Searching for the best quarry dive in USA

[Divin'Papaw]

Don't forget North Carolina. But I don't know if I would call any of these great dive quarries, they are places to get wet and practice skills when a trip to the coast is not practical. The visibility is not the greatest but some of these are decent with depths ranging from around 65 feet to a little over 100 ft.

North Carolina
Blue Stone Dive Resort (Thomasville, NC) weekends only April -November except by appointment during the week and off-season for groups of 8 or more.
Fantasy Lake (Rolesville, NC. near Raleigh)
Mystery Lake (Wendall, NC near Raleigh)
Lake Hickory (Hickory, NC)

We also have the NC PDRA (Piedmont Dive & Rescue Association) which owns 3 quarries in the state. There is an annual fee for membership which they send each member a key that fits the lock at all 3 quarries with 25/7/365 access. Overnight camping is allowed but the only facilities are port-a-potties, changing rooms, and staging areas. Each members is allowed to take up to 10 different guests twice each per year.

Also good for a freshwater rinse on the drive back to Indiana from Morehead City for some wreck diving!

Is Blue Stone the one with the tram that takes you around the quarry from the office/parking area with your gear?

 

[GreggS]

Also good for a freshwater rinse on the drive back to Indiana from Morehead City for some wreck diving!

Is Blue Stone the one with the tram that takes you around the quarry from the office/parking area with your gear?

Yes, it is.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Yes, it is.

That's a pretty nice quarry!! Apologies for the salt I introduced a few times to rinse my gear. I didn't know who I should send the apology note to.

 

[GreggS]

I know the owner very well. I'll pass along your sincere regrets.

 

[tursiops]

There used to be a website called crappydivesites.com that had a lot of quarries listed on it. Millbrook Quarry in Virginia was the number one listing.

 

[O-ring]

There used to be a website called crappydivesites.com that had a lot of quarries listed on it. Millbrook Quarry in Virginia was the number one listing.

I cannot find fault in that site's ranking algorithm.

 

[Rob9876]

There used to be a website called crappydivesites.com that had a lot of quarries listed on it. Millbrook Quarry in Virginia was the number one listing.

Looks like they closed in 2015, later re-opened, and then closed again last March: https://www.facebook.com/MillbrookQuarry/posts/233926698431575

 

[tursiops]

Looks like they closed in 2015, later re-opened, and then closed again last March: https://www.facebook.com/MillbrookQuarry/posts/233926698431575

The guy at Lake Phoenix is talking about taking over Millbrook.

 

[TTPaws]

The guy at Lake Phoenix is talking about taking over Millbrook.

It would work, only if they can figure a way to filter the flow (runoff) from the working quarry side. It had SO much mud it was hard to dive.

Juturna Springs, which I dove the first year it was open, seems to have everything they need to to open next year. It is too bad that I won't be able to dive the plane once they sink it next year. I think it will be a great teaching quarry like Phoenix is.