From: jkg@prism.gatech.EDU (Jim Greenlee)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Blue Water SCUBA (REVIEW)
Date: 31 Aug 92 13:22:51 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

My wife and I just completed our NAUI certification dives over the weekend,
and I wanted to post a review of one of the places we went (I checked the
archives and didn't see this listed, so I thought some others might be
interested in our experience). The place is Blue Water SCUBA - it's a fresh
water quarry located on US 31 in Pelham, AL (just south of Birmingham). The
setup they have there is incredible - very conducive to diver training. 

They have several large docks set up along one edge where you can stand to
set up your gear. One of the docks is a quadrangle about twenty feet square
with a fixed platform in the center section (at a depth of twelve feet).
This is their "classroom" area where you practice pool skills. There are
also several submerged (but free-standing) platforms out in the quarry at
depths of 15-20 feet where you can review your skills in the open water.

They also have a "boat simulator" - a large floating platform with benches
along the sides (for practicing back roll entries) and a ladder (for dive
boat exits). The boat simulator also has an anchor line for practicing 
controlled descents.

The quarry itself ranges in depth from about 30 feet to 120 feet, and they
have scattered some old wrecked cars and boats throughout at various depths
so you can have something to look at. They provide you with an underwater
map of the quarry that tells where everything is and what depth it is at.
There are also several large "hoops" located along the bottom that you can
use to practice underwater navigation. The map shows the locations of the
hoops and what compass headings are required to get from hoop to hoop.

The water is clear - visibility was about 20-30 feet. It's also rather
temperate at the shallower depths. The first thermocline was at 30 feet
and then about every ten feet after that. I wore a full 1/8" suit (no hood
or gloves) and was quite comfortable for the most part (we did one dive
to 60 feet, and my hands got a little chilled - I probably would have
wanted gloves if we had spent any time at that depth).

The have a small dive shop on site where you can rent gear and get air
fills (there is a larger shop just north of the quarry on US 31). The
rates seem pretty reasonable - it's $8.00 per person per day for the
entrance fee, and air fills are about a dollar (not real sure of the exact
price - they give a discount to instructors with students, so we didn't
pay full price for air). We didn't rent any equipment from the shop, so
I don't know what their rates are like. They will let you run a tab and
then settle at the end of the day if you want.

All in all, I was very pleased and impressed with our experience there. Most
of the dive shops around here do fresh water checkout dives at one of the
local lakes, but Blue Water was much better - they have it set up for dive
training, so there's a lot less to worry about. It's also seems like a great 
place to go to keep your skills fresh - my wife and I are talking about
going once a month or so just to "stay in shape" (so to speak).

You get there by taking I-65 south from Birmingham. Take Alabama state road
119 west and then turn south on US 31. It's a few miles down on the right
(there is a large sign that marks the entrance). It's about 2.5 hours from
Atlanta (where we live), and well worth the trip.

-JimG

-- 
Jim Greenlee (jkg@cc.gatech.edu)	Jryy abj lbh'ir tbar naq qbar vg!
Instructor, College of Computing	Whfg unq gb xrrc svqqyvat jvgu vg
Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332		hagvy lbh oebxr vg, qvqa'g lbh ?!
Newsgroups: rec.scuba