White Star Quarry, Last Year

So, we didn't get to go diving this weekend.  And I didn't get to play with my new toy.  The reason we didn't go is because Jeff threw his back out and didn't think carrying around 130 lbs of double tanks on his back and having to bend and twist to get his dry suit on would be a good idea.  I agreed!  I don't think I've mentioned Jeff's back issues. He's had 7 procedures on his back, including 2 major, multi-hour surgeries.  He had 3 disks removed and his bottom 3 vertebrae are fused to his pelvis.  The fusion was done when he was 17 years old.  He is now 31 and (knock on wood!) has yet to have any more major issues with his back.  Of course, the back issues were caused by degenerative disk disease, so, the chances of future problems are pretty high.  But, we'll take the good fortune that he's had so far!  The occasional pulled muscles are par for the course, and preferable to anything worse!  The fact that he's able to do the work that he does (he has his own custom tile installation business), and have an extremely active lifestyle, is pretty impressive.

But I promised some pics of the block house and crusher pit at White Star Quarry, so here are a couple from late last year with my SeaLife camera.

I still love that camera, but I couldn't pass up the deal on the Ikelite housing!  Anyone want to buy a used SeaLife DC800 with a strobe?  I'm selling it for $550.  
Anyway, the above pictures were taken above and inside the crusher pit.  The top of the pit is at about 45 feet and the bottom hits about 75 feet.  The fun part is going up through the tunnel!  Now, you have to have your Advanced Open Water certification and get permission from the quarry in order to go through.  It is an overhead environment and you need the appropriate training and equipment.  It's a little weird the first time, but after that, it's pretty cool.  It's about 40 or so feet long, with a height of about 4 feet by probably 6-8 feet wide.  Big enough to drive a small car through, and if the visibility is good, you can see the light at the end as it slants back up to the block house.  So it's not too scary, but again, I emphasize that it's not for everyone, experience in an overhead environment and the necessary equipment is extremely important.

Hopefully, next weekend Jeff's back will be up for diving and I'll have some new pictures with the new camera housing!