I just have to ask… did anyone realize there wasn’t a blog post recapping our Mermet Springs 2016 dive trip? What happened?!?! Maybe you should fire the blogger. She isn’t doing her job… 🙂
As you hopefully know, Mermet Springs is located across the border in Illinois. I can’t remember, is Mermet Springs located in Mermet Springs or Mermet? Bueller, Bueller? Either way we tend to stay in Metropolis which is like what, 15 miles away or something like that. Chump change :).
Mermet Springs, just a hop skip and a jump away!
Now for those of you who don’t know… Metropolis, Illinois is like a good 5 and 1/2 to 6 hour drive or you could fly in to Paducah, KY, which would take you a little over 7 hours (so google maps tells me). But sometime the fun in the trip is the experience getting there!
When you get to Mermet Springs make sure you immediately check in. They keep your C-Card until the end. No big deal, at the end of the weekend you get it back. If you go with our group then Deb and Grady get it back and you collect from them. See no big deal. Here are their summer hours in case you’re interested. We are approaching summer quickly after all!
This… this is how you know you’ve made it. And you have to get your picture taken with the giant fish at least once! :).
There are pavilions set up. This year we were set up on the left side of this picture toward the end not pictured in this photo. It was a good thing too because it rained… Did you know that diving is a dry sport? No, it’s nice to have a dry spot to come in out of the water. It’s also nice because there is a place to set up your food. Now if you don’t bring food, no problem, everyone else does, just bum some or else go to the their cook shack. See… it’s all covered.
Don’t want to stay in one of the outlying cities, no problem, “drag” your camper and camp. See we have this all covered or more so they do….
Ah, the water. The real reason to come! You know there’s a famous plane in this place, right? The one out of the movie… What movie you ask? Oh…. It’s the Boeing 727 that Wesley Snipes’ character crashed into the Ohio River despite lawman Tommy Lee Jones’ best efforts in the movie US Marshals. One of the cool things there is you can hit up our lovely dive shop, Extreme Sports Scuba and get the class for Wreck Diving and bam, you can get your wreck diving certification using this famous plane on the trip to Mermet Springs. Been there, done that!
Another fun fact is they play music. That’s really cool, especially if you get tired of listening to the same song over and over in your head… like or maybe not like the blogger. Wait, What?!?! We always knew there was something wrong with her but remember we fired her for forgetting this post. 🙂
Last Summer we went a month earlier than normal. Trying to avoid the hunt they have and school conflicts and possibly warmer weather, etc. Did you know that last year when we went we still hit school conflicts and the weather was far from warmer, but we still had a great turn out. Avoiding the hunt they have made us think that we’d have better visibility but between the rains that got dumped on them… our visibility wasn’t all that much better. Oh well, you win some you lose some, but we had a great turn out and a lot of fun and laughs!
Possibly one of the best moments was when Dan came up from the dive and asked Carlene to make him a sandwich, but the blogger in training ran to the table and started  making him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Diver Dan ate it whether he wanted a PB&J or not. She is the hostess with the mostess.
So the waters… Did you know the fish like hotdogs? I think their favorites are the cheapest ones you can get. Why they like hotdogs is beyond us, but they do. Just bring hotdogs and start feeding them and you’ll get swarmed!
The best place to feed them is on the 15 foot platform. That’s typically the platform everyone goes down on, but don’t worry, there are a couple platforms right there in that general location that will help and the fish will surely follow.
There are also fun little creatures on the 15 foot platform to entertain you.
But don’t stick to the 15 foot platform! There’s more to see and explore!! I would like to mention that you’ll probably want a 5mil wetsuit or thicker/heavier or even a dry suit depending on where you go. Just sharing that for your information!
Need a bath. No problem, they have you covered!
Test your your ball spinning abilities just don’t do what Cam did to poor Anissa a few years ago…..
Sponge Bob showed up in quite a few places. Speaking of things like this… in the Cozumel post there was a photo of a Geocache… apparently there is rumor that there is one here in Mermet Springs too. I can neither confirm nor deny because I’ve never seen a picture nor have I seen it for myself.
Vroom Vroom!
And they say you shouldn’t fear sharks…..
Did you know I’m not allowed to push shopping carts? Don’t ask!
Ah, but the claim to fame… the Boeing 727. The master of them all!
And then there is the phrase, what happens at Mermet Stays at Mermet… Just saying…. This is a dive bell by the way. It’s on the other end of the quarry at around 10-15 feet.
The white catfish.
And the fired blogger had to get her picture taken with the gorilla since she is a Pitt State Alumni and their mascot is Gus the Gorilla.
This year… when the trip is scheduled (around Chiefs Football of course!!) make sure you join us because all the shenanigans that happen make that 6 hour drive all the more worth it! Plus there’s great food to boot!
Oh and if you’re like me and never seen a paddle fish, it looks like they have tours. Maybe I need to do this so I can finally see one. I did this year swim the entire parameter of the whole quarry. That was a blast. I did it twice to be exact.
And like I said, it rained. But diving in the rain is fun. You won’t melt, I promise because if someone as sweet as me doesn’t melt you’re sure to not melt. Remember diving is a dry sport after all.
And that was all she wrote. Oh and it was sunny on the drive home. Go figure.