Welcome to the recap of Mermet Springs 2018… or should we call it Gordon isn’t welcome on this diving adventure 2018. If you don’t remember or know what I’m referring to, take a look at this post! Hurricane Gordon made its way all the up to Metropolis, Illinois. But, my friends, that didn’t stop us from making the trek across the state of Missouri and across the state line into Illinois to dive at Mermet Springs. We’ve written a more in-depth post about Mermet Springs, but the claim to fame would be the 727 that was featured in the film, U.S. Marshalls with Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes.
They added a new feature this year. Now you don’t have to sign the waiver when you get there… no siree Bob, you can sign it online. It is something you have to sign yearly. But if you were like the Blogger’s clan… you can sign it there at the time of check-in. The joke was, the form is so easy, even a 4-year-old can do it. But truthfully, it is a simple form to fill out and it’s now electronic. Score.
Then it was time to start donning gear and diving on in! Now, if you’ve never dove at Mermet Springs, you’ll quickly learn you’ll want a heavy mil wetsuit or even a dry suit.
Oh, but Wait!!!
Hurricane Gordon decided to grace the Midwest with some much-needed rain… even if it was in downpour form. Don’t worry, Diving is a Dry sport of course. You can dive in raining conditions. You just have to avoid lightning. Every time it lightnings, it starts the 30-minute countdown all over again. For a little while, we weren’t sure there would be any diving… but eventually, the lightning gave way and we were able to dive in the rain. Underwater, you didn’t know it was raining anyway! But don’t worry, they did have someone monitoring weather conditions!
The “Boss Lady” was left up on land. Should you need anything or need any help, she was there to lend a helping hand!
So Why Dive Mermet Springs?
Have you ever had the chance to dive at Mermet Springs? If not, let me tell you, you can kiss a frog. haha. (side note: Every time I see a statue frog I kiss it. Then I have Mark sit in nearly the same spot and kiss him on the head. Unfortunately, we didn’t have anyone to take a picture of me kissing the top of his head. Oh well, next year! And this isn’t about me so let’s move on!)
There are lots of things to see and do while at Mermet Springs. In the shallower areas, there is the school bus, the motorcycle, bowling balls, the statue garden, the Cessna, the bucket, the back end of the 727, etc. If you are feeling a little more adventurous, dive deeper into the quarry and see the ambulance, the semi, the nose end of the 727, or even the 108′ platform, plus so much more. There is seriously enough for everyone. Plus you can dive around the outside wall of the quarry, hunt the spoonbill, and so much more.
Part of the Club
I’ve mentioned it before, we don’t ever stop forgetting about our people and if you are “picked” on, that means you are part of the club, obviously. If you haven’t been yet, don’t worry, I’m sure your time is coming. In this instance, our very own Tori couldn’t make the trip this year, but… when my flashlight died, I made sure to take a picture of hers to send her to say, your flashlight misses you. haha.
The Hunt
Now, it seems that most weekends we make this trek, they are having their hunt. Because of that, some of us tend to drive over on Thursday so that we can dive Friday. The visibility is always better. But, please don’t let that detour you… the visibility is always really good there.
Speaking of visibility, a lot of people have been asking how easy it is to read the G2 dive computer underwater. The screens tend to be customizable. I have a lot more information displayed on my computer while diving than what I have seen on Mark or Grady’s. I mention theirs because I have seen the dive screen on their particular computer… Anyway, I just wanted to show you how easy these things are to see underwater.
The Real Reason We Dive AT Mermet Springs
To feed the fish, duh! Haha, okay, just kidding… sort of. But truthfully, it is a lot of fun to feed the fish at Mermet Springs.
Visitors
This year we had some special visitors come to see us at the 15′ platform. This giant catfish. Doug actually held out a hotdog and he ate it. I believe Jessie did too.
And the white catfish made their appearances as well.
Now…
Have you ever wondered what happens when the 4-year-old gets ahold of the camera?
Oh… no… not this one. This is a typical Kim/Nicole Selfie. It isn’t an event if this picture doesn’t come around at least once!
We may have mentioned many times in the past that you should make this trip at least once. I hope that if you haven’t, maybe this post inspired you into the trip next year. It’s a lot of fun. Plus, there’s good food to eat too! But we’ll save that post for another day!
p.s. make sure you have a few dates on your calendar…
- October 4 – October Extreme Dive Club Meeting
- October 14 – Underwater Pumpkin Carving
- November 1 – November Extreme Dive Club Meeting
- November 3 – Newton County Christmas for Kids Chili Cookoff
Gordo is gone……….ready for the next Mermet trip