Mid-Summer Fun Guide: Discover Scuba at Dutch Springs
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Scuba diving has been on my bucket list for a long time, but my husband, normally good-natured about such adventures, had drawn the line. "There are things in the ocean that will eat you," he'd say whenever I brought it up.
$175 | 72 miles/90 min. away | Discover Scuba at Dutch Springs, 4733 Hanoverville Rd., Bethlehem, Pa., 610-759-2270, dutchsprings.com.
Scuba diving has been on my bucket list for a long time, but my husband, normally good-natured about such adventures, had drawn the line. “There are things in the ocean that will eat you,” he’d say whenever I brought it up. The issue swung in my favor when I learned about Discover Scuba, a four-hour introductory course offered at Dutch Springs — a limestone quarry north of Bethlehem. There are plenty of fish (largemouth bass, rainbow trout, koi) in the spring-fed lake, but nothing that was going to nibble on me. Off I went on a weekday, leaving the office and my husband behind.
I felt totally safe the entire time, exploring a submerged “island” and diving 22 feet to kneel on the wing of a Cessna airplane sitting on the quarry floor. I also found it a bit scary, and I can tell you the exact moment my courage ran out.
The Discover Scuba class is usually taught in groups of two, four or six (one instructor for every four students), but my experience was one-on-one. Instructor Bob Hahn spent more than an hour sitting with me at a picnic table going over the equipment, teaching me step by step what everything does and how to use it safely: the regulator that goes in your mouth and is connected to the air cylinder on your back; the Buoyancy Compensating Device, a vest that allows you to submerge and surface; the weight belts that wrap around your waist; the standard hand signals used to communicate under water.
After that, we were ready for instruction in the water in a confined part of the lake. Bob told me to put my wet suit on and then left on a brief errand. I was feeling confident, even smug, that the suit actually fit, but that soon gave way to sheepishness when Bob returned and told me I had it on backward.
We spent an hour in the confinement, descending 10 feet and rising, breathing calmly and clearing our masks before Bob said I was ready for open water.
Dutch Springs was once a quarry for the adjacent but now-defunct National Portland Cement Co. In 1980, Stuart Schooley and his wife, Jane Wells Schooley, bought the quarry and began developing it. A helicopter, a boat, an Army truck and a crane were submerged for exploring, as were suspended platforms 25 feet down. Over the years, Dutch Springs has become known as an excellent place for scuba divers to train. For those who just want to swim and play, there’s an aqua park with large inflatables to climb on or slide down, plus paddleboats and kayaks.
But Bob and I were on a scuba quest. We swam halfway across the lake to a white buoy tethered to the Cessna resting on the bottom. Hand over hand, Bob and I descended the yellow rope. But my ears were beginning to ache, so we would rise gently to equalize the pressure, and descend some more. The water was clear and visibility was good, but the surface temperature of 73 degrees was giving way to chillier water. I was determined to reach the plane, though, and touch that wing. After about 10 minutes, I finally made it.
And that was where my courage hit empty. I couldn’t let go of the tether and our plan to swim around the plane was a bridge too far for me.
So, up the rope we went, and we floated over to a rock wall, where I could play some more at 5 feet under. If I dive again, I’m sure it will be easier. The equipment will feel more second nature, and the underwater environment won’t be as strange. But being a little scared, yet knowing I was safe, was a pretty cool thrill. As for getting my husband to join me, not a chance.
