slbrous
Registered
Having an unrelenting itch to get wet, I headed out to Moulton to dive the quarry.
At just before 10:00 AM, I followed in the owner/operator, Anthony, as he unlocked the gate and opened the place. Anthony was pleasant and made me feel welcome. The quarry itself is not large. I followed the outside wall, making it around in under 30 minutes, taking time to watch the sunfish and catfish, and look at the boats, bus, tubes and other curiosities. The pier extended approximately 30 feet over the water and was elevated 6 feet above the water level. There is a ladder from the pier to the water. There are two training platforms for dive training, which is offered.
Max depth I found, and confirmed by the owner/operator, was right at 60 feet.
Mimimum temp encountered was 61.5 degrees. First thermocline at 20-23 feet, second at about 35 feet. I had a 7mm wetsuit but broke the zipper before I even got in the water (hope I can get it fixed.) My 3/2mm wetsuit was not quit enough on the bottom.
Visibility was fair to poor. Down to 20 feet, visibility was 15 to 20 feet. Below 20 feet visibility dropped off rapidly. At 57 feet, visibility was 2 to 3 feet. Don't think it would get much better; I was the only diver in the water. There was a lot of suspended algae and silt. They did have rain yesterday so run-off may account for some. Bottom composition was mostly silt, with some rocks around the outside wall. Some areas of the bottom were black silt, making hard to judge the distance to the bottom. You didn't know you were there until you were a foot from the bottom.
Entry fee for a day is $15.00. Equipment rentals are available (don't remember the cost as I brought my own gear, but my recollection is it was reasonable) and tank fills are $4.00 (a second hand compressor setup, but good air.)
So, not the best diving in the world, will never be in National Geographic, but better than sitting on my bum at home. An okay dive spot for a short notice dive.
At just before 10:00 AM, I followed in the owner/operator, Anthony, as he unlocked the gate and opened the place. Anthony was pleasant and made me feel welcome. The quarry itself is not large. I followed the outside wall, making it around in under 30 minutes, taking time to watch the sunfish and catfish, and look at the boats, bus, tubes and other curiosities. The pier extended approximately 30 feet over the water and was elevated 6 feet above the water level. There is a ladder from the pier to the water. There are two training platforms for dive training, which is offered.
Max depth I found, and confirmed by the owner/operator, was right at 60 feet.
Mimimum temp encountered was 61.5 degrees. First thermocline at 20-23 feet, second at about 35 feet. I had a 7mm wetsuit but broke the zipper before I even got in the water (hope I can get it fixed.) My 3/2mm wetsuit was not quit enough on the bottom.
Visibility was fair to poor. Down to 20 feet, visibility was 15 to 20 feet. Below 20 feet visibility dropped off rapidly. At 57 feet, visibility was 2 to 3 feet. Don't think it would get much better; I was the only diver in the water. There was a lot of suspended algae and silt. They did have rain yesterday so run-off may account for some. Bottom composition was mostly silt, with some rocks around the outside wall. Some areas of the bottom were black silt, making hard to judge the distance to the bottom. You didn't know you were there until you were a foot from the bottom.
Entry fee for a day is $15.00. Equipment rentals are available (don't remember the cost as I brought my own gear, but my recollection is it was reasonable) and tank fills are $4.00 (a second hand compressor setup, but good air.)
So, not the best diving in the world, will never be in National Geographic, but better than sitting on my bum at home. An okay dive spot for a short notice dive.
