Report from Brownstone Quarry - 7/20/08

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shotthebreeze

Contributor
Messages
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Location
CT, Boston & Cape Cod
# of dives
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So, a friend of mine and I headed down to Brownstone Quarry in Portland CT yesterday and we were a little disappointed. She bashed the place on the ScubaToys forum, so I wanted to just tell you folks what happened. It wasn't all that bad, but I think we only logged 21 minutes of bottom time in 1-3 feet of visibility before we packed up and called it quits. While we were down there we caught a glimpse of a few fish and explored a truck they had sunk. Most of the other divers were diving dry, while we had 7 mils on with gloves, boots, etc. The surface temperature was 89 degrees, the water temperature was about 70-75 degrees and below the thermocline was bone chilling...somewhere around 45 or so.

We wanted to get some dives in before our AOW, but I think this might have scared us a bit. As I said, the visibility wasn't great and it was cold because it was spring fed (partially our fault for not diving dry). We're going to try a spot in Groton by Aivery Point on Wednesday to try our luck in the ocean. It's a small 30ft dive site, but we've heard from a close relative that the ocean is much better than fresh water diving, especially at slack tide. The relative initially recommended Fort Wetherill in RI, which is supposed to be beautiful, but its too much of a drive right now for some inexperienced 20 year olds.

Any thoughts on the differences between freshwater and saltwater? And I'm sure some of you seasoned vets have a better understanding on what it's like to dive at Brownstone. I'm excited to hear your thoughts and opinions...
 
Ah the good ole' Brownstone!

My brother and I did several dives there in June, and since he lives in the area he dives there all the time. We were in the water several hours each time. It is a very unique site, too bad that your friend felt the need to bash it on the ScubaToys forum.

When I was there the viz in the shallow end of the quarry at the surface and the platforms at 25' was between 5-7 feet. Water temps were in the 60's. There are several sunken platforms and boats to play around in this area with lines leading to each location.

In the deeper part of the quarry (65-70') the water temps were about 40 degrees but the visibility improved remarkably, probably greater than 30'. There are large boulders scattered about, along with other "junk" on the bottom. There is a also a car that is sitting on one of the underwater ledges. If you can stand the cold it is a fun place to explore. I think we were down at this depth for 30 minutes. He was diving dry, I was in my 7mm FJ.

Along the shallow area that runs from the sandy shore entrance along the footbridge there are tons of panfish in their nesting beds to look at, and you'll probably see eels along the rock wall that drops off to depth.

The quarry is a good place to work on your low-viz diving, and cold water diving without having to worry about tides or currents. You can try out different gear configurations and get comfy diving new equipment (as I did) before heading out to REAL open water. Conditions can very greatly depending on the weather and how much rain has fallen in recent days. I would recommend giving this site several more dives, especially if you are thinking of getting your AOW, as it will provide you many opportunities for honing your skills in a protected environment.

Fort Wetherill is a beautiful site, but you are right to take caution, especially if you are inexperienced as there are currents to consider. Again, I had my experienced brother with me when we attempted to dive the site. I say attempted because we dropped down into the cove to find the visibility to be about 6". After creeping along for 20 minutes we thumbed the dive. Although the coves are protected, any kind of wind out of the south will send swells into the bays. Additionally, I have been told that there can be some strong currents that run off of Bull Point and around the Fort.

I do most of my diving here in the Great Lakes in freshwater, and I can tell you that I wouldn't consider saltwater diving to be "better". It is simply different, with its own challenges and rewards. Cold, fresh water is demanding to dive in, but has the ability to provide spectacular scenery and excellent visibility. The Great Lakes are also home to some of the best wreck diving in the world. I find that mixing both gives me a well-rounded diving experience.

Hope this helps.
 
So, a friend of mine and I headed down to Brownstone Quarry in Portland CT yesterday and we were a little disappointed. She bashed the place on the ScubaToys forum, so I wanted to just tell you folks what happened. It wasn't all that bad, but I think we only logged 21 minutes of bottom time in 1-3 feet of visibility before we packed up and called it quits. While we were down there we caught a glimpse of a few fish and explored a truck they had sunk. Most of the other divers were diving dry, while we had 7 mils on with gloves, boots, etc. The surface temperature was 89 degrees, the water temperature was about 70-75 degrees and below the thermocline was bone chilling...somewhere around 45 or so.

We wanted to get some dives in before our AOW, but I think this might have scared us a bit. As I said, the visibility wasn't great and it was cold because it was spring fed (partially our fault for not diving dry). We're going to try a spot in Groton by Aivery Point on Wednesday to try our luck in the ocean. It's a small 30ft dive site, but we've heard from a close relative that the ocean is much better than fresh water diving, especially at slack tide. The relative initially recommended Fort Wetherill in RI, which is supposed to be beautiful, but its too much of a drive right now for some inexperienced 20 year olds.

Any thoughts on the differences between freshwater and saltwater? And I'm sure some of you seasoned vets have a better understanding on what it's like to dive at Brownstone. I'm excited to hear your thoughts and opinions...

I don't know if they covered this in your Open Water certification classes but one difference diving in the ocean will be the amount of weight you need to wear.

Salt water is about 2.5% denser than fresh water which is another way of saying salt water is about 2.5% more buoyant than fresh water. As a result you will need to adjust the amount of weight you wear to account for this.

If all of your equipment is identical to what you use for fresh water diving then you will need to add 2.5% of the combined weight of your and your equipment. In other words, if you weigh 160 pounds and your equipment weighs 40 pounds the total will be 200 pounds. 200 pounds x 2.5% = 5 pounds you will need to add to the weight you use in fresh water.

Let me know if this makes sense to you.
 
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Bashing the quarry is a little over the top if you ask me. Here's the thing, It's a quarry, and as such, may not be for everyone. The vis goes up and down as the months dictate and bloom grows and retreats. The temps are cold, but damn sure doable, as the majority of weekend divers dive wet, and continue to return. New or inexperienced divers may be put off by these things, but you better get used to northern diving, as quite offten, this is as good as it gets regardless of the location you may choose. As a training site, it excells. It is a guarantee that you will dive it without issue regardless of weather condition, and for training and mastering skills, it may well be the best game in the state. It is also deep enough to go from basic to advanced dive training without costly travel at today's high fuel prices, and you won't get blown out because of rough water after having traveled all the way to Wetherell, where offten times, the vis is 3-4'. Many of us see it as a gem for ferreting out gear issues, dry suit tryouts, doubles shake downs, and a whole host of things that we just want to try out before heading out to other far off places. Dry divers, and more hearty wet divers, enjoy exellent vis on the bottom, and ther's lot's of things yet to be found, from artifacts, to dates and initials carved into the cliff walls by work crews from the 1800's. I have found several near the 80' mark myself. The fish are wildly abundant there, and some of the biggest bass, carp, eel, and catfish I have seen call it home. So, a bashing by a new diver with a single visit seems a little out of line to me.
 
I was just giving the report and asking for the differences between situations in fresh and salt water. No need to get defensive.

You misunderstood me. Your report was fair, pretty much on the mark for this time of year, and I find no issue with your impresson of the quarry. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy a better time while you were there. Try it again earlier in the year, or certainly when you go dry. I read the report on Scuba Toys forum, and that was the one I thought was far too harsh, not yours. I live within minutes of the quarry, and find it a fantastic training facility shakedown spot. I would just hate to see it get a bad name for new divers over a dissapointing experience. Honestly, northern diving is tough. Vis is most offten "lack luster" to say the least, and, just plain friggin cold. It's the nature of the beast. The old addage that states, "Northern divers are the best. If you can dive here and enjoy it, you can dive anywhere on earth" ...Has a solid foundation. The quarry is just simply another average northern dive spot.
 
Ah, the Brownstone – my first dive there was in 80 or 81 when we had to sneak in. In the past 2 years or so there have been a lot of improvements and even in June when they were doing the Hard Hat diving all you had to do was move off a hundred feet or so to find clear water. But clear water may only be 10 to 15 feet of visibility. How far from the rock pier did you go? But, below the thermocline it is just cold even with a Farmer John wet suit. Did you have a two piece or single suit?

If you are looking for real clear water, you need to either go down to the warm water or head North or South to the high latitudes. New England is not the place to find it.

If you go to Avery Point at anything but a high tide you may find less then you had in the quarry. Another location near by is the boat ramp at Pleasure Beach in Waterford. Fort Weatherall and Beaver Tail are fine places to dive, but do not go on a weekend as there will be dive classes and in about 2 minutes the vis is less then 5'. If you go on a Monday, you can do a gear dive and collect what the students have lost. It is one way to start your dive knife and weight belt collection.

At Weatherall, do not go out past the small rock island or outcropping that is between the two coves. The depth drops off real fast to over 100 and at just about any state of the tide, there will be currents out there.

If you go across the bridge to Newport, you can try Kings Beach, but any diving in Newport during the summer can be difficult due to parking restrictions etc.
 
I read the report...what was wrong with it? She said she didn't like it...perhaps she should address this to management and tell them what she thought and what made her dislike it. While I in no way speak for them, I am sure they would be happy to listen to her concerns.
 
I read the report...what was wrong with it? She said she didn't like it...perhaps she should address this to management and tell them what she thought and what made her dislike it. While I in no way speak for them, I am sure they would be happy to listen to her concerns.

Well, they have no control over the temperature or the visibility, so I don't think they can do much about her concerns. We were ill prepared for the temperature and should have dove dry. The visibility didn't really help all that much. But hey, lesson learned, right?
 
while true, they can't control the vis or temp, perhaps if they hear this from the customer base, who knows what could happen. (BTW for those saying Zebra Mussels, I am pretty sure that transport of invasive species is not a good idea...and might be illegal?)
 
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