Gilboa - Tips & Secrets For A First Time Visit?

[rhwestfall]

With the Lake here being too unpredictable, and charter scheduling and costs factored in, my instructor has brought up the idea of traveling to Gilboa to finish out our tech program.

Seems to be a good idea, but having never been there, I'm asking for any tips & suggestions regarding a trip there. We are about 5.5 hours or so away, so I just want to get things right.

Thanks in advance.

 

[AlexL]

first up, FIVE MILE PER HOUR speed limit behind the gate. seriously.

the morning form fill out / registration process can be chaotic when its busy. sometimes people don't handle this well. bring your morning drink of choice in a thermos and a heaping dose of chill out. paperwork is on tethered clipboards inside the main office area.

some local hotels will offer a discount if you mention you're diving at gilboa.

we stick to the shallow side, so primitive camping friday-sunday makes a lot of sense, as you can park your vehicle near the rec docks and not have to transport gear from the main parking to the rec setup areas. there's also RV areas, but call ahead to confirm for those. if you're not camping or an instructor, vehicles stay in the main parking area. if you're camping / staying there, and plan to show up late in the evening, call ahead early! they usually close the gate between 9pm and 10pm, but if they are not expecting people late, they'll shut down early.

wagons are provided for moving your gear to and from the parking area to the shallow side setup areas, not for setting up wagon circles around your unused gear. take them back to the front area after lugging gear, and don't get all twisted up if someone 'steals' 'yours'.

deep side access is right across from the main parking area, next to the bath house. if its slow, usually the tech guys park right next to the dock access; if its a weekend, dump gear and park in the main parking, otherwise that area can turn into a traffic jam. this is not good, as thats where the ambulance needs to be when things go pear shape.

deep side diving requires gear inspection and filed dive plans.

one and only one viz sticker on tanks.

 

[BoneCrusher]

Alex had lots of good points. As stated, the best thing to bring is plenty of PATIENCE! The place can get chaotic and there are lots of rules to learn and follow. Gilboa is a great place to train and learn. Don't know who you are doing your instruction with, but if they don't have a lot of experience at Gilboa or know Mike (the owner) I would recommend the instructor call and talk to Mike prior to getting there to make sure everything is up to Mike's standards for deep or techincal training at the quarry with the instructor.

In terms of the deep side, it can be cold, murky, and dark. I would plan for that. For some reason, I tend to get that special "narc'ed" feeling diving the deep side of Gilboa that I don't get even on a 300' wreck out in the Great Lakes. I think because of that there have been accidents in the past and Mike (the owner) does everything he can to make sure there are no accidents. However, there are days that the deep side wall can be very beautiful when the sun is out and is a great place for pictures with divers.

 

[AlexL]

FWIW, temps this weekend were 50f at the surface, 46f at the bus (30'), and 42f at the tubes (60'). viz was about 60'.

the local shops here have announced 'local dive season' starting early July, but even then i expect it to be cold in the shallows and cold in the deep.

 

[rhwestfall]

Mid May trip is being planned right now.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'm headed there the weekend of the 13th and 14th for some fun diving and have a solo student coming to do his checkouts. Prices have also gone up. 28 per person if you're not an instructor. If possible I like to get there the day before I plan on diving and get the paperwork filled out then. We are driving up on Friday and actually not diving until Saturday so we will get there early enough to fill out the paperwork, go get checked into the hotel, and then Saturday morning will be much easier. If you want nitrox fills plan on having the tanks there the day before and picking them up in the morning of the following day. They PP Blend so it takes some time.
As for the deep side. I have had 150 feet of vis there on a Memorial Day weekend. Holiday weekends are normally not busy at all. The least amount of vis I have had on the deep side, on busy weekends was 60 ft plus. The deep side normally stays clearer. Especially on weekends when the OW students are trashing the vis on the shallow side. That same week we had great vis deep we had 90 ft on the shallow side Monday thru Friday. When the OW classes started showing up it went to 30.
Deep side rarely gets much above 40 degrees. However the dock is normally not crowded and set up is easy and with plenty of room. On the shallow side it can get like a freeway rush hour.

 

[BoneCrusher]

I'm headed there the weekend of the 13th and 14th for some fun diving and have a solo student coming to do his checkouts..

Same weekend as the GLWC Spring Meet and Greet!

We have the turn around reserved and will be hanging out there between dives.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'll be sure to stop by and say hello!