Quarry Diving Scuba Diving's Dark Diving Destinations

If you have never been scuba diving in a quarry before, this article may be an eye-opener for you. Unless you have tried it, diving in a quarry does not seem to offer much. Since I started scuba diving, I have dived with thousands of different divers. At first, I was surprised that many, if not most of them, learned to dive in quarries. This is especially true for divers from the United States that did not live near the coast or tropical destinations. I also found that generally, quarry divers are more self-reliant, more comfortable in poor visibility, and dive more frequently.

If you live in a location away from large bodies of water, diving in a local quarry may expand your dive season. A trip to a nice tropical location for a week will likely give you 10 to 15 dives. You may be paying more than $100 for a two-tank dive. If you only dive on vacation, then your first dive will likely be a refresher dive. If you have a local quarry, you may pay a small user fee for your fill or tank rental. Likely half the cost and over the course of the summer, you can get in more dives.

You might also find that there is a dive destination that features quarries, that is within a short drive from you. Makes it easy to get a few weekend dive trips in without taking any vacation time. Not to mention the possibility of a dive after work sometimes. We will feature a few in this article, to get you a hint of what to look for.

Why Scuba Dive In A Quarry?

The short answer to why scuba dive in a quarry is because it is there. A quarry is an open pit mine. After they are no longer economically viable, they are abandoned. Over time, groundwater or underground springs will start to fill the pit. It was not uncommon in the past for scuba divers to sneak into these abandoned quarries to explore them. In many places, local divers or dive centers have negotiated for permission to use the sites. Often, to reduce liabilities, quarry sites are sold for very small amounts and the sites are developed for scuba diving.

While there are some exceptions, quarry diving is often in cold water and with limited visibility. If you are learning to dive, this can actually be a benefit. Learning in an environment such as this prepares you better for different conditions. Divers who become certified in warm clear waters will be at a disadvantage the first dive they are in low visibility or cross into a thermocline. To a quarry diver, it is business as usual.

Another large benefit of this type of diving is that it is less subject to weather conditions and currents. Since quarries are filled by rainwater and groundwater, there are no currents. The surface area is smaller than a large lake, so it is not likely you will have large swells to deal with.

Many quarries have equipment that was abandoned when the mining operation stopped. These make interesting items to explore during your dives. You will also find that many diving quarries have added items of interest. Old trucks, aircraft, and boats are common. As quarries are also popular training sites, you may also find platforms that float a distance beneath the surface.

Some Very Special Quarry Dives

In many areas of the US that do not have year-round calm waters, dive centers have a quarry or two that they rely on for dive training. Often these are small local areas that the dive center works to maintain. There are a number of locations that have had quarries developed into scuba diving areas that support numerous dive centers and have become dive destinations themselves. Here are a few notable ones.

Mermet Springs:

If you live in Illinois, you could always learn to dive in Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes. Due to their size, the Great Lakes are often called inland seas. They are also considered some of the most dangerous waters in the world. Finding an alternative seems like a better choice. Illinois has a number of quarries that have been developed for scuba diving, and many have become a destination in their own right. Mermet Springs in southern Illinois is one that has earned an outstanding reputation and has become one of the most popular dive destinations in the region.

The quarry covers an area of about eight and a half acres, which is large enough not to feel overcrowded. The depth ranges from about 40 feet (ca. 12 m) to 120 feet (ca. 37 m) allowing for deep dive training as well as Open Water Diver training. There are seven training platforms ranging in depth from 6 feet (1.83 m) to 100 feet (ca. 30 m). For out-of-water training and equipment setup, there are 22 pavilions with more than 8500 square feet (ca. 790 square meters) of covered space, as well as picnic tables around the springs.

The dive site slate shows over 30 sunken items in the quarry, including a Boeing 727 from the movie U.S. Marshals and a navigation course. Mermet Springs has its own campground for tents and RVs and there are a number of local hotels making this an easy weekend getaway.

Dutch Springs

"Dutch Springs" by diametrik is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

For over 40 years, Dutch Springs near Bethlehem, PA, was the leading destination for dive training around the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. The Atlantic Ocean can be a daunting place to learn how to dive in this area, and Dutch Springs provided a safe, more comfortable alternative. Dozens of training centers would bring students here for their open water dives, and many dive clubs used it for refresher courses and fun dives. Divers could come on their own and camp on the grounds or stay at local hotels.

The quarry covers 50 acres and is as deep as 100 feet (ca. 30 m) in places. While Pennsylvania is noted for coal mines, this area, the Lehigh Valley, was mined for portland cement. In addition to original quarry equipment, over the years other items including boats, planes and helicopters were added to the waters.

Notice that this is written in the past tense. That is because, at the end of 2021, Dutch Springs closed operations. The owner decided to retire and sold the land to a developer for a substantial amount of money. The developer's plans are to build two large warehouses. Local residents and divers from the northeast expressed their concerns. The locals did not mind the warehouses so much, but they were concerned that the local tourism industry which catered mainly to divers would collapse.

A compromise was reached which will allow the dive operations to continue. Some limited use by first responders was allowed this year, a new training center will be opening in 2023. Lake Hydra will focus on dive training, a place where training centers can come for the open water dives.

Scuba Dive an Old Mine, Bonne Terre Mine

"Bonne Terre Mine and Town" by Robert Stinnett is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Want something unusual? How about a dive into an old mine that was once the world's largest producer of lead ore? Now it is the world's largest subterranean lake. Not unusual enough? Add in that it is located in the Ozark Mountains in Missouri. When the mine was closed in the 1960s and the pumps were turned off, over a billion gallons of water started to fill the mine. The mine offers visitors a walking tour and a boat tour of portions of this mine. That is, after they follow the donkey trail down into the mine. The readers of USA Today named Bonne Terre Mine America's Best Underwater Attraction.

Scuba divers can get a different view of the Bonne Terre Mine. While not exactly a quarry, you can not really classify it as a cave dive or a cavern dive either. The owners of the mine have created 24 underwater trails. Each of the trails has bright artificial lights designed to highlight the natural beauty of the mine and to illustrate the mining equipment left behind. The water is a bit chilly, a constant 60 degrees, but visibility is excellent. Divers, new to the mine, must complete the first three trails before they are allowed on the rest of the trails. These divers are only done on Saturday. To dive the trails beyond number 18, the divers must dive the first 17 dives and be EAN certified.

Quarry Dive in Your Future

After the initial impact of the lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, people started to look towards more outdoor activities they could do alone or with those in their “bubbles”. Scuba diving did not recover as fast because many saw it as a group activity. Social distancing was not practical for small dive boats. One thing I did notice, was that dive professionals started a relook at local diving, in particular shore dives and quarry dives. There were many articles giving suggestions on how to improve dive operations at small quarries and build a better local following. I know of one dive operator that sold their dive boat and invested the funds for improvements of a local quarry. There was not really anything at the quarry before the upgrade. Entry was at an area where you could ease in from some rocks into the water just over knee-deep, then you worked your way deeper to start your dive. They build a deck that now allows a giant stride entry at an upper level and a water-level platform for easy entry and exit. There are also a few “park style” grills and picnic tables and a larger grill that can be used by larger groups.

In the past, the site was used a few times a month for training and an occasional fun dive. Now there is a weekly fun dive in season, a few night dives a month and it is not uncommon for it to be used another 3 times a week for training purposes. Divers are also staying longer after the dives to socialize. This has also helped the local dive center attract more divers for their international trips.