Are you thinking of becoming a diver? Are you thinking of going to Mermet Springs? How about we learn about a Day in the Life of a Diver… The Mermet Springs Edition.
Morning:
Mornings come early. Whether you are going to the Lake, going to Mermet Springs, or are boarding a boat in Cozumel. Mornings come early. If you hang around these parts long, you’ll realize there are 2 musts… Coffee and Snickers. Or in this case, maybe just the coffee. I think we forgot the Snickers on this trip.
During the summer hours which range from May to October, gates open at 8am on Saturday and Sunday and 9am every other day of the week except Wednesday. They are closed on Wednesdays. Good thing we were going on a Saturday (give or take a couple days…).
Because the gates open at 8am, breakfast is typically 6:30 and we’re on the road by 7:30. Not everyone albeit, but most of us. It’s about a 10-20 minute drive from Metropolis, IL to the front gates at Mermet Springs. Not bad, not bad at all. I think the speed limit was 55mph. Something to keep in mind ;).
And remember, it’s located in the middle of corn country. Beautiful!
Once you enter the gates, the first thing to do is check in. 
Check in requires you to sign your life away. I’m kidding, I’m kidding. But you do have to sign a waiver and leave your C-Card at the front desk. You’ll get your cards back at the end of your diving trip. Ours go to Deb and Grady.
And of course the blogger “throws a fit” and makes everyone get down on the dock for a group photo. Come on… it is what it is and it’s totally needed for the blog, website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Once all the “business” is taken care of, then it’s time to party. Aka, dive. Unload your gear in the areas they assign to each group. Find your your dive buddy. Set your gear up and take off.
First Round of Diving:
First dive. Enjoy the scenery. Take it easy or take a class. Hey, you can even see the sun rise if you want. It’s beautiful!
But by the scenery, there’s much to see between an ambulance, a coal car, an 80 foot platform, and/or a 727 that is Hollywood Famous.
And how many people can say they’ve sat on a chair on an airplane? Seriously. Sit and wait while your partner finishes up the wreck diving certification (but make sure you have a dive budding sitting with you. After all… here you have to always dive with a buddy!!). Okay, let’s be serious, there is so much that can be accomplished here, the possibilities are endless.
Running out of air. No problem. Unless you are Deb or Grady (they don’t use much air…), you probably will at some point. Just take your tank up to the fill house. It’ll be ready for you in a jiffy.
And once you have a tank of air again, get back in the water. Like I said, there are many, many items to see, like this white catfish.
Or take a bath because after peeing in your wetsuit, you probably stink. haha.
Lunch:
But all this diving creates a need to eat. Remember, if there is food, they will come. We never have a lack of food. If you forgot yours, just hit us up, we’ll have you taken care of. This is the community food table, I swear.
And again, it’s time to dive. You know, work off those calories, or make room for more. Whatever. And don’t forget about our fish friends. They like hot dogs. Preferrably the cheapo ones.
Then, it’s time to eat again. This time it’s an afternoon snack. Who doesn’t make homemade ice cream while diving, seriously?!?!
And if you’re lucky enough, you have newly weds with you. You get to have cake too. Fun, fun!
But we can’t forget about another dive, right? This time go deeper. Try out your drysuit or your 5mil wetsuit (although you are probalby aready diving in that unless you’re Dan La Due…)
And finally it is time to shower and get ready to head back to town because obviously we need to eat again. The mural is new. Cool huh? It’s on the wall that divides the men from the women’s shower house.
Bye until next time (or tomorrow!). Late in the afternoon, around 5pm or so we all load up our dive gear and head back for Metropolis to the hotel. It is time to shower (if you still need to) and get cleaned up for dinner (also known as supper to some people. We’re talking the evening meal, not the noon time meal… Just so you aren’t confused. haha).
Dinner:
Then it’s dinner time. Of course you have to eat. On Saturday night’s at Mermet Springs we eat as a group (it’s an option anyway) at Fat Edd’s.
It’s a great way to end the evening. Oh and in case you wondered, we get up the next day and do it all over again, except we add driving home to that mix.
So that’s the day in the life of a diver at Mermet Springs. Let’s find the next Day in the life of a diver… Hmmmm the lake, Cozumel… we have many options.