Weekend Dive Report
White Star Quarry – Gibsonburg, Ohio 7/15-7/16, 2023
Scott’s SCUBA Service (Freeport, PA) – Advanced Open Water Class
10 students, 2 instructors, 3 divemasters
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The weekend started off by camping at the Toledo East/ Stony Ridge KOA Journey campground. Tent camping is not the diver’s preferred method of sleep arrangements due to the lack of space to air out dive gear at night but it was sufficient and can be done with an acceptance of some sacrifices. Thunderstorms on Friday night were a welcomed event that reminded me of the many nights spent in wilderness places as summer storms rolled overhead.
Day 1
I arrived at White Star Quarry at about 7:40 on Saturday morning and met one of the divemasters, Brian, who was there early to claim some parking spots for his gear trailer and Scott’s SCUBA rental gear trailer. As students and the instructors arrived, we paid our $ 20-a-day per diver fee at the registration station and began to build our gear. Our group of students consisted of varying levels of experience from open water divers with minimal experience and rental gear to a public safety diver with a drysuit and full-face mask. The initial dive briefing was a review of neutral buoyancy techniques and we began the first dive by doing weight checks at the shallow entrance. There were two other groups of divers so space was limited and our group had to stay together so we were not separated from our class.
As I took my first breath underwater, released air from the BCD, and descended down to the training platform, the abundantly clear visibility was mesmerizing. My daughters and I have snorkeled in Florida Springs where visibility is infinite but this amazed me that we could be so clear in a random quarry in western Ohio. With visibility around 20-30 feet, it was so easy to look at the instructors’ hand signals and to determine your position in the water column which helped with confidence and buoyancy as we entered into this new dive site. The bluegill and largemouth bass greeted us as we wiggled out the nerves and anxiety. We all discovered our neutral buoyancy as we refined our trim and became acquainted with the water around the suspended training platform that was about 20 feet down. At 32 feet of depth, the thermocline grabbed our attention as we descended past the platform and followed the instructors northeast to the attraction known as the playground. A swing set, a basketball hoop, and some PVC swim-through obstacles created a fun course to work on our buoyancy as we descended down to 45 feet, the max depth for the day. We returned to the training platform after our air was at 1500 psi. We ascended to 15 feet and watched our computers count down the obligatory 3-minute safety stop. Most of the students had around 700-1100 psi left over and we all remarked on the beautiful viz and exciting landmarks.
As the torrential downpours of rain for the day began, a debrief of the first dive, a swap of cylinders, and a dive briefing for the second dive were in order. The Ohio Council of Skin and Scuba Divers, Inc. were in attendance and had a tent set up where they served a free lunch for anyone in attendance at the quarry. Almost everyone from our group enjoyed some potato salad, a freshly grilled cheeseburger, or a hot dog. A big thanks to them for the food!
Dive number 2 began and my two dive buddies and I descended down to the training platform and used our compasses to navigate to the corners of the structure. These tasks seem elementary but the skill of doing something at depth is often difficult because we can be overloaded with tasks like controlled breathing and buoyancy. We ventured west and arrived at a submerged boat where we practiced finding an object with a given heading and then navigating back to the boat with the reciprocal heading. My old compass decided that the pressure was too much to handle and ceased to function underwater. Thankfully, divemaster Brian was able to assist me with the use of his compass to find the target. With my two dive buddies, we headed to the playground again using the underwater topography and landmarks to find our destination. The shear drop-off on the edge of the quarry remained on our right side as we navigated north in search of the landmark. Perception is interesting because our group felt like we went too far and when I signaled to the buddy leading this leg of the journey if he knew where we were and just then the playground came into sight 30 feet off to our left; exactly where it was supposed to be. We descended into the colder water and briefly entertained our inner child with the swing set. We shortly turned the dive, heading back to the platform, and hovered for our 3-minute stop at 15 feet. Another successful dive was logged but we had more tasks to achieve for the day.
At the surface, we utilized the compass to find headings and locate targets near the parking lot. (The targets were divemasters.. earning their free air fills.) I have previous experience with compasses as I have taught many youth summer campers how to orienteer with a map and compass so this part of the day was just a refresher. The instructors also taught us how to complete search patterns while using the compass. The U search, expanding square, and circle search patterns were all discussed but we utilized the U search pattern for our underwater our exercise. The rain had finally stopped and we enjoyed the break in the weather before heading off to practice our skills.
Our last watery descent for the day was a three-station dive in which we used a lift bag, tied three common knots (bowline, sheet bend, and double hitch tie-off), and performed a U-search pattern. We returned to the boat and performed the search pattern and found the target once again. My dive buddy and I then proceeded to the training platform and tied a quick three knots and then lifted a few lead weights with a lift bag. We were able to sport dive after these tasks and we focused on buoyancy control and had another tour of the close-by sites. We truly tested our buoyancy on the last safety stop as we tried to hold good trim and not have to hold the downline while maintaining depth. We ended the day with a tank refill for ten bucks each and packed our cars for the day.
On return to the campsite, I found my tent to be dry as a bone, a welcomed discovery. A hot shower was in order and then I drove the 4 minutes over to McDonald's for dinner. I entertained myself for the evening by watching the latest highlights from the Tour de France on my tablet. Sleep was initiated as the sun was setting and I went to bed thankful for the amazing day spent underwater.
Day 2
Normally, I like to hit the snooze button a couple of times each morning but when my phone alarms in the morning, I quickly canceled my alarm and the thrill of the day ahead fueled my excitement, no coffee required. I tore down the tent, packed up my campsite, and headed back to the quarry for an early start. I was the first to arrive in my group and paid the daily fee and parked my car in a shaded spot near where the class was gathering. After assembling my dive gear and welcoming the others in my class to the site, I made breakfast near the water’s edge with my backpacking gas stove and enjoyed the warm food settling into my stomach as we prepared for the day.
A dive briefing and overview of the dive site was conducted by Jenny, one of the owners of Scott’s Scuba and instructors for the weekend. Essentially our first dive would be to the depth of the quarry at about 70 feet and explore a few attractions and master our buoyancy. Paying attention to our computers, we were to monitor our no-deco-limit (NDL) as the time decreased with the pressure at depth limiting our bottom time if we want to avoid a mandatory decompression stop prior to our surfacing. On the return, we are to deploy our delayed surface marker buoys (DSMB) while at our 3-minute voluntary safety stop at 15-20 feet depth. With full tanks and eager spirits, we do a buddy check and take a giant stride into the clear water with about 30 feet of visibility. We divide into two teams and the first team heads down to the top of the blockhouse. I was on the second team that descended.
Since we were dropping below the thermocline and finding ourselves in the coldest water of the weekend, we were instructed to use a hood and gloves for these dives. I already had a hood but needed to purchase gloves the week prior at the dive shop so that I stayed warm in the chilly water. Team two gathered and started the descent. I cracked the seal on my hood to let a little water in and gave a little swallow to equalize my ears. My left ear cleared, but my right ear did not. I added air to my BCD so I wouldn’t descend further and attempted further to clear my ear. While attempting to do a vagal maneuver, I broke the seal on my mask a little water entered. This was not a big deal so I cleared my mask and returned to the task of clearing my ear. Before I knew it, I was back at the surface because I wasn’t paying attention to my depth while dealing with my ear and mask issues. I decided to try and go to 10 feet and clear my ear again but this attempt was also unsuccessful. This was so frustrating because not being able to equalize your ears means an end to your dive. I resurfaced and asked one of our surface buddies to get me a cap in exchange for my hood. I tore off my hood, swore to never wear it again, and put the cap on before descending back to 10 feet in an attempt to finally clear my ear. The thought behind the hood-to-cap exchange was that the hood created a seal and did not allow water to enter my ear and assist in clearing my ear. The cap allowed the water to enter my ear canal without much intervention.
Josh, the other owner of Scott’s Scuba and instructor today, ascended and met me at the surface, and checked on me since I was obviously having some trouble. I told him my issues and said I would try one last time to clear my ear. At 15 feet, I was still unable to clear my ear with the pressure of the water squeezing in and I decided to turn the dive. Giving a thumbs up to Josh, I returned to the surface as he gave me a see-ya-later salute.
I have never been more frustrated with a simple defeat. It was difficult for me because clearing your ears on a dive is practically just a formality. But for some, it is anything but just a checklist item. Our anatomies can aid or hamper our ability to equalize our ears and having any excess wax buildup or congestion in our inner ear can limit our ability to correct the pressure changes. Climbing the exit ladder was a bummer but I got out and stripped my gear off and explained my dilemma to the folks on the surface. I messed with my ear and tried pinching my nose, pinching my lips together, and blowing air out in an attempt to equalize my ears. My left ear had no issues but my right ear was still funky. It didn’t hurt but it wasn’t clear. When the class returned to the surface, Jenny got me some swimmers-ear-drops to aid in my effort. After a dive debrief my ear finally seemed to return to normal and I felt encouraged to let the previous struggle rest and focus on the dive brief for our second and final dive for the day. I believe now that I suffered from a reverse block which is a mucus plug that wedges into your eustachian tube and doesn’t allow for air to easily release when needed during equalization.
Our group was introduced to reels and spools and we utilized tables and parking signposts to practice our tie-offs. In underwater overhead environments, it is essential to be able to retrace your path and during our dive, we planned on entering a cavern zone. The rock crusher pit was a deep bottom entrance of a sloping swim-through that ended at the more shallow blockhouse that we first descended to on the dive. At the bottom of the deep entrance, Josh had placed a line that led up to the exit of the shallower exit. The tunnel was about 6 feet tall and ten feet wide which was plenty of room to feel comfortable. Our last briefing included an explanation of the initial descent to the blockhouse, a swim down to the entrance of the tunnel, visualizing and following the line through the cavern zone, doing a group check on air consumption and status, return back through the tunnel, exiting the bottom, perform line drills with the reels and spools, and since I missed the first dive, I needed to shoot my DSMB at my 3-minute safety stop.
Since there was limited space in the tunnel, the first group went first and the second crew descended a few minutes later. I was so eager to get this dive in after missing the first that I was in the water before the first group descended. I filled my BCD and floated around in anticipation waiting for the others in my group to jump in and start the dive. Honestly, I was nervous because my ear felt fine again but I did not know if my ear will cooperate with the plan and equalize. For this dive, I simply left the hood and cap on the shore and decided that I would rather have a cold head than not dive at all if I were to get a repeat incident.
The whole group entered the water and we started to descend. I cleared my ears just under the surface and both ears gave a little crackle, just like they are supposed to. At 10 feet I cleared my ears again and they both popped at the same. That simple ear-clearing renewed my spirit for diving. I descended further with my team and my ears continued to be normal with no issues. I focused on the dive at hand and we followed our divemaster, Bryan, to the bottom of the crusher pit and descended to the bottom while searching for the opening of the tunnel. Since we were the fourth group to enter the pit that day, the silt had been stirred up but there was a line through the cavern zone so we were comfortable with continuing. At about 68 feet, the entrance was open and I was the last student in our group to enter the tunnel. But as we descended, the silt became dense and visibility decreased to only inches. Josh was at a higher vantage point, perhaps above the silt, and he used a flashlight to illuminate the line that was placed at the entrance. I followed the fins of the person ahead of me and followed the beam of light to the line. Grabbing the orange line I used it to guide me up through the cavern zone. The light from the exit broke through the silt and the rest of the team came into sight as I began to ascend through the tunnel. I released the line as the visibility increased and was able to visualize it for the remainder of the ascent. It was only a brief moment of reliance on the line that was laid through the tunnel but it was a rewarding feeling to keep calm, know the plan, and continue through the passage hot on the heels of my dive buddies.
Keeping buoyancy, we exited the tunnel and gathered on top of the submerged blockhouse. Since the tunnel had become silted out, the divemaster and instructor pointed us toward the lower entrance of the crusher pit, and we skipped returning through the tunnel since the visibility was compromised. We worked our way back to the bottom and used reels and spools of line to practice primary tie-offs and secondary tie-off wraps. As someone who used to frequently rock climb, I am quite comfortable with knots and rope work. We finished the exercises and returned to the gathering spot near the entrance ladder at about 30 feet of depth where I filled my DSMB with air from my alternate second-stage regulator and let it shoot to the surface. I slowly ascended to 15 feet and my computer counted down the 3 minutes and then I slowly surfaced once my safety stop was complete. It is important to add that the depth we dived and for the time that we were down there we remained above the NDL and were not required to have a full decompression stop at depth. Regardless of our avoidance of involuntary decompression, we still practice a 3-minute safety stop because it is a good habit to practice.
With amazing freshwater visibility, fantastic instructors and divemasters, and a sense of wanderlust, these dives further opened my eyes to the underwater world. While this weekend may have been a class with expectations and goals, the freedom that I felt underwater has sparked a fire in my soul to continue to explore this beautiful underwater world.
Site logistics and review:
White Star Quarry is an excellent place for folks to explore and enhance their diving skills. The crystal-clear water is amazing to see the attractions and fauna alike. The facilities available are definitely an added bonus and are conveniently placed near the parking lot to be able to refill air, get snacks, and buy or rent some gear that you may have lost, broken, or forgotten. Air refills were done pretty quickly and the staff were super friendly.
There are two dive entrances and each one has its own separate pay station. Make sure to bring a pen because you will have to fill out your info on a small yellow envelope and place $20 cash inside. If you want to pay with a card, you have to wait for the concession to open and pay $25.
The big parking lot on the southeast corner of the quarry got pretty full on both days of diving but I arrived early and had no problem at all. On both days of diving, there were multiple classes in attendance so it goes without saying that this little oasis is definitely a regional attraction for many teaching dive shops. There were a few small groups of folks sport diving as well but they seemed to know the place and steered clear of the teaching attractions.
The southeastern dive entrance is a sloping gravel area that is great for walking into the water and putting on your fins. There is no silt in this area so you won't be messing up the viz if you have to do a weight check and do the fin-donning dance. The northeastern entrance is a giant stride or you can lower yourself by the ladder. The water was reported to be a little low on our trip and the concrete pad was about three feet above the water's surface. Typically the water is about even with the concrete.
On our dives, we didn't see half of the attractions but I will be returning to see the other boats, vehicles, and interesting items. Overall I was pleased with the site and the prices were pretty reasonable. I spend $70 in site fees: $20 a day for diving and 3 $10 air fills. I paid $35 per night for camping at the KOA and it had nice facilities, although the pool was closed during my stay. Hotels in the area were not cheap for my weekend and were around $180 per night for the closest one: hence why I camped. Plan your trip ahead and save! Lastly, bring a pop-up tent if you have one. The sun can get hot and those rain storms could sure put a damper on your surface logistics if you don't have an escape.
Happy diving and hope to see you out there!
Thanks again to Scott's Scuba Service of Freeport, Pa for the awesome logistics and instruction. Check them out for all your diving needs! www.scottsscuba.com Tell them I sent you!
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