WELCOME TO THE “QUARIBBEAN”!
This beautiful 13 acre quarry has been our private dive home for over 20 years. It gets it’s name from the warm summer water temps and large population of bass, bluegill, crappie and painted turtles as well as a variety of water fauna. A one hour drive from Tri-State, this 34′ deep quarry has an easy walk-in entry, suspended training platform and rope-line tour routes. Once you are certified, pre-register to come diving with us when we go play June through October!
Open Water Certification Weekend Agenda
Saturday
Wear your bathing suit. Bring your mask, fins, snorkel, booties or heavy socks, towel, log book, lunch and drinks (water will be available on site – please bring a water bottle), sun protection, and a change of dry clothes.
Meet at Tri-State Scuba at 8:00am
We will have a tarp outside behind the dive shop with gear bags for every student. Your gear bag will have your name on it. Check the contents of your gear bag for a wet suit, BCD, weight belt, and regulator. You should also have a few weights sitting on the tarp beside your gear bag. Please try on your wetsuit (please SIT ON THE TARP to do this), BCD, and weight belt to ensure proper fit. We don’t want to discover at the quarry that your gear doesn’t fit!!!
You will be instructed to fill out a lability release. Please return it to a staff member when completed.
During the group briefing, you will be given driving directions to the McDonald’s in Falmouth, KY. We will caravan to the McDonald’s, but please put the address in your GPS in case we get separated (1131 Ridgeway Ave, Falmouth, KY 41040). Once in Falmouth, all students and a few staff members will meet at the rear of the McDonald’s parking lot. After all students have arrived, we will caravan approximately 5 miles south to the quarry. FYI… there is no toilet at the quarry, so please ensure you use the restroom if needed BEFORE we leave McDonald’s!
After pulling into the quarry property, you will be guided to park in the gravel parking lot (you will not be able to see the quarry from the parking lot). Staff members will allow you to put gear bags, weights, etc. in the back of pick-up trucks to be driven across the short foot-bridge. Once you walk across the foot-bridge to the quarry, you will see tarps spread out with cylinders placed around the edges. Claim a cylinder by placing your gear bags ON THE TARP next to it. Begin setting up your gear ON THE TARP. When putting on your wetsuit, please SIT ON THE TARP or in a chair (if you brought your own).
Dive 1: A staff member will provide a briefing of the quarry as well as the dive 1 briefing during which we’ll discuss the skills you’ll complete. You’ll be paired up in buddy teams and will head into the shallow water to perform a weight check. At this time, you should be wearing your wetsuit, weight belt with weights, mask, snorkel, and booties or heavy socks. No fins or BCD are needed. Once a staff member has confirmed that you’re properly weighted (or need additional weight), you’ll retrieve more weight from a staff member if needed and go back to the tarp to put on your remaining gear. Then you’ll re-enter the shallow water with your dive buddy to perform your pre-dive safety check (BWRAF) together.
Following the first dive, feel free to relax a bit and eat your lunch. A staff member will debrief your first dive and help you fill out your log books for dive 1. If you ended dive 1 with fewer than 1500 PSI, please let a staff member know that you’ll need to change out your cylinder.
Dive 2: A staff member will provide the dive 2 briefing during which we’ll discuss the skills you’ll complete. Enter the shallow water with your dive buddy to perform your pre-dive safety check (BWRAF) together.
Following dive 2, break down your gear. Please remember to SIT ON THE TARP or in a chair (if you brought your own) to take off your wetsuit! Please put all of your gear, except your weights, back into the gear bag. Leave the cylinders on the tarp.
A staff member will debrief your second dive and help you fill out your log books for dive 2.
Take your gear bag and weights home with you. At home, rinse your wetsuit and hang inside out to dry. Rinse and hang your BCD to dry as well.
Sunday
Meet at the Falmouth McDonald’s at 9:00am. No need to come to Tri-State Scuba first.
Remember to bring EVERYTHING to the quarry that you had on Saturday, including lunch and drinks.
Dives 3 and 4 will begin with dive briefings and end with debriefings just as we did on Saturday. Don’t forget to perform your pre-dive safety check (BWRAF) with your dive buddy before dives 3 and 4! We will have a brief lunch between dives 3 and 4.
Following dive 4, you will have completed all certification requirements!
Break down your gear. Please remember to SIT ON THE TARP or in a chair (if you brought your own) to take off your wetsuit! Please put all of your gear, except your weights, back into the gear bag. Leave the gear bags, weights, and cylinders on the tarp. Please ensure you take your personal gear (masks, snorkels, fins, booties) home with you!
Please ensure you fill out your log book for dives 3 and 4, sign your student folder, and have your photo taken. The signed folder and photo are necessary to process your Open Water certification! We cannot process your paperwork without these!
Certification Cards
If you have a trip coming up right away, please let us know so that we can get a temporary card ready for you. Otherwise, you will receive your permanent card in about 2 weeks. They will be delivered to Tri-State Scuba. We will give you a call when your card arrives.