Stories Galore.
Let me restate that… Stories Galore. Seriously! I know we’ve mentioned this before, but if you hang with us, you’ll have stories. I can’t stress this enough. This year proved to be no different. In fact, we might have had enough stories for 2 years.
If you have ever thought of going on a group trip, I highly recommend it. Say you’re sitting on the fence trying to decide, go or no. Just GO! Then you will be first hand on the stories.
Yes, Lance, we were on the money here. Quick trigger finger. See… there’s a story.
Mermet Springs
First off, if you’ve never been to Mermet Springs, you need to check it out. I’ll throw this out there for all new divers… Mermet Springs is the home of the 727 flown in the movie U.S. Marshalls with Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes. There’s a fun story about how the plane made its way into the spring… springs… spring… that body of water. Click just up there on the word Mermet Springs to read Glenn Faith’s interview. Who is Glenn Faith you ask? Well, he’s the owner of Mermet Springs.
There are multiple other things to see including but not limited to an ambulance, fire truck, Cessna airplane, school bus, motorcycle, video camera, alligators, shark. Oh, by the way, the shark and the alligators aren’t real. Don’t worry! You could also take a bath, go bowling, or play golf.
You can sit on the docks and feed the fish. Ask Emma La Due how relaxing that is. Remember, stories!!
You can even find your prince charming… Kiss a frog to find him!
So, that’s Mermet Springs for you. If you haven’t made this trip with us, please consider it next year!
Fun Toys
Guys, we had fun. We brought a lot of different items to try. Items such as a full face mask and the HUD dive computer. It was a great place to try new items. Oh, you want to try xyz and so and so had xyz, just ask. That sometimes is the best way to try all the different gear.
But, on top of all the fun, we had a “few” recoveries too. A few = 1 weigh pouch and 4 masks… or was it 5? It started to become comical really. On a recovery dive, after Jared and Dan found one of the masks they went out to the depth of the springs… spring… the body of water. I heard they were about 108 feet down give or take. Apparently the bottom looked like a corral. I asked where the pictures were because I’ll never go that deep there, too cold. Dan told me it was a recover, no cameras allowed.
A few pictures
Isn’t it the pictures you come here for anyway? Unfortunately, I haven’t stollen Doug’s photos yet and I didn’t have many so here are just a few select photos.
Dinner
Friendships. That is what is built around this sport. Some of those stories mentioned earlier happen because we all go out to dinner, together. It’s one great big family. The first night we went to Fat Edd’s. That tends to be the tradition.
The second night we went to Pizza Warehouse. A few years ago we stumbled across a restaurant called Italian Grill on Broadway in Paducah, KY. Well, they mingled with their sister company Pizza Warehouse. Now you get pizza or Italian at Pizza Warehouse. The appetizers are AMAZING! I’m pretty sure the whole table filled up on those before our dinner eve came. Portions are huge too. I’m pretty sure we all had to be rolled out of there.
Labor Day
So on a final note… We actually attended this year on Labor Day Weekend. In the past, we always went the weekend after Labor Day Weekend. That was during their safari hunt type thing they do so it was always crowded. This weekend was amazing. The weather was perfect. We were able to dive on Saturday, Sunday, AND Monday morning before making the trek home.
Seriously, if you are considering going on a fun domestic group trip, this is the place to go. It is a cold water spring so you’ll want a heavier mil wetsuit OR a dry suit is perfect. Next year when we make plans for this trip, add it to your calendar to attend! You’ll then be in the know of all the shenanigans, including Host(ess) Grady. See, are you wondering what that means. What happens in Mermet stays at Mermet. Haha, unless you get one of us to talk…