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Aquarena Springs is One of Texas' Strangest Scuba Spots

For quite some time, Aquarena Springs was home to an amusement park in San Marcos, Texas, but unfortunately that’s no longer the case. However, the place is now run by Texas State University and they’re happy to show you all of the treasures found under the sea.

To keep things preserved for future divers you are not just allowed to jump right into the water here, as you need to take one of the monthly dive authorization courses. Hit the water with conservationists and dive experts to learn the dos and don’ts diving in this area—like when to keep your hands to yourself. Just be prepared to shell out around $230 for the pleasure to do so.

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'The Pelham Keys': An Unlikely Winter Dive Spot in Alabama

We understand that it’s hard to get the money together to head to the Caribbean to dive, but there’s always plenty of underwater options here in the good ol’ nifty fifty. If you’re looking for something a little more unique and affordable there’s always “The Pelham Keys” in Pelham, Alabama. It might be a strange scuba spot, but all that means is that the diving fun is just a little different.

The place is just around 20 minutes south of Birmingham, and it’s an over 26-acre limestone quarry that has now been filled in with over 850 million gallons of spring fed water. Expect clear waters as you swim through and explore some of the park’s undersea treasures. No coral reefs here, but there is a school bus, sailboat, and two different fire engines.

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Swim with the Weird Fishes at Jellyfish Lake

Palau may have gotten its big break at show business and tourism when the cast and crew of Survivor stuck around for a season, but the island nation has plenty of cool stuff to make it stand out on its own. There’s great year round weather, lush scenery, and beautiful beaches; however, the best thing going might just be its strange scuba spot.

The country is home to Jellyfish Lake, which is a spot that offers an experience that justifies its name. Located among the Rock Islands, it features thousands and thousands of jellyfish that move about the lake on a daily basis. It's a snorkeling-only location, but we think that hardcore divers won’t mind shedding all that gear for a unique experience within this underwater world.

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A Crater in Utah Is Certainly a Strange Scuba Spot

The weather outside might be frightful, but the water temperature within this strange scuba spot is always delightful. Homestead Resort and Spa is located in Midway—not too far from Salt Lake City—and that’s where you’ll find The Crater. It’s a beehive-shaped limestone formation which Mother Nature has sculpted throughout the years, and inside, a huge natural pool of water sits at a toasty 90-ish degrees year-round.

A tunnel takes adventurers inside the 55-foot tall mini-mountain, and that’s where you’ll be able to do a cannonball into the clear warm water. Local outfitters run all kinds of scuba classes, and some will even allow you to hone your skills or to finally get that dive certification that you’ve been putting off. Sure, there’s no fish or other underwater creatures, but you can head around 50-feet below the surface. Even better, there’s no need for a wetsuit.

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Drive an Underwater School Bus at this Virginia Scuba Spot

The weather is getting warmer, and if there’s no room in the budget for a tropical vacation this year, you can always hit up one of our strange scuba spots. Lake Rawlings in Southern Virginia offers a full-service scuba solution—including non-strange diving trips—but they also have a spring-fed lake with crystal clear water. Visibility usually runs between 30 and 60 feet, but in the winter when the algae finally kicks the bucket, it can often exceed 100 feet.

There’s plenty of fish in the lake including large-mouth bass, and there’s even some freshwater clams that call the lake home sweet home. However, this underwater life isn’t worth a trip to the lake. It’s all the sunken junk that makes the lake famous.

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Swim Through a Boeing Jet at this Strange Scuba Spot

It’s been a little bit since we last investigated a strange scuba spot, but there’s one in Illinois that deserves some attention. The folks at Mermet Springs Scuba will be happy to teach you all about underwater exploration, but the best thing that they offer is some of their underwater attractions.

The place is an abandoned quarry lake, but the owner has taken great care of the place and with a little planning has ensured things stay extra clean and clear. After all, it’s important to keep things clear in order to view the school bus, ambulance, and Boeing 727. That’s right they’ve got an airplane in the water, and it’s actually the one that was used in the movie US Marshals—if you’ve never seen the Tommy Lee Jones classic just watch TNT on any weekend afternoon. Divers can swim right through the main cabin and can sit in the cockpit to simulate the dreaded tarmac delay. And is that Pan Am livery we spy?

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Pumpkin Carving Is Even Better Under The Sea

We’ve shed some light on strange Scuba spots across the globe, but we’ve never seen a strange Scuba contest before. However, that’s exactly what you’ll find if you’re headed down to the Florida Keys around Halloween this year. Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort has been running an underwater pumpkin carving contest for a few years now, and this year’s competition is set for October 25.

Divers will do their best to carve out the most creative designs while avoiding reef fish and other critters at the bottom of the sea. Contestants will get pumpkins that have already been hollowed out and are just waiting for some creative carvings. Of course there will be prizes awarded to the top three jack-o'-lanterns, so plan something good. We’re thinking that designs inspired by the ocean probably have a good chance of winning. After all nothing screams Halloween more than a spooky dolphin or ghoulish fish.

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If You Squint Just Right, You Can Pretend To Dive With Mermaids

If you’re still catching your breath after swimming with the sharks, you might want to consider a more low-key choice for your next underwater adventure. Nothing screams calm, cool, and collected than a trip below the water to swim with a manatee or two. We still don’t understand how sailors once mistook these creatures for mermaids, but maybe you can get close enough to figure it out for us.

American Pro Dive will be happy to help you have a close encounter with these big guys and gals. No need to know how to scuba dive, as there’s an option to snorkel with them in the Crystal River as well as in Homosassa, Florida. Instructors will hit the water with you to ensure that the manatees, and you, don’t get too frisky.

Tours run throughout the year in the Crystal River, but it’s winters only for the location in Homosassa. Don’t worry, they have heated and enclosed boats so you can stay comfy when above the water, and flattering wet suites will help you keep toasty when you enter the manatees’ home turf. If you want to turn your whole trip into a Discovery Channel special, you can even take a specialty class following your excursion to learn more about the cute critters.

Related Stories:
· American Pro Dive - Manatee Tours [Official Site]
· The One Seattle Place Where Starbucks Doesn't Rule: Underwater [Jaunted]
· Active Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Smudgie's Ghost]

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The One Seattle Place Where Starbucks Doesn't Rule: Underwater

Water—especially rain—is one of the first things that comes to mind when you think of Seattle. Despite all this water, underwater activiies are not exactly as synonymous with Seattle. That’s slowly changing thanks to a local Scuba club and their shore dive adventures into Puget Sound.

The Scuba Schools Group has a location in Seattle, and they’d be happy to have you join them in one of their club dives. Don’t worry though, there’s no secret handshake or membership dues at this club, just a bunch of people enjoying the underwater universe. Best of all, the club dives are free, so just bring your gear and get going. Just make sure you have some experience doing cold water dives, because even though its summer, the water is a little chilly.

On August 29, the dive crew will be hitting up the Alki Junkpile. It’s kind of an artificial reef, Seattle-style, where they’ve seen some “cute” grunt sculpin on recent dives. If you can’t make it to that dive, there’s also one planned off the Keystone Jetty on September 27. You’ll be burning through your digital camera battery as you snap off pictures of rockfish and other critters. There’ll be a cookout after the dive, so be a pal and bring something to throw on the grill.

Related Stories:
· Seattle Scuba Shore Diving [Official Site]
· Say Mazel Tov To Underwater Weddings [Jaunted]
· Scuba coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Dan Hershman]

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Say Mazel Tov To Underwater Weddings

There’s nothing more special than a bride’s big day, especially when that day takes place under the water. Pro Dive International, out of Ft. Lauderdale, is looking to get into the underwater wedding ceremony business. They’re recruiting priests and pastors to help facilitate their new service, but right now they are focusing on Jewish weddings—complete with the groom smashing a light bulb with his flipper.

The company is testing out using microphones underwater so that the bride and groom can clearly understand “I do.” Video is streamed back to the boat where friends and family can watch, and of course, wonder why their loved ones chose this unique kind of wedding. As long as there’s an open bar, we're sure an underwater wedding is just as good as any other.

For now the dive shop is getting everything ready, but they expect that full wedding packages will be available soon. They’re thinking that things will start at $1,500, and like most weddings, the price will go up from there depending on what you want. At least you can cut out the cost for flowers at a SCUBA wedding, but a nice bouquet of seaweed and algae should compliment any color wetsuit.

Related Stories:
· Pro Dive International [Official Site]
· Fort Lauderdale Scuba Shop to Perform Underwater Wedding Ceremonies [Sun Sentinel]
· Scuba coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of a happy couple: vonlohmann]

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Drop The Daiquiri And Dive Into A Shipwreck Off Oahu

If you get a break from the totally rough job of relaxing 24/7 on the islands of Hawaii, you might want to venture beneath the surface of the water. That's because aside from pretty fish, there's a well-preserved shipwreck to check out--if you know where to look.

The YO-257 sits off the coast of Oahu near Diamond Head, and has been hanging out there since 1989. It did originally serve as a fuel boat during WWII—the YO stands for Yard Oiler. After a couple different owners, it was sunk pretty much for our enjoyment. It now sits in 20 feet of water where it provides shelter for the local fishies and gives seaweed a new place to grow.

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A Mine Shaft Scuba Adventure Awaits In Missouri

We were tipped off as to this scuba Missouri spot by Travis Marshall, a freelance writer who specializes in scuba diving/watersports and adventure travel coverage.

About an hour outside of St. Louis sits what was once the world’s largest lead mine. For years, things inside this big hole in the ground were business as usual, as workers came and went through its myriad tunnels and passages during the course of a regular workday. It’s difficult to imagine now, that any of the miners would think their daily office would eventually be turned into a unique scuba location.

Once work ended at the Bonne Terre Mine, the owners turned off the pumps that kept things dry, and sure enough the place filled with crystal clear water. Divers come year-round from all over to check out the billion-gallon lake resort, with specific attention to viewing underwater artifacts from years past, thanks to the 100-foot visibility.

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