Portage Quarry

1
Portage Quarry
Set up gear here.

• Checkout Dive Site

2
Portage Quarry

• This is the dive shop where you will pay for air
  fills and for diving.
• This is the entrance to the quarry grounds.
• You will be required to fill out a waiver in
  order to be able to dive.

3
Portage Quarry

• This is where we will set up.

4
Portage Quarry

• This view is of the swimming beach adjacent to
  the scuba entry point that we will use.

5
Portage Quarry

• This is a view of the entry site that we use as
  it overlooks the silo that is our training
  platform.
• We will do our line skills testing on top of the
  silo.

6
Portage Quarry

• This is how you will set up your gear for
  inspection prior to doing the first dive.
• The student pictured here has had her gear
  inspected and is donning her wetsuit.

7
Portage Quarry

• You will need to transport your assembled gear
  from the gear-up point to the entry point, a
  distance of only about 25 yards or less.

8
Portage Quarry

• This is the entry area.
• Note that there are steps down to the waters
  edge.
• Be especially careful when carrying equipment
  down.
• Keep equipment away from the stairs so that other
  divers can use them.

9
Portage Quarry

• We will do the final gear inspection and dive
  briefing on the ledge at the waters edge and
  just above the silo.

10
Portage Quarry

• The water at the entry point is only about 1 to 2
  feet deep, but drops off to about 40 feet at the
  edge of the ledge that you can see in this
  picture.

11
Portage Quarry

• The orange float is tied to the top of the silo.
  
• We will snorkel out and descend that line.
• The line skills will include, mask and regulator
  clearing, regulator recovery and air sharing.

12
Portage Quarry

• This is what the top of the silo will look like.
• Expect to be surrounded by fish.
• This is a popular fish feeding site.
• The fish will include perch, sunfish, blue gill,
  trout and carp.

13
Portage Quarry

• After the line skills have been completed, we
  will tour the quarry just below the swimming
  beach.
• The total bottom time will be about 20 to 25
  minutes.
• We will then exit at the point of entry.

14
Portage Quarry

• Between dives you will be able to drop your gear.
• Depending upon how busy the quarry is, you may be
  able to leave it at the entry point.
• You will probably need to take your tanks to have
  them re-filled.

15
Portage Quarry

• Between dives we will fill out your dive log, eat
  lunch, rest and debrief the previous dive.
• You may or may not want to remove some or all of
  your wetsuit.

16
Portage Quarry

• On dives 2 through 4, we will mainly dive for fun
  and to see the sights.
• We will tour as much of the remainder of the
  quarry as we are able.
• The instructor will be evaluating such things as
  your buddy techniques, buoyancy control,
  environmental awareness, etc.

17
Portage Quarry

• Here are two Malone college divers that have
  survived their checkout dives and have become
  fully certified divers.
• Your heroically posed scuba instructor is also
  pictured.

Scuba Steve
Marine Mike
Caribbean Carly