Quarry trained Divers

[The Horn]

RJP I would call that an adventure! dang cool......too bad I don't get sea sick on small boats or I could go for the whole adventure!

Quarries have thier own set of challenges that can give you a new experience. If you dive the quarry for "training" OW or AOW then thats just a training experience. If you dive a quarry for the adventure then things can get exciting...

1. Ice diving
2. Some wrecks.....some not ships...... but mining gear, old buildings, planes etc
3. some have mine shafts
4. silt and other rapidly Vis reducing agents
5. some have great vis and you can shoot cool video
6. Great first of the year get you stuff together dive place: same if you have new
gear to try

7. No big boat ride but you pull your truck up and giant stride off the tailgate!

8. Good for those storm stay days when you can't get out on the "open water"

Lots more reasons why a quarry is cool place to dive.....imagination is the key!

 

[drrich2]

Some quarries have submerged platforms which are useful for instructor & students to settle onto for demonstrating skills in open water check-out dives.

With a quarry you're not worrying about trainees trampling a coral reef. Of course, there's plenty of ocean without coral reef, but naturally I figure a lot of the well-known dive areas feature coral reefs.

I've dived at 2 quarries, a spring (basically like a quarry, where we were), and had dives on reefs at St. Thomas and eastern Puerto Rico. I found the open ocean psychologically intimidating at first; just knowing the quarry is only so large (even if it's entirely possible to die by drowning in it) and that I'm in 'old, familiar' freshwater was a comfort.

Richard.

 

[TxHockeyGuy]

When I was in Kona back in May the locals were complaining about 75* water and 80ft vis.

I told them they were all invited to NJ. No one has showed up yet though, maybe you'll be the first!

I remember when I was in Cayman the DM's complaining about the vis not being that great that day either. I have a different idea of good vis, it goes something like this.

5 ft, not bad.
10 ft, hey pretty good.
15 ft, wow.
15+ ft, yippee.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Thanks all for the input....I was just wondering why the original "Unnamed" poster almost acted like someone trained in a Quarry is somehow not quailfied to dive in the ocean or on the great lakes. I totally agree that every new evironment or dive conditions present new challenges to a diver and that you should get proper training/Orientation if applicable to the environment/conditions.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

I remember when I was in Cayman the DM's complaining about the vis not being that great that day either. I have a different idea of good vis, it goes something like this.

5 ft, not bad.
10 ft, hey pretty good.
15 ft, wow.
15+ ft, yippee.

TxHockeyGuy....those are about the same vis conditions we normally see. Gotta add temp to though
40-45 F = cold
45-50 F = cool
50-60 F = refershing
60-70 F = Warm
70+ F = Got Ice???

 

[RJP]

RJP, you don't exactly train a newbie diver in those conditions either though. Isn't that a dive you would have to work up to experience wise? Don't think it'd be a first time out after the good ol' OW type of deal.

The post was a pretty accurate description of Logged Dive #5 in my log book.

 

[tstormdiver]

I have been diving for a year & 3 mos. now. All my training (OW, AOW Rescue, Drysuit, deep, night & underwater navigation have been done in quarries. There are a few within 2 1/2hrs of me, which is important to me because of the price of gas. Out of the total 80 dives I have done so far, only 21 have been in the ocean. The quarries, I agree are good for triaining & refreshing, but I also have fun exploring around. The quarry I frequent most is alway adding new things. I also enjoy the ocean dives for the variety & the beauty of life on the reefs & wrecks. My first encounter with currents was on a drift dive in the Bahamas. It was a little disconcertng dealing with the currents at first, until I got used to them, & just went along for the ride. There were also a couple of reefs where we had to swim against the current, then dift back to the boat (difficult, but managable). Each place has it's good & bad points. I take each environment for what it is & enjoy it. I am even beginning to enjoy cold water diving (with my drysuit of course). Sometimes the low vis of a quarry can be frightening, but in the end it had made me more confident with my abilities. The roughness of the quarries makes the ocean diving much more enjoyable (we're talking the Caribbean in my case).

 

[Tanker299]

The post was a pretty accurate description of Logged Dive #5 in my log book.

Yep, that's pretty much it ...

 

[TxHockeyGuy]

TxHockeyGuy....those are about the same vis conditions we normally see. Gotta add temp to though
40-45 F = cold
45-50 F = cool
50-60 F = refershing
60-70 F = Warm
70+ F = Got Ice???

I'm a warm water wuss, so here's my chart.

85+ - No wetsuit needed.
80-85 - Core warmer needed.
75-80 - 3mm needed.
70-75 - 5mm needed.
<70 - 7mm with hood and gloves needed.

I did 3 dives recently in 78* water and by the third dive I was in a full 3mm and adding a core warmer. Coldest I've dove is 52* and I did that in a 7mm farmers john, hood, and gloves. I'm going to see if I can get away with just a normal full 7mm this year, I bet I have to add the core warmer.

 

[shurite7]

I have had the luxery of teaching in a querry in TX, the sea while living on the east end of Grand Cayman and now the murky lakes and resiviours of MT. Each offers a challenge;

The querry in TX had a very defenitive thermalcline, approx. 25-30 degrees. Viz could range from 5' to 25', colder the water better the viz. The main challenge for students was weight belt remove and replace while wearing 2 pc 5mm and 5mm gloves.

The east of Cayman was alway's windy. Inside the barrier reef it was at least 1' sea's, usually more. This provided the challenge of bc removal and replace for those going through their o/w. The wind would usually push them quite a way's from the boat if they didn't pay attention or have me reminding them to stay close to the boat. Beyond the barrier reef the swells could be 5'-7' making many, if not all, sea sick.

In MT the lakes are cold and viz can be less than 2'. The cold is the greatest challenge even while wearing dry suits. Also, having a float (which we call a target up here) draw's unwanted attention by boaters who want to come up to it and check it out. If you get out on a large lake the wind can pick up and make for a rough surface. Usually we can avoid this, but the weather can change quickly.

So far I have found MT and GCM to be the most challenging. I prefer the warmer waters but didn't alway's like the surface conditions on the east end. Usually here in MT the surface conditions are quite nice and I like that, but the cold can get to you and your students.

Salaam

Chris