Why dive in a quarry? Should you log them

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Some interesting perspectives have come out in the thread. And, while the focus (quarry diving) has diverged from the original topic (wetsuit and drysuit diving), the OP has appears to be willing participant, so it is OK. :)

To suggest that different people go underwater in scuba geat for different reasons is neither a reflection of revolutionary insight nor heretical. So, the fact that another person considers quarry dives to be rubbish, or chooses not to log them is simply a reflection of that diversity of motivation.

I put on scuba gear and go underwater in oceans, in quarries, in FL sinkholes, in rivers, in caves. And I document every one of those underwater excursions, i.e. I log every one of those dives. My logbook is a personal journal, and I record what I experienced, what I thought, what I felt (exhilaration, anxiety, boredom), what I saw, etc. My logbook is also a database, so I record my gear configuration, weight, environmental conditions, gas consumption, exposure suit. I consider EVERY dive to be a training dive, so I record what I worked on - finning, buoyancy, trim, breathing, whatever. My logbook is also my training record. Every time I teach underwater navigation as part of AOW, and I have students measure their kick cycles over 100 feet, I (re)check my own and record those numbers in my logbook.

I live in a state with world-class wreck diving right off the coast. I don't have to TRAVEL to NC to go wreck diving, I already live here! Why would I bother diving in a quarry? Well, I DO have to drive ~2 hours from my front door to get to the NC coast. And, then I DO have to spend 1-2 hours riding on a boat to get to one of those great wrecks. And, I DO have to pay the boat captain $100+ each time I take one of those boat rides, to make 2 dives on those wrecks. But, I can drive to a quarry in 30 minutes from my front door. And, I can be gear up and in the water within 10 minutes of shutting down my truck. And, I pay (only) $70/year for 24/7/365 access to that quarry, and 2 others in addition. So, why would I dive there? Hmm, convenience and cost come immediately to mind, much as Marie13 mentioned. If I really just want to gear up, get wet, blow some bubbles, it is a lot more convenient to head to one of our local quarries. I can still look forward to coastal charters.

Quarry diving. Ocean diving. For me, it is NOT an either/or situation. BOTH venues are part of the broader tapestry of scuba diving, and I am enriched by going underwater in both venues. I learn something every time I dive. That's just me. If you think quarries not worth diving, or not worth logging when you do, so be it. I don't think less of someone who sees the world that way. (Nor, do I care if someone thinks less of me because I see things as I do.) To each, his/her own.
 
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Read back what I said - and calm down. I'll point out the important bit "unless you have no chance of getting into the sea".

I'm not an ocean only snob. I'm someone who has dived all over the world, who has done more dives in quarries than you will probably ever do in total. I've earnt the right to an opinion on such things - if you didn't take everything as a direct challenge you might even learn a little.

No matter how many dives you have, your opinion about whether or not you enjoy quarry dives isn't really generalizable to other people.

It's not like someone is going to say "wow, I like diving at Dutch Springs for a number of reasons, even though I have access to boat diving, but that guy has done a lot more diving than I have so I must be wrong".

Also, there are quarries and there are quarries. I have been on some awful ocean dives, I have had amazing days at our local quarry. I just don't understand the need for such a sweeping generalization, which makes people feel badly about the dives that they like to do. I don't have your dive count, but I'm a pretty experienced diver, and I do enjoy quarry diving. Maybe you have done all 800 of your quarry dives in places that aren't so great...
 
No matter how many dives you have, your opinion about whether or not you enjoy quarry dives isn't really generalizable to other people.

It's not like someone is going to say "wow, I like diving at Dutch Springs for a number of reasons, even though I have access to boat diving, but that guy has done a lot more diving than I have so I must be wrong".

Also, there are quarries and there are quarries. I have been on some awful ocean dives, I have had amazing days at our local quarry. I just don't understand the need for such a sweeping generalization, which makes people feel badly about the dives that they like to do. I don't have your dive count, but I'm a pretty experienced diver, and I do enjoy quarry diving. Maybe you have done all 800 of your quarry dives in places that aren't so great...

Bang on the money. But it's just my opinion... On a forum there are always going to be people who like things and people who don't. I personally do not like diving in quarries. That doesn't detract from anyone else's enjoyment of them. I personally do not like motorbikes (any longer) after a friend's head came off when we were riding in a convoy. That doesn't stop people enjoying bikes.

People can dive exclusively in a pool if they like doing so. But I'll still say that diving in the ocean is better and more enjoyable. It's my opinion and it isn't changing.
 
Quarries are total rubbish...Unless you have no chance of getting into the sea I think you'd need your head checking if you chose to dive in them

OK, will just agree to disagree. But you have to see that your statement isn't just "hey, I like this, you like that, do what you like".

Maybe try a good quarry someday, they can be fun, you might be surprised!

:D
 
That is valid. I have never dove in a quarry. Only oceans and lakes, so my view is without experience. A quarry seems like training ground. A closed, controlled environment. Like a big pool. For skills refreshing or training. If I went into a pool or the lake at the cottage to practice something or try out a new piece of gear , I would not note it. To me, it's practice for diving, not an actual open water dive.

Quarries and lakes count as open water for all purposes I can think of. As you say, they are commonly (but by no means exclusively) training sites, but open water training sites with the confined water still done in a pool or similar. On that basis, I've never questioned whether it is "loggable". My only grey logging area is for aquarium dives - confined water, but with fish/sharks and a fair amount of depth to it.
 
OK, got it. If it works for you it's good for you then.
Maybe you might be OK with you if for others a log has some purpose?
Why ask why if you know what the answer is for you and how it looks like for anyone else is insignificant to you?

I'm not really sure what you are asking me. Sorry if my comprehension isn't on top form.

But generally - people can do whatever they like. If people enjoy doing something I am a big advocate in them doing it unless it harms someone. I generally don't put people down or think I'm better than anyone. I simply will give my opinion about things on a forum. I see it as a place where people can say what they think and sometimes learn some stuff.
 
Every one should really calm down, or start a thread 'what counts as a dive'. Lots of places let people enjoy seeing stuff underwater and enjoy and get better at diving. If I dive under ice in some flooded arctic oil tank, should that not be a dive because it is totally controlled? We exclude pools from logged dives, let's let people dive where they can locally. Everyone needs to judge 'similar to existing experience' when they dive new environments. Miles of cave dives does not give you surf and surge experience for the northern California coast, but it gives you a lot of experience solving issues underwater. Should we not log deep cave penetration dives?
 
Go back a page and read the part where I say "unless you can't get to the sea".

I'm yet to meet anyone who chooses to dive in quarries out of choice. They are second choice and second rate.
Why don't you go back and read the part where I said you were "conveniently ignoring the fact that many are not close to oceans or other large bodies of water to dive in"...
 
Why don't you go back and read the part where I said you were "conveniently ignoring the fact that many are not close to oceans or other large bodies of water to dive in"...

What do you think: "unless you can't get to the sea" means? I said they were rubbish and I would not dive in one unless I could not go to the sea. I wasn't conveniently ignoring anything.
 
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