My padi open water exam ;) Haigh Quarry (Kankakee, IL)

Haigh Quarry (Kankakee, IL) two hours from Peoria. Haigh is an old limestone quarry with sheer rock walls, rock piles depths of up to 85 feet. In the quarry you can see fishes like sunfish, bass, northern pike, catfish, & spoon bill catfish. The north end of the lake is relatively shallow with depths of between 20 – 30 feet deep. You can find out there the number of dive platforms and mining equipment. The southern part of the quarry is around 40 – 60 feet deep with the south east corner having a “deep hole” at 85 feet. The best part for me is dive along the wall in the deeper portion of the lake at depths between 20 – 25 feet. Average visibility is like 5 feet. Super challenging diving I mostly go there to improve my skills. ;) 

Advanced open water exam. Gilboa Quarry (Northwest Ohio)

 Gilboa Quarry is a 14+ acre limestone quarry, located in Northwest Ohio. The quarry provides two distinct personalities: the shallow side at 5 - 65 ft provides great recreational enjoyment.  There are unique looking paddlefish, 15 different kinds of fish including - large Koi, some large catfish, and rainbow trout , also a few turtles around the quarry. One of the treasures are the Grumman airplane and Sikorsky helicopter. The best part for me is the underwater forest. Not a lot of people know about the forest sitting several feet underwater in Ohio. ;)

Mermet Spring - Dive in first class.

Mermet Springs is located on US 45 between Vienna and Metropolis, IL.  It is one of a kind Scuba Diving Experience  - the Boeing 727 from U.S. Marshals.  The 727's tail is at a depth of 15 feet and its nose is at a depth of 50 feet. The plane was then sewn back together and prepared for its final flight to the depths of Mermet Springs on March 21, 1998. The plane is one of the biggest attraction.

 It's like an amusement underwater park: 

Boeing 727 Airplane from the movie "U.S. Marshals", 

Railroad "Coal" Car, 

Submarine, 

"Bruce" the Shark, 

Ford Pickup Truck, 

Cherokee 150 Aircraft, 

Cessna 152 Aircraft, 

Ambulance, 

Firetruck, 

Cabin Cruiser Boat, 

Semi-Truck International, 

Motorcycle. 

 The water visibility at Mermet Springs is exceptional and can range from 15 feet to over 60 feet. Fishes - Bluegill, Catfish and American Paddlefish" (Polyodon spathula).  It's a great place for diving but the best seasons are summer and fall. During the spring there are a lot of plankton which it makes bad visibility. On the other hand it's a good diving practice in difficult conditions ;) Honestly I do not mind diving in the quarries when the visibility is poor it's a great adventure and acquisition of knowledge how to control my emotions when I  can barely see my partner. I also dive in the ocean and caves so I can see diametrically differences.