Gilboa Quarry in January...Invitation!

[chrpai]

First of all, Karl_in_Calif went a bit beyond voicing a different opinion. In the end he was banned for being a beligerent prick. Why do you feel the need to throw more gas on this fire?

Funny, can't get your story straight? I once searched his posts and found nothing beligerent, and you said that he was banned because he was an instructor giving out dangerous advise.

 

[cornfed]

Funny, can't get your story straight? I once searched his posts and found nothing beligerent, and you said that he was banned because he was an instructor giving out dangerous advise.

Chris, a large number of his posts (including whole threads, if I remember correctly) were deleted so I'm not suprised you haven't found much.

 

[diverbrian]

Yikes! A little warning before having my screen filled by a giant fish would be nice!

I understand your point about training during the off-season but aren't there closer places that would suffice?

As far as closer, there really isn't. The curse of living in Central Michigan is that the Great Lakes diving is about 2-4 hrs from here with the exception of Lake Superior and Canada. That is also the benefit. I get some beautiful cold water wreck diving without driving too far away.

Gilboa really isn't that bad of a drive for me in comparison for a tune-up spot. The reason that we only use (or used) it for an OW training site in the winter is that our staff don't like to pay for hotels to do an OW class. That drive is murder for two days in a row if you are diving to boot.

The depths available make it ideal to stay tuned up for wrecks like the Monrovia, Arabia, Forest City, and Eber Ward which are about 100-120 ft wrecks. None of the people that I dive with (except my Adv. Nitrox instructor) are certified for tri-mix, so we all know that the possibility of Narcosis exists at those depths. I know that if I haven't been down to 100 ft. or below (even though we all use nitrox religiously) for a while, the situations at depth are a little more uncomfortable. So for me, the depth available is the largest issue. There just aren't that many places where those conditions (cold, dark, deep) can be experienced without a boat. And that is the closest.

On a more friendly note (as I do consider the prior debate the proverbial physical punishment of the mummified equine), I hope that you enjoyed the pictures.

 

[cldwdiver]

Thanks for the quick pictures post Brian!

It was great diving with you and Tom again.

I had a great time. What timing we had too.

It is not often you get a 50F temp day in January around here.

Type at you later,

 

[coldwaterdiver9]

Only one small correction. Mike offered the season pass last year. He just didn't make people buy one to dive there.

The two instructors that I frequently dive with both had season passes as they were the ones that got me into deeper diving involving deco stops. This is one of the few places that they have to practice in the winter that involved a day trip so they practically live there in the winter as well. I am sure that they are thrilled that the price of the season pass decreased from what it was last year so that Mike could sell a few more of them.

Once June starts, I will be a stranger to the quarry until fall anyways. There are closer places to dive in the summer.

oops - and another small correction.

Many of the folks I know also pay a camping fee to park their vehicle near their selected entry point. Add in a few random $8 (per person, not per vehicle) charges.

 

[coldwaterdiver9]

The depths available make it ideal to stay tuned up for wrecks like the Monrovia, Arabia, Forest City, and Eber Ward which are about 100-120 ft wrecks. None of the people that I dive with (except my Adv. Nitrox instructor) are certified for tri-mix, so we all know that the possibility of Narcosis exists at those depths. I know that if I haven't been down to 100 ft. or below (even though we all use nitrox religiously) for a while, the situations at depth are a little more uncomfortable.

Narcosis is reality at those depths. Oxygen is narcotic; nitrox won't help you out there at all.

Pony up and do the trimix class. You'll be amazed at the difference.

*

 

[hantzu701]

gee.. I'm gone for two days and the thread blows up.

Glad to see that everyone got home safely. Roads were a little hairy on Sunday.

Hantzu

 

[diverbrian]

Glad to see that everyone got home safely. Roads were a little hairy on Sunday.

Actually if it rains too hard, they are a little hairy with my car. I have the red Mustang in the background of the surface interval shot. With the temps cooling and rain coming down, I was starting to get a wee bit nervous about the roads icing up, LOL.

I am glad that you enjoyed the photos.

 

[hoover]

Well, it's Jan. 9th and I havn't read about any of you in the Free Press
so you must have lived through the Gilboa madness. Brian, Cris and Tom
I know are diving nuts. How did you get the other people to dive with you?
Nobodys been that persuasive since Jim Jones got them to drink the Kool
Aid.

The current hoover

 

[diverbrian]

Well, it's Jan. 9th and I havn't read about any of you in the Free Press
so you must have lived through the Gilboa madness. Brian, Cris and Tom
I know are diving nuts. How did you get the other people to dive with you?
Nobodys been that persuasive since Jim Jones got them to drink the Kool
Aid.

The current hoover

Actually, it was Brian, Dave, and Tom. And while there were other divers around us, there weren't that many. And it isn't the spiked kool-aid deal. It was fifty degrees outside and the water was a balmy 45 degrees. We were all wearing drysuits. It was no worse temp-wise than when I was diving Tobermory last year.

I guess that we weren't THAT persuasive, though!