Scuba diving

Alabama Underwater World - Dive Alabama

The state of Alabama bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the south offers some of the best scuba diving the state has to offer. Wherever there is access to the sea, there is always some scuba diving on the coastline. What's more, Alabama also has a deep interior where some old quarries have been converted into scuba diving sites. One of the quarries, "The Pelham Keys" a 26-acre former limestone quarry is one of those unique dive sites where one can come across to lots of sunk objects to explore and plenty of fish and even turtles to accompany you on your dive.

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The Pelham's quarry filled with spring-fed water is a popular dive site which offers divers a variety of underwater attractions: two fire trucks from the 1940s, cars, trucks and boats ranging from 20 to 70 feet, a 19-foot sailboat with sails up, a school bus, concrete pipes seven feet in diameter, eight underwater training platforms, and a surface platform that simulates a boat.

The depth of the quarry ranges from 4 feet to 140 feet with an average depth of 100 feet. Visibility is approximately 25 feet in the summer and 50 feet to 100 feet in the winter. During the summer months, the surface temperature is approximately 86 F. The bottom temperature always ranges from 52 F to 54 F, with two or three thermo clines (depending on the time of year). Aquatic life includes bass, sunfish, catfish, bream, bluegill, Japanese Koi fish, carp, freshwater jellyfish, and turtles.

The scuba park's open Wednesday to Sunday and it’s just 25 bucks a day for divers to head into the lake, and only 9 bucks for those that want to check things out from the surface snorkeling. The park also offers night dives available on the first Saturday night of each month or by appointment, recreational and technical dive training, air fills, retail sales, and rentals. Specialty classes and private lessons are available too. What's more, the scuba park is open during the winter, Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to sunset.