Dutch Springs - The End of an Era

Don't know how I missed this, but back in August, Stu retired and sold Dutch Springs to a developer who plans to put two warehouses on the property:

click to enlarge

As you can see, one warehouse fills the small wooded area (lower-left) that was basically unused, while the other obliterates the entire area between the quarry and the road. This leaves no room for parking or facilities. The property is approximately 95 acres, but more than half of that is water.

Sad, but Stu built the place and ran it for 40 years, and he has a right to retire. As we all know, anything having to do with diving brings insurance into the mix, and thus far no other solution has been found.

The quarry will be fenced-off, and Dutch Springs will enter the history books.

Zoom-out the map above - the entire area has become blighted with warehouses.

What I don't understand is why the cement plant doesn't get re-developed. My guess is that site is so contaminated that no one can touch it.

I think thousands of divers owe Stu and Jane a big Thank you! for all they've done for the diving community. Nothing lasts forever.

For those who want one last dive at Dutch, you might be able to get one in on December 31 for New Year's Eve.


hurricane

The diving season in New Jersey begins in June for most of us. Hardy souls in drysuits will dive all year long, but with a good 7mm wetsuit, early June is still chilly. By late July the ocean has warmed up nicely, and it keeps getting warmer through September and doesn't really get cold again until October or even later.

So the peak dive season is June through November, right? Well, not quite. Early August starts hurricane season, and by late August it is in full swing. A couple of good storms and everything is so roiled up that there is almost no point in trying to dive anymore. That's not to say that there can't be a good year with no hurricanes. Barring storms, with a drysuit you could reasonably expect to dive from late April to early December.

Printed from njscuba.net