open water scuba certification course

Located a short distance from Underwater Connection, Circleville Twin Quarries is where we spend a lot of our dive time. The Quarries get their name from having two nearly identical quarries right next to each other offering two dive destinations at one location. Both max out at 25 ft, allowing the water to be warmer than most local sites in the summer but also freezes quicker in the winter to offer ice diving. Circleville is a playground for scuba divers and freedivers. They are filled with many attractions in every direction including a red cross bus and planes to little gems like a pool table and a lady in the tub.

On site is Todd’s Scuba Sales where he offers gear rental, air fills, and a selection of snacks. Each quarry has a pavilion for easy gear set up and stair entry into the quarry where the blue gill are waiting your arrival.

Gilboa is a beautiful spring fed quarry with incredible visibility usually 50 ft or more! The shallow side of the quarry has a depth ranging from 30-60 ft which is great for the recreational divers. It offers many underwater attractions such as a sunken plane, helicopter, school bus and more. When diving from the shallow side, you will come across a cliff like feeling which drops off into the deep side with a max depth of 140 ft which is a great training area for the tech diving and freedivers. The paddlefish also like to hang out around there.

The grounds offer tent camping and RV parking for overnight stay with a full bath house and hot showers. The main office offers gear rental, tank fills, and a snack bar. Don’t forget to grab a bag of fish food before you check out to feed the trout. If you’re not a diver, hang out at the beach!

Lakeview is another great local dive spot located just outside of Columbus in Lancaster. They offer camping and RV parking plus a large pavilion to hang out under. If you’re not a diver, you can lunch small boats or bring a paddle board or kayak.

Divers can walk right in and quickly be greeted by a sunken Frito Lay bus. The max depth of 60 ft can be found in the trench, but the average depth is around 30 ft. This is a stocked lake so you will see plenty of bass, crappie, and catfish. Visibility ranges from 10-30 ft.

WhiteStar Quarry is a great weekend destination with the family. The campground is across the street from the quarry where they offer diving, playground, and a large beach. Full bath houses with hot water can be found both at the campground at the check- in office. They also offer gear rental, tank fills, and a concession stand.

You can enter to water from a walk in spot that has many platforms for teaching or do a giant stride into the deep end located on the opposite side of the quarry. White Star is known for the crusher pit where you can reach a max depth of 75ft. Cruising along the average depth of 40 ft, you can come across the enchanted forest and throne mountain.