Quarry Diving: 500 Dives in a Quarry - Are You SERIOUS???

[Divin'Papaw]

I did

My first 6 years of diving were predominantly in an icy UK quarry. It was an 8 hour drive to the coast and I was poor (well, married... same thing).

If I were visiting back home, and had a drysuit available, I'd still splash in for old times sake. Got some nice Pike in there... and you can get a mean bacon and egg sandwich during your surface interval... and waterside pub for a hot pie and pint afterwards

Actually, a lot of tech training in the UK is carried out in quarries... beats the inevitable weather cancellations.

Same here. Gilboa, the quarry I frequent the most, is a popular tech training site. Deep (130'), cold and dark. Similar to the Great Lakes.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

What I'd like to know is why anyone cares where someone else dives ... or what gear they use to dive? Do what pleases you and don't waste your energy worrying about the other person ... unless they're your dive buddy, it's irrelevent.

Some people dive because they love traveling to beautiful places and looking at tropical fish.
Some don't like fish at all ... because they clutter up the view of the wreck.
Some want to put a spear through the fish and take them home for dinner.
Some enjoy a challenge ... and go tech simply because it satisfies a need to know.
Some are driven by a desire to go into caves, or under ice.
Some dive to relax ... and don't understand why anyone would want to go into caves, or under ice.
Some just like the feeling of weightlessness, and the utter serenity of being underwater.
Some are picky about things like water temperature, visibility, and current.
Some don't much care where they dive ... they just want to be underwater.

Viva la difference ... as long as they're not posing a threat to themselves or someone else, I don't see much point in finding fault with someone else's motives ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Hank49]

Yeeeaaaahhh....but, although I do admire the quarry diver's enthusiasm and spirit there comes a time when venturing out would really be fun. I mean, if one loves diving in a quarry think how much they'd love the Barrier Reef (Belize's or Australia's)
Kind of like snow skiers who really love skiing and are out there every day.... but on the slope of a freeway overpass in Kansas. It's skiing but....
Of course if money is the limiting factor, that's a different story. I understand that totally.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Yeeeaaaahhh....but, although I do admire the quarry diver's enthusiasm and spirit there comes a time when venturing out would really be fun. I mean, if one loves diving in a quarry think how much they'd love the Barrier Reef (Belize's or Australia's)
Kind of like snow skiers who really love skiing and are out there every day.... but on the slope of a freeway overpass in Kansas. It's skiing but....
Of course if money is the limiting factor, that's a different story. I understand that totally.

I recall years back while driving through Nebraska seeing signs for a ski area called Nebraski. Thinking it something of a novelty, I stopped to check it out. It was about 200' vertical ... a former landfill, I think. Anyway, I met some folks who had travelled several hours to get there ... they were thrilled with this little mole-hill of a ski area, because it's what they could get to.

Like the quarry divers ... the venue was less important than engaging in an activity they loved doing. So they used what they had ... and were happy to have it.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[herbdb]

If anyone wants to pay my way to some exotic location, I can be ready to leave on a moments notice.

Without a benefactor, I am limited to 3 or 4 trips a year and my less than "real" quarry diving.

The OP seems like an elitist tec diver, looking down his nose and sneering at all of us lesser divers. Yea his attitute made me angry.

 

[SeaHorse81]

What I'd like to know is why anyone cares where someone else dives ... or what gear they use to dive? Do what pleases you and don't waste your energy worrying about the other person ... unless they're your dive buddy, it's irrelevent.

Some people dive because they love traveling to beautiful places and looking at tropical fish.
Some don't like fish at all ... because they clutter up the view of the wreck.
Some want to put a spear through the fish and take them home for dinner.
Some enjoy a challenge ... and go tech simply because it satisfies a need to know.
Some are driven by a desire to go into caves, or under ice.
Some dive to relax ... and don't understand why anyone would want to go into caves, or under ice.
Some just like the feeling of weightlessness, and the utter serenity of being underwater.
Some are picky about things like water temperature, visibility, and current.
Some don't much care where they dive ... they just want to be underwater.

Viva la difference ... as long as they're not posing a threat to themselves or someone else, I don't see much point in finding fault with someone else's motives ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Awesome post, Bob.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

The OP seems like an elitist [-]tec[/-] diver, looking down his nose and sneering at all of us lesser divers. Yea his attitute made me angry.

Fixed it for ya ... that attitude has nothing to do with tech diving in my experience

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

If the choice is diving a quarry or talking about diving some place pretty, its an easy call for me. I have been dry for 31 days, the local watering hole is looking very inviting. If I squint the crawdads look like lobsters and the goldfish look some some new exotic fish

 

[Drewski]

The OP seems like an elitist tec diver, looking down his nose and sneering at all of us lesser divers. Yea his attitute made me angry.

... that attitude has nothing to do with tech diving in my experience Bob (Grateful Diver)

Oh, my.


Look please let me be clear.

I've never insulted quarry divers in this thread. Read it carefully. I was only trying to understand the mind set of east coast divers that live closer to the ocean, have lots of opportunity, but choose to spend thousands of more dollars on gear and go quarry diving than dive weekends in the ocean with local operators. I was doing this, at the time, because I had significant difficulty booking dive charters in the middle of diving season because of lack of interest. Unfortunately, the boat I was using has gone belly up, is being repo'd by the bank and now a great opportunity is gone. SIGH.

But, hey, you got your say. Thanks, Bob, I expected more out of you than that.

For the rest, thanks for your thoughtful replies and insightfulness. It helped. Enjoy it, where ever you may dive!

 

[Drewski]

Wow, look at that. THOUGHTFUL moderation! Thanks, JahJah... : )