FiddlerOnTheRoof
Contributor
So I've been pondering on the idea of sharing my adventure dive at Verplank Quarry located next to the infamous Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, NY. Hope no one get's bored, but this was one of the most interesting dives I have ever done after the Doria. So I'll share it with you... The Quarry flooded in 1928 and is pristine, very cold, exquisitely clear turquoise waters and very deep. About 300+ feet deep! At the same time it is a very weird place to dive or swim as it is located under two 345,000-volt transmission lines that crackle on humid days and connect to its next door neighbor - Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. If the nuclear-plant world of “The Simpsons” were told not for laughs but with the gritty sensibility of “Breaking Away” or “Mystic River,” it could set an episode there. The area is frequented by the locals who like swimming in it and jump off the roofs of the partially submerged buildings. The quarry is surrounded by NO TRESPASSING signs everywhere! But my dive buddy, Chris, a security manager at the power plant, assures me we will not get in trouble...
It was the year 2000, a nice hot Summer morning, clear skies and a great day for a dive. My friend Chris and I suited-up for our dive and got ourselves ready with our double steel 120s, a couple of Aluminum 80s, pony bottles, fluids and yes... Apple sauce! As soon as we got in the water, a black, special-ops like helicopter hovered over us. Are we in trouble? But after about five nervous minutes and an OK from us, it left and we continued our adventure. The water was a nice 70 degrees at the surface and visibility was superb... I thought to myself that I was in Florida for a moment, and yes, it was that clear! A beautiful, but at the same time strange "panorama" surrounded us as we started our gradual descent to an area of submerged buildings, trucks, conveyor belts, pipes and tools left behind from the 1920's. It was like something out of the movie Resident Evil or an apocalyptic end of the world scenario. Everything was still in its place and well preserved since the 20s when it flooded! Our first stop was at 79 feet on a conveyor belt that lured us down to the black abyss. The water temperature was now in the low 30s. The thermocline hit us and the sun started to fade. We continued our descent and soon found ourselves at around 140 feet and a school of carp came out of nowhere to spook the hell out of us. As we continued we reached our planned depth of 210 feet. Visibility was still amazing, but the water was very cold even in our dry suites. Staying at 210 feet for a few brief minutes we started working our way along a ridge towards the area where the majority of the submerged buildings are located, including the three that you can see sticking out of the water. As we headed towards them, we followed the ridge separating us from a drop known to go down to 300 feet. Soon we were greeted by a long, huge eel that apparently resides down there in the black scary hole of cold water misery that stretches your imagination. A nice deep dive? Maybe another time...!
After a few minutes and a couple of deco stops we reached the top of the conveyor where we had dropped a couple of deco tanks, to be greeted once again by the ghostly apparitions of the local school of carp who seemed to enjoy watching this two strangers hanging at 140 feet, sipping on watermelon flavored cold water and apple sauce tubes. After a few more minutes we were escorted by our carp friends to the front, main entrance, of building number three... Chairs and tables along with an old typewriter still occupied this now vacant cement building as if waiting to take orders from the quarry costumers of the past. We made our way up the stairs and across to the middle building and exited out the window to a nearby smaller conveyor at about 75 feet. It was good to be able to see more of the surroundings as the sun began to make its presence more known. The water was getting warmer and we could now see more of the buildings and the post apocalyptic scenery. After a few more stops, we finally reached the area we started from, to be greeted by a team of local state police troopers. Crap Chris... we are getting busted I thought! But it seems they also enjoy this area for their training. So we escaped incarceration once again and finished our dive. It has been a few years, Chris moved away a couple of years after our dives at Verplank. But once in awhile and every-time I talk to him, it always comes up; our dive at the nuclear power plant as we call it. Will we go back? Should we have dove in the "radio active" waters? Chris swears he has been glowing green ever since! As for me, I try not to worry and enjoy talking about my "radio active" dive with my scuba buddies and look forward to tell my grandchildren of grandpas adventures! THE END
Peter
It was the year 2000, a nice hot Summer morning, clear skies and a great day for a dive. My friend Chris and I suited-up for our dive and got ourselves ready with our double steel 120s, a couple of Aluminum 80s, pony bottles, fluids and yes... Apple sauce! As soon as we got in the water, a black, special-ops like helicopter hovered over us. Are we in trouble? But after about five nervous minutes and an OK from us, it left and we continued our adventure. The water was a nice 70 degrees at the surface and visibility was superb... I thought to myself that I was in Florida for a moment, and yes, it was that clear! A beautiful, but at the same time strange "panorama" surrounded us as we started our gradual descent to an area of submerged buildings, trucks, conveyor belts, pipes and tools left behind from the 1920's. It was like something out of the movie Resident Evil or an apocalyptic end of the world scenario. Everything was still in its place and well preserved since the 20s when it flooded! Our first stop was at 79 feet on a conveyor belt that lured us down to the black abyss. The water temperature was now in the low 30s. The thermocline hit us and the sun started to fade. We continued our descent and soon found ourselves at around 140 feet and a school of carp came out of nowhere to spook the hell out of us. As we continued we reached our planned depth of 210 feet. Visibility was still amazing, but the water was very cold even in our dry suites. Staying at 210 feet for a few brief minutes we started working our way along a ridge towards the area where the majority of the submerged buildings are located, including the three that you can see sticking out of the water. As we headed towards them, we followed the ridge separating us from a drop known to go down to 300 feet. Soon we were greeted by a long, huge eel that apparently resides down there in the black scary hole of cold water misery that stretches your imagination. A nice deep dive? Maybe another time...!
After a few minutes and a couple of deco stops we reached the top of the conveyor where we had dropped a couple of deco tanks, to be greeted once again by the ghostly apparitions of the local school of carp who seemed to enjoy watching this two strangers hanging at 140 feet, sipping on watermelon flavored cold water and apple sauce tubes. After a few more minutes we were escorted by our carp friends to the front, main entrance, of building number three... Chairs and tables along with an old typewriter still occupied this now vacant cement building as if waiting to take orders from the quarry costumers of the past. We made our way up the stairs and across to the middle building and exited out the window to a nearby smaller conveyor at about 75 feet. It was good to be able to see more of the surroundings as the sun began to make its presence more known. The water was getting warmer and we could now see more of the buildings and the post apocalyptic scenery. After a few more stops, we finally reached the area we started from, to be greeted by a team of local state police troopers. Crap Chris... we are getting busted I thought! But it seems they also enjoy this area for their training. So we escaped incarceration once again and finished our dive. It has been a few years, Chris moved away a couple of years after our dives at Verplank. But once in awhile and every-time I talk to him, it always comes up; our dive at the nuclear power plant as we call it. Will we go back? Should we have dove in the "radio active" waters? Chris swears he has been glowing green ever since! As for me, I try not to worry and enjoy talking about my "radio active" dive with my scuba buddies and look forward to tell my grandchildren of grandpas adventures! THE END
Peter
Last edited:
