Moving to Indianapolis in Oct. Is this the right group?

Hi.

I'm a newish diver (18 dives). I am currently in Nj. I have dove up here in the quarries where the water gets to the low 50's.
I am going for advanced open water at the end of Sept. I am working towards wreck certification.

Is this the right group for the Indianapolis area? What kind of diving is close by? I saw a couple of quarries online.

Wabbit

This would be it! We have several quarries in Indiana (France Park outside Logansport, Philips in Muncie, Hidden Paradise in St Paul, Blue Springs in Waldron). We also dive the quarries in west/northwest Ohio (Natural Springs in New Paris, Gilboa outside Findlay, White Star in Gibsonburg) as well as Haigh in Kankakee IL. Many of us also dive the Great Lakes from May-Sep. Absolutely fabulous cold water wreck diving!

---------- Post Merged at 06:55 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 06:52 AM ----------

If you'll be here in October, consider joining this group for the Great Lakes Wrecking Crew Meet and Greet at Gilboa Quarry Oct 19-21. An excellent opportunity to meet divers from IN, OH, MI and occasionally one or two from IL.

Welcome to Indiana. You can always hit this board if you are looking for dive buddies.

Thanks. I'll be there towards the end of October. My wife's family is there. We are moving there so she can help out with her Dad for a little while.

---------- Post Merged on August 21st, 2012 at 12:04 AM ---------- Previous Post was on August 20th, 2012 at 11:22 PM ----------

What are the best dive shops around Indy? I am Padi certified and will be looking to continue my education.

Also I would like to get in on some Wreck diving in the Great Lakes. Are there some good companies that offer dives to those unfamiliar with the Great Lakes? My shop in NJ offers and Intro to Wreck dive. After AOW certification you can take intro to wreck and they tell you about the hazards etc with NJ wreck diving and then you have a divemaster take you on a tour of a local wreck. Is there somehting like that available around the Great Lakes?

00wabbit:

What are the best dive shops around Indy? I am Padi certified and will be looking to continue my education.

Also I would like to get in on some Wreck diving in the Great Lakes. Are there some good companies that offer dives to those unfamiliar with the Great Lakes? My shop in NJ offers and Intro to Wreck dive. After AOW certification you can take intro to wreck and they tell you about the hazards etc with NJ wreck diving and then you have a divemaster take you on a tour of a local wreck. Is there somehting like that available around the Great Lakes?

Click to expand...

There are three dive shops in Indy. I know and have used all of them. PM me if you'd like my personal opinion of the local shops.

Divers Supply Indy - Diver's Supply Indy - Scuba for all Levels of Diving
Indy MPH - New Page 1
Midwest Scuba - Midwest Scuba Center, Inc. - Indy's Oldest PADI 5-Star Facility

Personally, if you're going to be looking to take AOW and then Wreck on the Great Lakes, I would highly recommend one of these two guys. They are both independent instructors ... not affiliated with a shop.

Duane Johnson (Naperville IL) - Precision Diving - The Leader for Recreational and Technical Scuba Diving Classes in Chicago
Rick Kruzel (Toledo-area, OH) - Technical Scuba Diving Training for the Great Lakes

They may seem far away, but you're going to have to go to the quarries in NW Ohio or to Haigh Quarry in Kankakee IL to do you AOW anyway. (None of the quarries in IN are deep enough.) Well, that's where these guys train. So in reality, it's not any further than you'd be going anyway. These guys ARE Great Lakes wreck divers, not instructors who occasionally dive on a wreck in the Great Lakes. They certainly train far beyond your current level, but that's a good thing. They also will do AOW and Basic Wreck. Why not learn the basics from someone doing all of the advanced diving the GL has to offer? That's my unsolicited advice.

I try and dive all year long, so PM me when you're here and we can go out for a Fall dive at one of the local dive sites.

I'll put in a second for Duane Johnson from Precision Diving. Duane was my instructor for AOW and I have continued to use him for other courses since. He takes the basic requirement for PADI or TDI and then expands on them greatly. Additionally his AOW includes your Nitrox course as well.

There is solid information in the above posts. There is also an Indy Dive Club. I have dived with those folks a couple of times.

Alot of Indiana folks spend the weekend diving at Gilboa Quarry and Whitestar Quarry in Northern Ohio.

Natural Springs Resort is on the Ind/Ohio border. PM me if you need a bud in October. Will be glad to go.

Thanks for all the info.

I just caught a show this morning about Great Lakes Ship Wrecks. Now I have to get down there myself.

Let us/me know when you arrive and are ready to dive!
I do not get on here as much (mostly on Facebook) but would gladly dive with you and introduce you to other divers and local places to dive.

I drive to the IDC ( Indy dive club) that meets every other month on the 3rd Thursday of the month.

Welcome to Indiana. When you're settled and want to get diving, let us know. I'm a bit farther north so it's usually Haigh or Lake Michigan for me. But I do dive a lot so if you want to come up and need a buddy, let me know. But you'll find plenty of buddies around your area too! All the advice from the ones above is solid, other than Divin'Hoosier's invitation to the Fall Meet-n-Greet! One night at the fire with that group and you'll never be the same!