Martha's Quarry

[Wayward Son]

the quarry I'm thinking of had a small metal building, shallow, near where we entered the water. It had a bullet hole in the door knob, looked like from a .22.

Below the cliff on the entry/parking side were some cars that had been run over the cliff. They were fairly deep, I think around 100 FFW or so.

 

[mike_s]

where exactly is this? I'm thinking that it's a quarry I used to dive as a teen ager, but then it had no name & no one ran it. It was free. Park, hike down & dive.

Google Maps Link - Google Maps


link from marthasquarry.com

 

[Wayward Son]

that's very close to the site. Back then, 109 hit I-40, crossed and ended. As I recall the quarry was right there, on the east side of the road.

Now, 109 goes all the way through & there's a road & small parking area where I recall there being a quarry. Doesn't look like the quarry could have ever even been there.

Next time we make it up for a visit I'll have to go see this place.

 

[Digger54]

that's very close to the site. Back then, 109 hit I-40, crossed and ended. As I recall the quarry was right there, on the east side of the road.

Now, 109 goes all the way through & there's a road & small parking area where I recall there being a quarry. Doesn't look like the quarry could have ever even been there.

Next time we make it up for a visit I'll have to go see this place.

The quarry you are thinking about was right next to I-40 and Hwy 109. Small in size. When 109 was extended and the exit modified, I believe it was totally eliminated. I had heard there were some cars in there, but we used to go there shooting. In hindsight it seemed like a dangerous place, with unsupervised target shooting and all. I sure would not have wanted to be down in the water with potential for shots being sent in my direction. Martha's is much larger than that and you can see from the map it is a little distance from I-40 and 109. No cars there. There is supposed to be a pickup truck, but I've never seen it. And there is a large tour bus upright on the bottom.

 

[Wayward Son]

funny thing is, we never saw anyone else there when we dove it. kind of a shame, to be wiped out. I did quite a few dives there.

 

[Sevenfeet]

I went out to Martha's today, not to dive but to check in on Fred and ask him to service some of my gear he'd sold me over a decade ago. I'll dive next weekend when I know the seals in my regulators are up to snuff.

I hadn't been out to Martha's in a couple of years...not since the new entrance was constructed. I had gone out the previous weekend only to see the old entrance locked...I thought Fred had retired and gone to Vietnam but then I came here and found out otherwise.

The new dive site is a lot better just for the shade alone from the trees. The old site had lots of open space but the sun would kill you after a while. The new wooded area with the chickens makes more sense and the entrance to the water is a lot closer. The only problem now is that the pump houses are a much longer swim....the sunken bus is closer now. Fred's air fill station is still down...he's going to pull the engine on it this week and see if he can get the thing fixed but bring your own air in the meantime.

Barring bad weather I'll return next weekend to get in the water.

 

[CrazyUncle]

Was thinking of coming down in September to dive Martha's. Never been there before and don't know the area. Can anyone give me some leads on hotels close by? No offense to anyone at the quarry, just wondering if it's worth a 5 hour drive to come down there. The website is not very informative. Thanks

 

[Mopar]

It is alright for a quarry. I have not seen any quarries I am crazy about due to the cold water, but I do like Marthas. Fred had told us last year that you can camp there for a fee. I dont know of any motels in the area. I am shore there is some I just dont know where they are.

 

[mike_s]

Was thinking of coming down in September to dive Martha's. Never been there before and don't know the area. Can anyone give me some leads on hotels close by? No offense to anyone at the quarry, just wondering if it's worth a 5 hour drive to come down there. The website is not very informative. Thanks

see post #26 for a link to hotels. most are in Lebanon just an exit or two down. LOTS of hotels at that exit.


Is it worth a 5 hour drive? Most will say no to that on ANY quarry that is a 5 hour drive.. (just my opinion).


Martha's is cold. However, it's one of the only quarries that has the old crusher buildings in it that you can swim through. So it's odd it has those compared to other dive quarries. So it's pretty neat.

so based on that, I think it might be worth driving to once. . I mean heck, people drive 5-10 hours to dive at Vortex Springs.... so why not give this a shot.

 

[Sevenfeet]

Is it worth a 5 hour drive? Most will say no to that on ANY quarry that is a 5 hour drive.. (just my opinion).


Martha's is cold. However, it's one of the only quarries that has the old crusher buildings in it that you can swim through. So it's odd it has those compared to other dive quarries. So it's pretty neat.

so based on that, I think it might be worth driving to once. . I mean heck, people drive 5-10 hours to dive at Vortex Springs.... so why not give this a shot.

Cold compared to what? I've been diving Martha's on and off for a decade in nothing more than a skin suit usually. During the hot summer, it's pretty comfortable until the first thermocline (30 ft or so, variable during the year). Then it cools off in a hurry. If you want to visit the bus, bring your 6mm...the cold at 50ft will go right through you.


A five hour drive is a bit much for a quarry. A five hour drive to sit and talk to Fred between dives and have him spin old war stories is downright fascinating.