gilboa quarry

We visited this Quarry with friends and stayed at their camp site. Diving is fantastic, visibility great for a quarry. There is a lot of fish and a really nice amount or wrecks to see underwater. The camping is pretty basic and they will charge you even for a small child. The only downside is the owner who tends to be extremely rude to people, especially if you arrive after 10pm. Bring cash or checks.

Had an awesome day diving at Gilboa quarry!!! Great underwater sites and lots of species of fish to view.

I gave this review a 1 star due to the owner Mike. If I was just rating the quarry to other quarries I have been to it alone is a 4-5.... I have been going to this quarry all summer to dive since I live in Ohio and really can't get anywhere else...! When I go I take my camper and family with me to hang out. If you have a family and non diving members of your family you should leave them at home. He charges 6 bucks to do absolutely nothing. As well as 10 bucks if you bring a pet with you.. I sprung for season pass which was around 200 bucks and after my issue this weekend I doubt I'll ever go back. Every time I have been there I have had a issue with the owner. First time it was firewood... absolutely do not bring wood with you!!! He will rip your head off if he sees it. I didn't even plan on using the wood I had with me. I only had it because I just came from a camping trip with my family and it was left over. He wants you to buy expensive bundles of wood he has. The next time I was up there we had a issue with a air fill (which are ridiculous priced) if he would have just came to me and said something it could have been handled a lot easier. Next time i called said i would be close to 10 which is when they close and to make sure if i was there at 10 it would be ok.. i live over 2 hours away and with a 4yr old that has to pee all the time and traffic on friday night and a detour i arrived at the gate at 10:07.. he was still on site working on some wood tank holder but u would have thought i pulled in at 3am beat on his door and woke up his sleeping baby. After he scolded me for 15 mins about 10pm is closing time and next year he will have a gate and if i was one minute late he would lock me out a d not lwt me in till the next morning. I find this crazy being a small business owner myself being customers ( me) pay him without me and others he wouldnt have money. And this last time he decided it was a good idea to grab a off duty police officer which I'm friends with take me in his office shut the door and get in my face pointing and screaming at me about the air fill i referred to above. After i asked him why he was charging me 3 days electric for 2 days of camping. And why he was charging me for my son which i already bought his pass. I told him to get his finger out of my face after he continued i felt like it was the best option to leave and not come back...after more screaming and yelling. Now this doesn't intimidate me but for a avg person this could have been really bad. i love diving there because all of my friends are there but i refuse to be treated like that and robbed every weekend.... Make sure you look at the prices and ad them up yourself.because if u don't he will get you. You won't get a receipt because his business is cash only no credit cards no nothing but cash he sticks in a Lil box. Good thing is he doesn't charge tax i guess... lol everything is over priced if you want to feed the fish it's 50 cents for a plastic bag about 20% full if that... air fills are expensive $9 , entry to dive or to even snorkel is $25 then u have to have a bunch of crap if u snorkel that he charges. My 4 year old wanted to get in the water and see a fish that was absolutely forbidden unless I paid the $25 got a wet suit, and fins and a floating device from him... so in all it was about 35 bucks if my son wanted to get in the water for 3 mins... I'm good with that... Bottom line the quarry is nice and if your stuck in Ohio and want something to do its not a bad place.... the owner trumps that he is a con artist, crook, @$$h0le just to name a few... the other few employees he has are quite nice if you are lucky to avoid mike... there are tons of dumb rules he walks around like Hitler telling you if you do something wrong...he has no people skills and can not run a business. It is in organized at all... make sure you mark your tank because I have seen him take a customers tank that was newer and try to give them a older one like it this guy was lucky to catch it. You have been warned in a lot of these reviews so if it goes south you was warned. In closing I will dive in Circleville twin quarry from now on its not as deep and clear but it's a place to dive when I can't get to fl or the Caribbean and above all the owner there is nice polite and will bend over backwards for you. And that is the type of business I want to support with my hard earned money. Not one like this run by this man! Now if he sells it I'll be back for sure and I'm sure it will be packed again but until this you can't pay me to go there!

I dove this weekend, looking for a fun time diving with my friends. Upon first arriving at the dive are the owner Mike, yelled at me when I went to pull into my unloading area. Telling me to back in not nose in. That was a good tip except for the yelling, what an angry man he is! Next when I pulled out of the unloading spot his young male employee waved me down and said I was speeding, yes going more than 5 mph. I was driving maybe 10 mph tops. I asked where the speed limit signs were he said there is one at the entrance to the quarry. Never mind that they cruise all around in their golf cart going well above 5 mph. On top of all this was a new rule was pulled from the air, no parking at the dive area next to the quarry, too busy, too many people, too congested, only can only be used by people camping. Well I can understand this if they are really busy except that there were maybe a maximum of 10 people at the quarry diving all day long. Gee I wonder where his handicapped parking area is, oh that's right he doesn't have one! For $25.00 and a 3.5 hour drive to get to this quarry I won't be back....ever!!! If the owner is so pained with owning the operation and working there perhaps he should find another job. No point in making the rest of the world suffer because he's angry. I went there for a good time and Mike the manager was having what is probably his typical day being a grouch.So go ahead and be grouchy, I'll find any other place to enjoy my time and spend my $$. Should Gilboa Quarry ever get a new owner, I'll gladly try it again.

We rented the apartment on site at the Quarry as it is a 6 hour drive from where we live. The Apartment rents for $85.00 per night. We were shocked at what we saw when we walked up the stairs to the entrance. First, the deck doesn't have any railing on the side facing the water. That was surprising. Walking in we were stunned. Exposed wiring, no smoke detector, the registers are missing in two locations so you look right down into the washrooms below. As we started to use the place we found food and alcohol left over from the previous person there, one towel for three of us (we asked for more ... they never arrived). We also found no lids for the pots, no coffee maker, no kettle and this was awesome - no forks ! The electrical outlet didn't work near the sink, where you would plug in the toaster. The tv didn't work. The mattress collapsed in the middle. We had booked three nights and left after two. Mike, who clearly had not been informed of the above issues until we went through the apartment with him when we were leaving, did refund us the night we didn't use. That was fair. The quarry is a nice place to dive - we live in a better place to dive, so were a bit surprised that so many good things are said of Gilboa. It likely is a good place to learn technical diving in a safe environment.Bring a wagon with you for your gear as you will generally have to take it a long way before you can set up. If we were to return we would stay at a hotel in the area and go to the Quarry for the day.

Just got back from this dreary spot near Findlay, OH, (June 2014). The operator dubs it "Diving at its Best". Really? Have they been anywhere else beyond this mud puddle? Okay, its fine to get your open water cert as Cancun is a little hard to get to on a weekend. However the jack%$$ running it this weekend was rude to his customers, snapped at them for being "behind" (what???) Even though he was late to start the crazy check-in! The area is a confusing array of junk with little organization. If you go to watch a friend or help your kids get a cert, you will be charged $6 to do nothing! Huh? If you like being barked at and treated like you are a bother, then come here. Otherwise support someone the appreciates your business. I agree with Miguel W...Mgt is a lying bunch of criminals.

gilboa is a dive quarry, ideal for training and for "fun diving". i was hesitant about doing my open water certification dives here, but i'm glad i listened to the folks at rec diving, my dive shop. it was, and is, a super experience to dive here.pros:close to home (southeast michigan)dive platforms at 25 feet: ideal for training new diversdive sites down to 130+ feet: good for deep and dry suit traininggood place to practice swim throughs: plane, helicopter, tubesnitrox availablelots of fish: trout, bass, sunfish, coy and paddlefishdrury inn (in findlay, 17 miles away) offers special divers' ratesonsite camping availablebath house with showers onsitefree wifi available at officeexcellent bbq at the red pig inn in nearby ottawa, ohcons:must descend wood stairs or gravel driveway to access waterside docksmust ascend the same after dives are doneif crowded (on weekends), campsite availability could be limitedif crowded (on weekends), visibility could be limitedlooking forward to visiting soon!

I originally did my open water here in 2006 when I was 17. The fill station filled me less than the standard 10% + or -.. I had a 2700 psi tank. Somehow the manager/owner found out about it and then blamed me for the short fill. I had to deal with him calling me out in front of a bunch of people. Basically saying that he was right and I was wrong- I even checked my tank on multiple gauges: Gilboa Quarry was wrong. Not a professional at all. Very uncalled for. Not a nice guy to deal with. Unprofessional in my opinion. That experience has left a tainted taste for me. After talking with other scuba divers in Michigan, that is the reputation that this place is getting- hard to deal with. I might go back for fun, but I choose deliberately to not deal with places that do not have customer service. I was back in 2013 and I didn't see any weird stuff going on. Maybe they have new management or the current tamed down. Overall, I am on the fence about this place.

We did a deep diving course at Gilboa in July 2013. It was on a weekend so the platforms and campgroup was fairly crowded. This wasn't a huge issue and the wait for refilled tanks was not long. However, with everyone entering at the same point, the viability near the platforms was pretty poor. I'd recommend going during the week when it's less crowded.Otherwise, it was a very fun experience, with 38 degree F water below the second thermocline. Swimming through the planes and helicopter was fun and it's a totally different diving experience than in the Caribbean.

We are avid divers from the Great Lakes. We have been here several times now and absolutely love this place. I have seen a few people say that the walk from the car was long? They have areas right on the docks where you can setup your rig and you can almost fall into the water from there! The access in and out of the water from the dock areas are perfect and easy to use. The Waters are Crystal Clear and the underwater sites are fantastic!!!!

We went to Gilboa Quarry to complete our PADI Open Water certs. The staff was a little more tense than staff at similar sites in Illinois. Maybe that's because the quarry was very busy when we went there.Clearly Mike (the owner) and his staff care a lot about this facility - it is spotless, loaded with underwater attractions, and Mike has a bunch of additional "stuff" (boats, airplanes, etc.) ready to sink when he gets around to it.Once you get to the dock, the facility is ideal for scuba training. Excellent training platforms, nice underwater attractions (check out the youtube videos showing these), and excellent visibility in spite of quite heavy usage by inexperienced divers like us.Setup and travel to the dock is not necessarily ideal. We were located maybe 100 feet from the dock, and on a hot summer day in a 2 piece 5/7 mm wet suit with hoodie and gloves that is a LONG walk. If it's a hot day, do yourself a favor and do not put your hoodie and gloves on until you're almost at the dock.Gilboa Quarry is a very convenient trip from anywhere between Cincinnati and southern Michigan. It's very close to I-75.We learned a lot in our training at Gilboa and will probably go back to it.

They sunk a bunch of stuff in a big quarry filled with cold water. If you live near here and you like to dive, camp, rock climb this might be a good destination for you.This was nicer to dive in then the little quarry I did my Open Water dives in but that is a very low bar to hurdle. I would highly recommend you do your deep diving someplace warmer. Anybody getting the Advanced Open Water; I recommend doing the deep dive checkout in a warmer place with warmer water. The second thermocline at about 50 feet was very cold (and someone said it gets much colder below the 68 feet we went down to). I was diving in my new 7mm semidry suit and a dry suit would have been much better. Really wish I could have seen one of those paddle fish.Cash only. They have an onsite ATM but it was down while we were there.The air fill system was a little clunky for me (it was my first time ever doing this). You get fill tags that you buy from the cashier, put them on your empty tank and then pick it up later filled with air. That actually sounds simple (and I guess it is with your own tanks) but with rental tanks you have to label them with your name so you know it’s yours when you come back to get it. The system just requires some honesty and trust in the other divers. It worked once I knew the details and just came off as squirrely at firstThey were working on a wheel chair accessible dock while we were there so check with the management about when this will be done

My wife and I have visited Gilboa Quarry twice this year. Both times we arrived mid-week with our travel trailer. Topside: Since we arrived mid-week, we had our pick of the best place to hook up our trailer to the 30 amp electricity and prime view looking west over the quarry. Very beautiful. If you are coming on a Friday night, I can say that it is best to call well ahead to make sure you have a spot. It can get pretty crowded if 5 or 6 campers are parked and on electricity. Also, if it has been raining, the owner may not want any larger RV's on the small hill overlooking the quarry.During the week, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. There were some instructors with students, as well as some folks just wanting to dive, but it was very quiet and peaceful. We picked out a table along the south side and set up our gear. Then we just left it there and it was safe; we never had a problem. When we needed our tanks filled, we just put them in the bed of the pickup and drove the short distance to the dive shop. On the weekends though, it became very crowded with students so plan accordingly. The dive shop is well run and the owner defers a lot to the college student who works for him. She was fast with the air fills, efficient, and always had a smile on her face. My wife and I also spent some time just talking to the owner, Mike. Our last stay we arrived an hour past closing and he waited on us, and made sure we were parked securely. One thing is certain, he loves that quarry and the marine life in it!The bath house is clean and well maintained if not a bit spartan, but what the heck. Out by the dive docks, the porta-johns were clean during the week but were smelling bad by Saturday.The docks are in need of some repair. Be cautious of loose boards and railings. I would advise doing a giant stride off the docks instead of using the stairs to get in the water. The steps are notoriously slippery so be careful when using them to exit the water.Underwater:My wife and I are Divemaster Candidates with over 250 dives each. About half our dives are warm water Caribbean and the other half are cold water midwestern lakes and quarries. During the week, The vis at Gilboa was amazing, at least 80 feet! I am so used to "good" vis in a quarry being about 15 feet that I was shocked when I first went in. However, with the students in force on the weekends, expect the vis to be bad around the platforms.Temperatures were very dependent on depth; 65 ft and beyond was about 45 degrees with a little colder as you go deeper, 68 degrees about 30 ft, and 75 at the surface. We used both wet and dry suits depending on how deep we went. Our bottom time would average 45 minutes to one hour.The attractions are nice with the plane being the star of the show. However, my wife and I love the underwater forests and the fish. There are some very large trout and bass in the quarry. If you decide to feed them, use only the food in the dive shop. Also, I would recommend you wear a hood. Getting hit in the face by a 7 pound largemouth left a bruise on my cheek.If you are experienced, file a deep dive plan and do these two dives:1. From the tubes, swim due north toward the opposite wall. Go no deeper than 30 ft. Make sure to use a compass because this is "blue water" with no visual reference. As you swim, make sure you keep looking up. We've done this dive several times and have seen numerous large Paddlefish every single time.2. From any of the docks, swim around the circumference of the quarry with the wall on your left side. Go no deeper than 30 ft unless you are an air sipper. After you come around to the north side of the quarry, about 2/3 of the way to the east side, look for a ledge about 35 feet deep. If you are lucky, you will see the only sturgeon in Gilboa. It's at least 5 ft long and we have seen him on the same ledge 3 times.Our rating: 5 stars! For a mini vacation, we love this place and will be back.

I went to Gilboa Quarry for Advanced Open Water Dives in Jun. Of course, Gilboa is well-known for several reasons. It's deep, the water is cold, and there are lots of under water relics to visit. All in all, a great experience, but you do need cold weather gear, including gloves, hood, boots and a heavy wetsuit. I used a 7mm. You could probably get away with a 5mm suit, but only on the shallow side (20-60ft). Many divers wore dry suits. On the shallow side the water temp was a "balmy" 52 F, and on the deep side at ~ 95 ft it was 39-40F.Beware, it can be a long walk from the parking lot to your dock. Although they allow you to drive your car to your area to unload, you must return the car to the parking lot after off-loading. So when you need a refill, you must lug your tank back to the office! Refills are fast, typically less than an hour.The owner is a crusty guy and who constantly patrols the place, barking out orders, e.g., slow down (5 mph speed limit), don't touch the fish! Not really a bad guy, but just kind of sour, hahahahaha...

The visibility is excellent for a quarry - 15 to 40 feet when we have been there, depending on time of year, recent rains and how many OW classes have been silting up the water. But the best part is the very friendly fish and lots of them. No fishing allowed here and the divers feed the fish, so they all come check you out when you get in the water to see if you have goodies. Especially at the school bus!