right, you just need to look to see cool stuff.
Tristan.ak
Contributor
I loved those pictures! I wish I had vis like that and a place just like it here in Fairbanks! They were so cool, I was drooling over the shots, formations of rock, platforms, and the fish!!!
Mndiv
Contributor
Hey, I'm from Minnesota, and I can't say that were planning a tropical vacation any time soon. The attractions to quarry diving are many (almost every dive school in the area conducts ALL its dive in quarries):
1.) Its cheap!! If you can provide tank plus air fill, then often all you have to pay is the park entrance fee of a few bucks, if that!
2.) Local: Its close, we have quarries as close as 2 hours from our house, so it doesn't take much to get there, and its freshwater, so rinsing is not as big of an issue, making it easier on your gear. In regards to the techs you mentioned, we have quarries up to 450 ft deep so almost every level diver will find a challenge.
3.) You'd be surprised what some quarries have to offer, from very clear water and 40ft vis, to all the cool things people have dumped in them. Lake Ore-Be-Gone in northern Minnesota has cars, helicopters, a place, two mining rail cars, platforms, mining equipment, boats, and much more!
4.) You don't have to worry about surface conditions water, and more often then not, you will find easy shore access!
Like others have mentioned, its a thousand times better than no diving at all! I'm not speaking from much personal experience but I have researched the mines, looked at pictures and absolutely can't wait to dive more in them!!
Hope that clears things up a bit
1.) Its cheap!! If you can provide tank plus air fill, then often all you have to pay is the park entrance fee of a few bucks, if that!
2.) Local: Its close, we have quarries as close as 2 hours from our house, so it doesn't take much to get there, and its freshwater, so rinsing is not as big of an issue, making it easier on your gear. In regards to the techs you mentioned, we have quarries up to 450 ft deep so almost every level diver will find a challenge.
3.) You'd be surprised what some quarries have to offer, from very clear water and 40ft vis, to all the cool things people have dumped in them. Lake Ore-Be-Gone in northern Minnesota has cars, helicopters, a place, two mining rail cars, platforms, mining equipment, boats, and much more!
4.) You don't have to worry about surface conditions water, and more often then not, you will find easy shore access!
Like others have mentioned, its a thousand times better than no diving at all! I'm not speaking from much personal experience but I have researched the mines, looked at pictures and absolutely can't wait to dive more in them!!
Hope that clears things up a bit
I was lucky enough to live in Florida for 15 months and did some amazing diving there, in various springs. I did some sea dives too but journey time etc usually meant for a couple of hours diving we had a 12 hour day. Im back in UK now so never more than a couple of hours from the South coast and like to dive there, still not as often as i want to. About 20 minutes from me is this place Vobster Quay Inland Diving Centre its a nice site with very good facilities, i don't dive it as often as used to but i think variety being the spice of life you should just dive where and when you can. Always remember that one mans heaven is another mans hell, and vice versa of course.
ScubaSteve
Wow.....what a DB
To the OP.....Would you roll the inland FL springs (not the cave portions) into the "Quarry" group?
csmarsh188
Registered
Find me a local dive boat that will let my 12 year old daughter on it and i will go ocean dive. Until then its the quarribean for me. The worst part is, she is a fish and has better control than a lot of others I see.
Scott
Scott
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