Question about Bainbridge Quarry in PA

[fq1234]

We're heading out to Bainbridge Sportsmen's Club this weekend for the first time.

We mostly dive Dutch but thought we'd check Bainbridge out.

The website and brouchure say that it goes down to 120 ft. but the map only shows depths of 90 ft.

Anyone know which part of the quarry is the deepest?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Spratman]

check out www.divepa.com. Most of the guys over on that site are all Bainbridge divers and can tell ya the layout of the quarry. Much colder than DS though....

 

[fq1234]

check out www.divepa.com. Most of the guys over on that site are all Bainbridge divers and can tell ya the layout of the quarry. Much colder than DS though....

Thanks for the info!

 

[acelockco]

Did you ever think about checking out Willow Springs Quarry?
It is not as deep as either with the deepest I have found at 55 feet, but the diving is really something different. First, even on the weekend you really almost have the place to yourself. The visibility and water color are very similar to that off New Jersey so it is great practice for that type of diving. There is also a lot to see down there including The Quest, a 72 foot boat submerged in about 40-45 feet of water and is intact. It makes a great place to practice wreck penetration.

The place is under new ownership this year, and the new owners are really cool folks. The camping area is a really beautiful wooded area with a stream running through it.

If you have any questions about it or would like a tour (If I am around I would love to show anyone around), just drop me a PM or better yet an e-mail.

Ace

 

[fq1234]

Did you ever think about checking out Willow Springs Quarry?
It is not as deep as either with the deepest I have found at 55 feet, but the diving is really something different. First, even on the weekend you really almost have the place to yourself. The visibility and water color are very similar to that off New Jersey so it is great practice for that type of diving. There is also a lot to see down there including The Quest, a 72 foot boat submerged in about 40-45 feet of water and is intact. It makes a great place to practice wreck penetration.

The place is under new ownership this year, and the new owners are really cool folks. The camping area is a really beautiful wooded area with a stream running through it.

If you have any questions about it or would like a tour (If I am around I would love to show anyone around), just drop me a PM or better yet an e-mail.

Ace

My buddy and I tried Willow Springs in June. We were really excited to see The Quest.

When we got in, we couldn't believe the poor vis. I could only see 2 feet in any direction. I don't know if that is normal for WS but it was kind of scarry since it was a new location for both of us.

We tried to hit the training platform first to get aquinted. We missed it somehow and I ended up standing on the bottom at which point another diver actually came down and kicked me in the head. I'm not sure if he even knew he had kicked me. All I could see was his fins and ankles.

We surfaced and swam out to the quest hoping it would be better out there.

We dropped down right next to eachother. I was watching my depth guage and was supprised to realize that I had stopped decending about 20 feet before the bottom. I wasn't sure why I had stopped because I couldn't see ANYTHING. I got on my hands and knees and realized that I was ontop of a cabin or something. If I had been 2 feet in front of where I was, I would have keep decending down into the wreck through a hole in the roof of whatever I was on top of.

I could not see my dive buddy and he could not see me, even though we were very close, he couldn't even see my strobe! We both surfaced and he called off the dive.

It was a disappointing trip.

I don't know if the vis is that bad all the time but I wouldn't go back there unless I was with a competent diver who knows the site.

I would still like to see the Quest though. I'm sure I'll make it back there sometime. I don't suppose you have a pic or two of the Quest?

I'll drop you a PM if I get the opportunity to go back out there. Most of my diving this fall will be with students and I don't want to take them somewhere that I'm not comfortable with yet, especially with the potentially bad vis and their experience level.

Hopefully I'll get a weekend to myself when my buddy and I can come out there.

Thanks for the offer and info.

 

[pir8]

Thats NE Diving Cold and dark.

My buddy and I tried Willow Springs in June. We were really excited to see The Quest.

When we got in, we couldn't believe the poor vis. I could only see 2 feet in any direction. I don't know if that is normal for WS but it was kind of scarry since it was a new location for both of us.

We tried to hit the training platform first to get aquinted. We missed it somehow and I ended up standing on the bottom at which point another diver actually came down and kicked me in the head. I'm not sure if he even knew he had kicked me. All I could see was his fins and ankles.

We surfaced and swam out to the quest hoping it would be better out there.

We dropped down right next to eachother. I was watching my depth guage and was supprised to realize that I had stopped decending about 20 feet before the bottom. I wasn't sure why I had stopped because I couldn't see ANYTHING. I got on my hands and knees and realized that I was ontop of a cabin or something. If I had been 2 feet in front of where I was, I would have keep decending down into the wreck through a hole in the roof of whatever I was on top of.

I could not see my dive buddy and he could not see me, even though we were very close, he couldn't even see my strobe! We both surfaced and he called off the dive.

It was a disappointing trip.

I don't know if the vis is that bad all the time but I wouldn't go back there unless I was with a competent diver who knows the site.

I would still like to see the Quest though. I'm sure I'll make it back there sometime. I don't suppose you have a pic or two of the Quest?

I'll drop you a PM if I get the opportunity to go back out there. Most of my diving this fall will be with students and I don't want to take them somewhere that I'm not comfortable with yet, especially with the potentially bad vis and their experience level.

Hopefully I'll get a weekend to myself when my buddy and I can come out there.

Thanks for the offer and info.

 

[fq1234]

I forgot to mention about our trip to Bainbridge.

We found the deep boat and the pipe but the line attached to it had been cut so we didn't venture too far down there.

We managed to get a lot of dive time in and saw several of the sites. I liked the facilities for the most part. There are tons of shaded picnic tables very close to the water for setting up gear. This was especially nice since it was in the 90's the day we went. The local divers were very friendly and fills were quicker than I'm used to.
The water was definately colder than dutch. I had 38 on the bottom, I usually get about 45 at dutch.

What really impressed me was the fish. There were tons of fish, even right at the entry point. There was a little boy sitting in a foot of water and a whole school of fish were swimming laps around him. There were schools of pretty large fish as well as endless amounts of medium and small fish.

We'll definately be back there, probably several times this winter since they appear to be open a lot over the winter.

 

[fq1234]

I confused this thread with the one that I started on www.divepa.com (as suggested by Spratman).

The post over there had some great replies and advice for seeing the deep part of the quarry, including the line that I was referring to. I just went to get a link to it but it seems as though the mod erased all the posts in the thread for some reason. Kind of a shame since others would have found it useful.

Anyways, if you're looking for some good info on local PA quarries, the people there can help you out.

 

[Spratman]

Glad it worked for ya. As far as Willow Springs, that's pretty much the viz anymore. It used to clear some during the winter. I didn't my nitrox cert Jan 2006 up there and viz was about 6ft. Good place to practice low viz dives and running reels, though.

 

[acelockco]

Actually, that was what the viz. used to be like at Willow. Now don't get me wrong, it is not clear 60 foot viz. of Dutch Springs, but it is not bad. It is not uncommon for me to see 20-30 feet of viz. there. Now to be honest, there have been a few times that I was there, where viz. was down to 2-3 feet.

It has been MUCH better in this last season though. The new owners have treated the water with bales of barley, which somehow clear up the water. Well it really worked.

Anyway, it is a great place to practice you skills, every diver should be comfortable in low viz. so when it actually happens to them they won't panic.