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

[mheaster]

OK, as the person mentioned who was overheard (on Facebook?) congratulating a friend on his 500th "Logged" Dive at our local Quarry, I guess I sparked Drewski to start this thread a while back. I was just sort of slow on the uptake as far as seeing his post and the beginning of this thread. I will say my initial reaction was mixed but after reading over his questions and having even received a "LIKE" from him on a response, I do not take his post as an attack on "Quarry Divers" nor do I consider him a "Tech Diver Elitist". (Maybe an Elite Tech Diver?) Previously this year, I booked a spot on a Charter he was organizing but much to my dismay, we got Blown out! I too am terribly disappointed in hearing about loss/es of local operators adversely affected by our lousy economy (but that is another thread entirely!)

I do understand his questions and puzzlement:
There are FANTASTIC wrecks and sea life, and some great Dive Operators fairly close by in VA and NC. Maryland too, although I haven't (Yet) personally experienced it, but hopefully I will in 2012 now that Arthur W. Radford is there). Anyone who spends ALL their diving in a Quarry is missing out on a wide variety of other great diving but . . . to each his own!
As they say "It's ALL Good!"

We should not fault or belittle a person for diving when and where they like, but we can be baffled and amazed and simply assume they are unaware of what they are missing diving elsewhere. WE should all just encourage them to stretch a bit and try some other places so that they don't miss out on all the great diving around!

I was actually certified in 1990 while visiting St Thomas V.I. while serving in Uncle Sam's Canoe Club (USN) and often dove the Caribbean and wrecks off the coast of NC for about 15 years before I ever visited Lake Rawlings the first time in about 2004. The only other Quarry I ever dove was doing AOW in Fantasy Lake, NC. Never felt the desire to go back there after discovering Lake Rawlings about an hour and 45 minutes from my home in Tappahannock. I have been diving in the local Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers very close to home but . . . .

I am personally aware that my friend in question has dived Honduras, Bahamas, Bermuda, Mexico, Turks/Caicos, Bonaire, Florida, NC, Virginia, St. Lawrence River Canada and MANY other Dive Destinations and isn't a Quarry-bound, tech diver wannabe!

As stated previously OUR "Attraction" to Lake Rawlings and major reason my buddy has over 500 dives there is because WE are both Dive Instructors and it is our primary training facility. It is easy, relatively inexpensive (our costs are covered/or at least significantly offset by paying students) and we still enjoy DIVING (even there).

 

[herbdb]

Did you try any artifact hunting in front of old plantation sites on the Potomac? I know they do this type of dive in SC on the Cooper River?

That would be interesting to try.

 

[mheaster]

No, haven't tried any plantation sites, only dove on the German Submarine U-1105 off of Piney Point, MD.

 

[Davemohio]

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.

THIS, my friend, sounds like a GREAT time to me!

 

[DEVILWOACAUZ]

My wife and I recently moved to Maryland and I immediately started scouting for dive opportunities to stay wet. We are coming from Korea where we both earned our AOW certs in the OCEAN. Watching all the videos on quarry diving etc. to get prepared, I noticed GREEN water and murky depths in the vids. All the videos are spot on. My first quarry experience was Hyde's Quarry ($20) in Westminster Maryland. Showed up and when I presented my PADI card I was judged because it wasn't SSI. Luckily I dove with some really nice guys who were sporting doubles in dry suits etc. and chalked it up as "an experience". There were also the individuals offering unsolicited diver advice the entire time I was setting up my gear (read the scuba snob rule book where it states not to offer advice unless asked). Diving is supposed to be enjoyable and fun, not stressful because you park too close to a group of divers who just want to recruit you to help bring costs down on group dive trips. The best comment of all from the group, "can't remember the last time I logged a dive". - Yes, my first experience diving at a quarry with quarry divers.



Next quarry we went to just to compare quarries was Millbrook Quarry in Haymarket Virginia. Learned from quarry #1 and adjusted my tactics to avoid all others. It worked great! The visability was somewhat better but I had that same feeling from the first quarry, why did I pay $19 an $12 for an air fill to dive in this? Unless I have some new ninja gear I want to experiment with I will most likely NEVER dive in a quarry again. I can easily go to the installation pool and try out my stuff in nice clear pool water for FREE.

The last possible shot at redemption at least for me will be traveling to Dutch Springs Pa. some time in June/July to see what's up with that place.

I believe my attitude comes from beginning my SCUBA career in Korea then returning to the US via a stop in Hawaii (Oahu and Kona, Manta Dive, deep wreck dives) were I truly enjoyed all the exotic wildlife and experiences, oh and BLUE/CLEAR water.

Drove to Blue Spring Florida and dove that, somewhat green tinted water but wonderful amount of aquatic life, alligator gar, catfish, turtles etc. Dropped down to the cave entrance at 73ft., saw the go no further sign with the grim reaper on it and thought, man this is cool, then promptly turned around since I am not a certified cave diver. Great trip!

As a new diver I quickly realized I wanted my own gear so I dropped a lot of cash as I'm sure all divers do on equipment, not to be blindly swimming around in some 40 degree green lifeless pool w/some junk yard wrecks covered in slime vs. coral. This is not hate speech of course, because had I been introduced to SCUBA in a land locked location I probably would have been raised as a quarry diver and had just as much of a justification to love the quarry vs. the ocean. Just a point of view.

Now I will say that people with all that gear may very well be those guys/gals who want to test out prior to an awesome trip to the Bahamas, Cozumel, etc. but 500 dives in a quarry, =whack. To each his own right? Maybe I'll get lucky in Pa. and run into some divers that don't feel the need to judge and offer advice that wasn't asked for and the water will be blue with fish swimming everywhere, just maybe.

To be continued...

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I guess that's one way to look at it DEVILWOACAUZ. I have a couple of thoughts:

1. Quarry divers don't have the corner on being jerks. I've seen it at quarries, oceans, lakes, rivers, and pools.

2. I absolutely love diving in warm, blue water with outstanding viz and vibrant life. I haven't met a 'quarry diver' who doesn't. 'Nough said.

3. I love diving ... period. All types of environments. For me, the closest sites are quarries. Some are boring and just a place to keep the skills up. Others are very interesting and never seem to get old. However, if I sat around waiting on #2 above, I'd be a twice a year vacation diver. That's not enough for me.

4. Therefore, I'm a 'quarry diver.' I'm also a Great Lakes Wreck Diver, a Warm Blue Water Great Viz Ocean Diver, a Cold Green Water Ocean Diver, a St Lawrence River Diver, a Florida Springs Diver, etc, etc. Essentially ... I'm a scuba diver ... Period.

 

[DEVILWOACAUZ]

Good for you Divin'Hoosier.

As you can see I don't do a lot of posting, one could develop ulcers just reading some of the comments on the internet, but I'll say this - I'm glad you were able to proclaim who you are as a diver by responding to my observations of quarries and "certain" quarry folk you'd be likely to run into at a quarry.

I have reviewed my original post and I do not recall stating quarry divers are jerks. I'll will have you know that I and my wife "dive buddy" went to a quarry in Va. and actually had an outstanding experience - by ourselves.

I didn't get recruited to join a group trip SCUBA Club, nobody closely watched and made comments and gave unwanted advice at every turn as I set up my gear, it was great! Oh, and the lady at the gate didn't judge me because I was PADI certified and not SSI.

Well, sadly, can't stay and continue to talk to the internet, gotta go on a 6 day cruise and a x2 tank dive excursion. Congrats on your "4,117th" post - if you reply of course. Don't see the need.

v/r,

DEVILWOACAUZ

 

[mainedvr]

I did not read through all the post so I may be echoing someone else, but here is my input. I am one who likes to dive different places, but I do find that I dive a few of the same sites more frequently for a few reasons. First, they are fifteen minutes from my house so only cost me the gas and fuel to get there. Secondly, it keeps me sharp diving more often I can work on skills in a comfortable site that I am familiar with. And another thing is who knows what you will see at any given time, weather changes the look and feel, maybe some odd creature finds its way into the site, oh and it keeps me underwater.

I guess to each his or her own maybe some people are doing some deep research on an area, one never knows. Or maybe they are dooms day preppers and have an underwater dome they are building, or hey maybe its a goverment conspiracy and they have an alien ship that is going to take them away to a safe planet remember December is the end of it all anyhow....

 

[JamesK]

It Lives! Old thread lives!!!!! LOL...


It's like this people, if you can't have fun in the kiddie pool for hours on end, stay out of the deep end. That simple.


If you love to dive, you love to dive. It doesn't matter if it is on a wall in Coz, the Andrea Doria, diving with the hammerheads, going thousands of feet back in a cave in Florida or Mexico, or if it's in some mudhole in your back yard. If you love it, you will dive. Anywhere.

 

[herbdb]

There is just a lot of variety to experience in diving. We just spent a week down in South Carolina helping a group from The University of South Carolina dredge an archaeological site on a creek off the Savannah River. The mud was deep with zero visibility and we were doing everything by feel. It was an interesting and different experience.

I can't wait to get back in my nice clean local quarry and dive. I will probably spoil the visibility getting the mud out of my gear.

It would be great to get as much warm ocean diving as I wanted, but that is not realistic.

I really like Dutch Springs, close to home, lots of socializing with fellow divers. It is also inexpensive with a season pass. I prefer warmer diving, but finances and where I live allow that about four weeks a year.

Devilwoacauz, you should make the trip down to NC and do some wreck diving this summer. The gulf stream moves west and the water on the offshore wrecks is clear and warm. This is some of the best diving I have ever experienced. I am making my second trip down there in late June followed by fossil diving in the Cooper River near Charleston. There are many different diving experiences in the mid-Atlantic area. Keep exploring.

If you decide to try Dutch Springs there are many SB members who would be glad to dive with you and show you around. Just let us know.