Vintage Double Hose

Interest in a Vintage Dive in NASHVILLE area?

Would be nice to get a few Double Hosers together for an end-of-season vintage dive in Nashville at Martha’s Quarry, Saturday Oct. 16.

If anyone who is nearby or going-by is interested, but isn’t familiar with Marthas, here is a link:

http://www.marthasquarry.com

the website is a little thin but you should get the idea... fairly large site, bunch of sunken stuff, lots of man-eating bluegill. It isn’t the Keys, but as quarry diving goes, it’s pretty decent. Real nice new entrance/assembly area in a grove of trees and plenty of picnic tables to stage gear on. Top is bathing suit warm and bottom is colder than a well digger’s ass. One shallow-ish no suite dive and one deeper suit dive made for a nice morning on a recent visit.

anyway…

as the density of Vintage Divers in Nashville is pretty thin, it would be great to scare up some folks if we can... USDdude says he's in, so that makes two of us so far... calling, TENNESSEE DIVER, shackle, TN Traveler, AND ANY OTHERS who would like to take an Oktoberfest dunk in Nashville!!!

Some photos from a couple of weeks ago are attached.













Again, it isn't Flordia, but it's a hell of a lot better than stayin' home and mowing the grass!

Thanks to David Crane for the great photos.

So what would the water temps and viz be like on Oct 16th?

At last report, it's ~80 at the surface w/ ~30' of vis. & colder than cold w/ ~20' vis below the thermocline @ ~25'. Bottom there is only ~50' at it's deepest. Never can tell about the weather here and it has been getting cooler at night this week, but it could easy heat back up to the 90's again, and as quarries go it's pretty big so the water shouldn't cool off for a while yet. A 5mm is plenty heavy, but you'll want a hood for a trip to the bottom. Most of the sunken stuff in in the mid to shallow range but the bus is down in the trench.

There is a pretty cool 4-story crusher/shaker house and apparatus to explore around in, couple of sunken boats (that were sent to the bottom by som Civil War reenactors as I have heard the story) a sunken tour bus, some other sunken miscellaneous things, and some cool ground features (trees, trench, rockpiles, ect)
PLUS, it's only ~ 20min or so from downtown Nashville with PLENTY of after-dive stuff to do (and eat)!!!

I'd like to but don't think I can talk myself into an 8 hr drive to dive a quarry...at least not this year....10 hrs to Portage was enough for one year. I know what you mean about thin vintage divers. It was Henry and myself until we got Scotty on board, not that 3 is a lot.

I didn't figure anyone would drive from too too far away, but the added value of excellent BBQ and live music should not be discounted!

I imagine a very low-key and loosely organized affair at best, but anyone within reach would be more than welcome.

Nashville is a pretty hospitable place after all.

Not sure if the schedule will allow it, but if it does...what time Saturday morning on the 16th? Would I be able to find you if I just showed up....or would we need to coordinate a meeting place? Hopefully, ScubaLady

Easy to find, easy to find.

Here is a Google of the surrounding area. Very close to intersection of TN hwy 70 & SR 109. The tiny town is called Martha, ~20min. east of Nashville.



Here is a closeup of the quarry and the road in. Parking/staging area in the cedar trees is small enough to find anyone who wants to be found.



If you pull it up on Google maps and turn on the aerial photo, you can't miss the quarry, and if you zoom way in, you can see a lot of the sub-surface features. Must have been a very very clear day for the fly-over.

I've been meaning to check Martha's out,so this sounds like as good an excuse as any.
I usually head up 75 to the Philadelphia quarry around Sweetwater 'cause there are no scuba police and I can dive totally vintage. Is Marthas as vintage friendly? I'm about two hours south in Chattanooga so weather permiting I'll be there.

Wow, that's great!

3 or 4 vintage divers should count as an offical GATHERING in anybody's book!!!

I checked with the quarry owner/operator just to be sure and he's all for it. Gate opens ~9am and with the way afternoon weather can be a bit unpredictable around here, I'm thinking earlier is probably better than later.

Just in case I need a little more enticement, will you be diving the twins?

I have to figure out the weighting for them, which will likely not be a graceful process, but that's the plan.

Barb and I are working on it. She has a girlfriend in Nash and we could make it a dual purpose trip. Barb was worried about the long walk to the water's edge though?

1969ivan1 wrote:Barb and I are working on it. She has a girlfriend in Nash and we could make it a dual purpose trip. Barb was worried about the long walk to the water's edge though?

Since you'll be carrying her tanks, what exactly is she worried about?

1969ivan1 wrote:Barb and I are working on it. She has a girlfriend in Nash and we could make it a dual purpose trip. Barb was worried about the long walk to the water's edge though?

Well this is getting better and better.

4 Divers is a good solid Gathering, but 6 would be a downright Rally!

The walk is nothing at all, not really anyway. She won't have a bit of trouble. Much much closer than the adverage parking lot, over the dunes, down the beach, to the water type trip. I'm just going by memory, but I'd say 50' from the closer tables/parking to the path, 30-40' down path to funky stairs, down funky stairs to waist-deep floating launch platform. Very easy to do. All in a super pretty grove of cedar trees. Heck, I'll bring my Son's wagon if it will seal the deal.

I'm a girlie girl, and a little high maintenance, but I was just asking how far it was so Rob wouldn't have to do too much heavy lifting.
I remember my first walk to the waters edge at Troy Springs, and after they built the ADA accessable ramp it's worse, I bring my cart to tote my tank there.