Why dive in a quarry? Should you log them

[Neilwood]

One popular site in the UK is Dorothea quarry. It is a huge quarry that has flooded since it went into disuse years ago. There have been, to date, 25 deaths in it as it contains a number of hazards to catch the unwary such as 100m depth, cold water, machinery, wires, buildings etc (the quarry underwater remains as if it were a working site with all the machines etc that would have been there - it has never been stripped to make it safer).

There is stuff to see nearer the surface but for technical divers with the resources to dive the depths (such as rebreather/stages etc) it is a veritable playpen.

 

[HantsDiver]

One popular site in the UK is Dorothea quarry. It is a huge quarry that has flooded since it went into disuse years ago. There have been, to date, 25 deaths in it as it contains a number of hazards to catch the unwary such as 100m depth, cold water, machinery, wires, buildings etc (the quarry underwater remains as if it were a working site with all the machines etc that would have been there - it has never been stripped to make it safer).

There is stuff to see nearer the surface but for technical divers with the resources to dive the depths (such as rebreather/stages etc) it is a veritable playpen.

I have dived that quarry a number of times and disagree with your analysis of it.

It's actually pretty baron with less to see than chepstow. It's free though - but you can't get gas there. It's also technically off limits.

I don't know anyone who dives regularly with hypoxic trimix or a rebreather who would call it a playpen either. It's well known because of the fatalities and the depth. If you want you can actually dive part of it in the recreational range but there is even less to see.

In summary - and this just being my opinion, it's not worth the cost of the mix.

 

[GreggS]

Where I live in NC, I am within easy driving distance of 5 quarries, the furthest being an hour and 45 minutes, the closest 4 miles from my home (where, incidentally, my wife and I both got certified.) We dive them all. Plus, there's a large man-made lake within that same drive time that we haven't dived yet but plan to this summer. And although we live in NC, the closest ocean diving is over 3 hours drive time away. When we get the chance, yes, we do go diving in the ocean and enjoy it very much. But it simply isn't feasible to go there as often as we would like. My wife and I both enjoy diving so quarry diving is our go to destination almost every weekend during the summer. And as many times as we've been, we still discover something new almost every time we go. 3 of the quarries have paddlefish in them and it's always a thrill to see them. It's also fun to go with friends or take new divers, or just meet and talk to fellow divers at the quarry.

I will semi-retire next year and then my wife will the next year. After that, we hope to travel to some more exotic dive locales. But until then (and even after), we will continue to quarry dive.

But we just enjoy being in the water. And, yes, we log them. They're all dives.

 

[AlexL]

Gilboa Quarry near Toledo, Ohio - 130' of depth with numerous items (cars, buses, aircraft, tunnels/pipes, etc.). It is downright cold and as challenging as you want. And the fish are amazing, including, if you are really lucky, Paddlefish!

3, going on 4 years diving regularly at Gilboa... only seen the paddlefish once, and even then it was a shadow out past the wall. if you camp on site there, you can splash an hour before the gates open, and usually find the koi doing their thing in the shallows off dock 3 before they run off to the enchanted forest past dock 6. came across the sturgeon once on the christmas tree near the tubes one morning as well. if you're diving 'quiet' (stable while in trim, no hand flailing) usually one or two of the trout will insta buddy up with ya for the rest of the dive as you pass by the bus.

sometimes you just need to go out and dive, and for a lot of people in land locked states, the quarry is the only inexpensive way to do that. its quite nice being off grid for a few days, just camping, diving, and napping, even though we've ran the same shallow loop too many times to remember.

yes, all those dives are logged. if we're going to log a shallow 60 minute 10m/30ft bimble on a reef with a rash gaurd, a 60 minute 20m/60ft dive to the tubes and navigation run back to the platforms to drill skills in a drysuit most definitely counts.

 

[DiverDownD3]

I haven't read through this whole thread so if this has already been said, forgive me, but I'm still trying to figure out why people care what other people log. To me, your log book is essentially your personal diving diary. For me, it serves two purposes, 1) to write down the conditions, gear setup, and thoughts of each dive and 2) to have a record of what I've done in case an operator wants to see my dive history before attempting certain dives. If they want to discredit any dive I've done, that is their discretion. For example, my ocean dives in a 3mm wetsuit wouldn't really have any bearing if I decided I wanted to dive the Great Lakes.

Could I lie about my experiences, and fudge my logbook? Sure. But that would be like a pilot fudging their logbook, it does no good and only potentially puts others at risk. Nobody can help you if you make such selfish decisions.

I'm still under 50 dives, so I learn something new on just about every dive. I like to write those thoughts down. Personally, I have come a long way in my 42 dives*. How much further will I progress in the next 42? It will be interesting to read 42 dives from now.

*there are a lot of people on here who have helped my diving more than they know. I don't start a lot of new threads maybe because sometimes there is such harsh criticism so I'll PM people instead. I have read countless archived threads and read the books that come highly recommended on this site.

 

[tattooedjeeper]

Over half of my dives and ALL of my daughters 20 dives have been in a quarry. She's only 12 and most of the sites here in NC that I visit are, in my opinion, too much for her right now. She and I both log the quarry dives and make notes of weight, exposure, comfort level and things seen and learned. I figure if we're under 20-30ft of water for 50 or so plus minutes, it totally counts as a dive. Now, If we just hopped in and check something out and maybe do a few drills just to get right back out... that's not so much a "dive" that I'd log or count.

 

[Doby45]

I haven't read through this whole thread so if this has already been said, forgive me, but I'm still trying to figure out why people care what other people log. To me, your log book is essentially your personal diving diary. For me, it serves two purposes, 1) to write down the conditions, gear setup, and thoughts of each dive and 2) to have a record of what I've done in case an operator wants to see my dive history before attempting certain dives. If they want to discredit any dive I've done, that is their discretion. For example, my ocean dives in a 3mm wetsuit wouldn't really have any bearing if I decided I wanted to dive the Great Lakes.

Could I lie about my experiences, and fudge my logbook? Sure. But that would be like a pilot fudging their logbook, it does no good and only potentially puts others at risk. Nobody can help you if you make such selfish decisions.

I'm still under 50 dives, so I learn something new on just about every dive. I like to write those thoughts down. Personally, I have come a long way in my 42 dives*. How much further will I progress in the next 42? It will be interesting to read 42 dives from now.

*there are a lot of people on here who have helped my diving more than they know. I don't start a lot of new threads maybe because sometimes there is such harsh criticism so I'll PM people instead. I have read countless archived threads and read the books that come highly recommended on this site.

I think the bigger underlying tone is, if you are diving in a quarry you ain't "real" diving. That is the tone that is off putting to people, no so much if you actually put it in your log or not. The logbook is simply the scapegoat of the jab. People also seem to "judge" people based on certain dives. So if you are in stingy water your really diving and if your not, then your not. All of that is crap. Dive and simply enjoy yourself. I have literally seen people with "thousands of dives" that have skills that a lot of our well know instructors on this board would not let their OW students leave their class in that shape. When people try to judge you based off of your logbook or whatever, tell them to cry you a river, build you a bridge and get over it.

 

[Doby45]

Some quarrys are actually pretty awesome. Here's some video of one I dove a couple years ago.
* I logged these dives AND wore a drysuit

I would dive that quarry with you in a heartbeat. The concrete building structure looked cool as hell. What are some of the details on that place?

 

[Kodad]

I have learned a lot about quarry diving on this thread. I had the impression, as one or two others had, that a quarry was basically a larger, deeper, muddy swimming pool. I never researched it myself because, quite honestly, I couldn't tell you where the nearest quarry is to me, and the thought of diving in one has never crossed my mind.

In my ignorant assessment of quarries, I probably didn't consider them "open water". I thought open water meant that there was no boundaries on the site which could leave you drifting out to sea, and "closed water" had definitive boundaries, like the walls of a pool.
If I thought about it, before I knew what I know now, I, too, would wonder if a quarry dive was a loggable "open water" dive.

Quite honestly, I'm glad I didn't ask questions I had regarding quarry diving. I think some on this thread were a little harsh when answering some questions. And while I also agree that on the whole, we as a society tend to be hypersensitive and too easily offended, we also could watch our wording and tone a little better.

 

[Rechno]

This should not keep you from asking questions. So if there are still any further ones that have not been answered feel free to ask them.
I think with some reflecting it is not a challenge to ask in a way that does not offend people ;-)