Gilboa quarry

[Duckbutter]

Myself and fellow Fire/Rescue Dive Team members dive Gilboa at least 6-8 times per season and have NEVER been exposed to dangers that could result in death or injury unless it was WHOLEY diver error or lack of proper equipment/training ! All their area's for entry/exit into the quarry are new and regularly updated. Mike & Jody are always updating, replacing or adding new equipment and attractions and will graciously take the time to let you know they appreciate your business; on the other hand, due to the seriousness of the sport of diving, if you go outside the posted and established guidelines/rules they will also let you know what you did wrong and possibly take actions up to and including suspension of diving rights ! With this all being said, GILBOA is a TOP NOTCH dive facility that is always getting better; take the time to give it a try. Be Safe & Dive Often !
DUCKBUTTER

[caburrid]

I have heard there are a lot of open water training that goes on at Gilboa, and even though I haven't dove there yet I hear lots of good things regarding viz and the fish. Has anyone dove White Star? That is another one I hear is pretty good and in the vicinity.

[navyhmc]

From what I've heard, White star is okay, but Gilboa is the cats' meow as far as divable quarrys. Pretty much somehting for everyone. A bit cold though...

[gNats]

Originally Posted by caburrid

I have heard there are a lot of open water training that goes on at Gilboa, and even though I haven't dove there yet I hear lots of good things regarding viz and the fish. Has anyone dove White Star? That is another one I hear is pretty good and in the vicinity.

NW Ohio has a bounty of quarries: Gilboa, Portage, and Whitestar.

Personally, all three are great and have their own uniqueness.

WS is the cat's meow for late fall, early spring, ice, and winter (non-ice) diving. The vis can be over 100' under the ice. Ice Cert needed to dive. WS is owned by the city and managed by an LDS. The quarry is open pretty much 7 days a week, dusk to sunset, but the concession (air fills) is available during select hours seasonally. WS has some stuff to see, but not a lot of sucken treasures. There is an old rock crusher and tunnel (permission for tunnel needed) and some other things. I personally find WS to be the prettiest underwater.

Portage is a private owned quarry. It is open pretty much all week during the summer and has onsite camping (rustic and modern). There is a great beach within walking distance of the dive entries with rafts and slides. Great for non-diving family members. Portage is located in/near a college town so there is usually a good crowd of co-eds on the beach.

Portage has a lot of sucken treasures and guide lines to help you get around the quarry. Unfortunately, Portage's vis can sometimes be the worse of all 3. A heavy rain can muck it up for a day or two. However, that is not always bad. I've been doing more and more low vis diving and it does improve your skills and adds a degree of complexity to a shallow(er) quarry.

Gilboa is rated the cat's meow because of size and depth. There are two areas for divers - the OW/AOW shallow side, which reaches 60' (maybe beyond) an the *deeeeeeeeep* side. The deep side is strictly by authorization only. You must file a deep plan with the owner and dive within the deep plan limits. No exceptions. Can't tell you how deep it really goes but I am pretty sure it is a great local place for tec diving / trimix instruction because of the depth. Gilboa has lots of artifacts in the shallow end to see and some pretty friendly fish. They will swarm you at the bus looking for food! I believe the treasures are connected by guide lines also so you can easily go from one to the other. Gilboa is COLD. Even in the summer. Good exposure gear needed. In fact, Gilboa is known for a surprisingly high amount of free-flowing regulators. It is usually advised that people do not dive Gilboa with a regulator that is not at least cold water rated.

The OP created this thread in 2007, and it was revamped earlier this week. But, in case you are looking at it for the first time, and since there was a question put out about the quarries, here is the summary on Ohio's quarries. There are other quarries within an easy day drive of these three - and of course, the Great Lakes for some reallllllly cool sunken treasure exploration!

[navyhmc]

I knew you'ld know gNats!

Thanks.

[gNats]

Originally Posted by navyhmc

I knew you'ld know gNats!

Thanks.

Navy, I really can't say which I like the best, because each offers something unique the others do not.

I really do believe that WS is by far the prettiest. I love swimming along the rock wall and there is a tree dumping ground I found last Spring with Matt (PvtStash). It look like old Xmas and fallen trees had at one time just been tossed into this one area.

I love Portage's family topside atmosphere. Maybe that is because the few times I have been there, it included camping and a group of people who were making a few days of it. We camped, cooked, had bonfires, and dove. Played frisbee during surface intervals. At Portage, you can enter the water from every rustic campsite. So, literally, pop out of your tent, don your gear, and walk into the water.

Gilboa, well, it's Gilboa. It has this reverence about it. It has lots to see and the fish buzzing around you like shark feeding frenzy is a neat experience. There is camping at Gilboa also, but it "feels" more crowded than at Portage. For some reason, maybe the colder water, maybe the deeper depths (even in the shallow area) Gilboa just feels more challenging.

The management and personnel of each quarry is top notch. They are there to run a business, but they are still very customer driven and if you follow their rules they will demonstrate their customer service ten-fold.

If you can't afford to wreck dive in the Great Lakes and you want to dive in a location where you don't have to tow a flag or worry about boat traffic, these quarries offer a great day or weekend experience.

People in Michigan and OH are very lucky. I didn't realize how fortunate I was in regards to diving options until I started to head down to Missouri and realized how fortunate we are in the upper Midwest to have not just quarries but the Great Lakes and a lot of natural springs and lakes.

[medicdiver]

Originally Posted by gNats

Navy, I really can't say which I like the best, because each offers something unique the others do not.

I really do believe that WS is by far the prettiest. I love swimming along the rock wall and there is a tree dumping ground I found last Spring with Matt (PvtStash). It look like old Xmas and fallen trees had at one time just been tossed into this one area.

I love Portage's family topside atmosphere. Maybe that is because the few times I have been there, it included camping and a group of people who were making a few days of it. We camped, cooked, had bonfires, and dove. Played frisbee during surface intervals. At Portage, you can enter the water from every rustic campsite. So, literally, pop out of your tent, don your gear, and walk into the water.

Gilboa, well, it's Gilboa. It has this reverence about it. It has lots to see and the fish buzzing around you like shark feeding frenzy is a neat experience. There is camping at Gilboa also, but it "feels" more crowded than at Portage. For some reason, maybe the colder water, maybe the deeper depths (even in the shallow area) Gilboa just feels more challenging.

The management and personnel of each quarry is top notch. They are there to run a business, but they are still very customer driven and if you follow their rules they will demonstrate their customer service ten-fold.

If you can't afford to wreck dive in the Great Lakes and you want to dive in a location where you don't have to tow a flag or worry about boat traffic, these quarries offer a great day or weekend experience.

People in Michigan and OH are very lucky. I didn't realize how fortunate I was in regards to diving options until I started to head down to Missouri and realized how fortunate we are in the upper Midwest to have not just quarries but the Great Lakes and a lot of natural springs and lakes.

This is a very true statement. When I was in Ohio, I had the chance to dive Whitestar and Gilboa. I liked both of them. I was able to dive Gilboa in a 5mm hyperstretch without getting that cold. The shallow side is deeper than 60ft as you go down what I guess was a road. There are some tubes that are placed on top of each other making a pretty cool swim thru. I hope to hit Gilboa again in the future.
As for White star, I dove it April 1st in 2007. It was a cold dive with the temp being around 45 degrees. Visibility was great but I can't remember what it was. It was a good place to scooter as well.

[navyhmc]

Road Trip JJ ?????

[medicdiver]

Maybe if we can work the schedule out.

[caburrid]

Oh man, we are going to have a Scuba Toys Upper Midwest diveathon at one or more of these quarries. That would be fun, having camping and diving...me and my hubby don't know too many divers, so finding any in the vicinity would be awesome.