Dutch Springs Recreation Area

If you're getting certified in the Northeast U.S., chances
are good that you'll log some bottom time in the "Quarribean".

By Linda Lee Walden

Dutch Springs is used by more than 100 dive centers in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the New York City area, making it one of the busiest inland open-water training sites in the U.S. The 47-acre lake is located off U.S. Route 22 a few miles north of Bethlehem, Penn., about a one-hour drive from Philadelphia and two hours from New York City. Dutch Springs is privately owned and has been set up exclusively as a dive training facility.

Owner/diver Stuart Schooley sought the advice of area dive shop owners when developing Dutch Springs, so it has a number of features that make certification dives proceed smoothly. For conducting skill evaluations above the silty bottom, 16 large wooden platforms have been suspended at a depth of 25 feet/7.6 meters. Arranged in several well-separated groups to minimize crowding, the platforms are connected to each other and the shore by guide ropes.

Entries and exits are made from four wooden docks and a wide, pebbly beach, plus a surface platform with a ladder to simulate boat diving. Students have plenty of things to see during underwater tours: an airplane, a fire truck, several boats, all connected to the training platforms by lines to facilitate navigation, and located at a depth of 60 feet/18 meters or less. Dutch Springs also supports a healthy population of fish: crappie, bass, bluegill and goldfish.

For advanced and specialty divers, there are similar attractions placed at 70 to 90 feet/21 to 28 meters, as well as an area suitable for fish photography. Dutch Springs is also the location of an official Diamond Reef™ buoyancy skill course.

Average visibility in the spring-fed former quarry is around 15 feet/5 meters, but can get up to 40 feet/12 meters in cooler months. Water temperature at the surface is in the mid 70s F/low 20s C in the summer, rising from about 38 degrees F/2 degrees C when the season opens in April. You'll hit the first thermocline right around platform depth, with a drop in temperature of about 10 degrees/ 5.5 degrees C. At minimum, divers visiting Dutch Springs should wear a properly fitting full quarter-inch/6.5mm wet suit with a hood, booties and gloves. In the cooler months, using a dry suit is a good idea.

Dutch Springs has several topside amenities. Surrounded by 50 acres of grassy fields and woods, there is plenty of space for the 400 divers per day that visit on an average summer weekend. Facilities include a heated changing building with restrooms, an enclosed picnic pavilion and an air fill station. To encourage families of divers to participate, kayaks, paddle boats and aqua cycles can be rented, and camping is allowed on weekends. A mobile food stand and picnic tables are provided. Dutch Springs offers no scuba sales, rentals or instruction, but three retail dive shops are located nearby.

The staff at Dutch Springs puts a strong emphasis on safety and emergency preparedness. At peak times, there are three staff members posted at shoreline vantage points, while two more paddle inflatable rafts near the training areas; all carry walkie–talkies. At least one paramedic or EMT is always on duty. Oxygen is available on site, and a hospital with recompression chamber is a just few minutes away by helicopter ambulance.

Dutch Springs is open weekends from April to December plus weekdays from Memorial Day through September. Fees are $22 for divers and $10 for nondivers. Season and group passes are available. For more information call (610) 759-2270 or visit www.dutchsprings.com.