An Underwater Tour of Redgranite Quarry

[@FLRCQUAD]

Nice video,50 years ago me and my diving buddy made a ice dive at REDGRANITE QUARRY we dove down to 190 feet in the sump hole under the ice we had our team of many people including safety divers also. They lowered 12x 12 white plexiglass slate to the bottom with a 1" rope and a 30 pound weight to the bottom with a two depth gauges mounted to the slate and we both free fall like skydivers clearing are ears was no problem we wanted to get to the bottom fast as we could safely to increase our bottom time, we took pictures of each of us signing the white slate took several pictures it was jet black we had Ike Lites and with our Nikonos Camera with strobes we took pictures of the signed slate and depth gauges after that checking our time pretty constant we started our ascent, we made it to our 20 foot tanks and looked at our charts and switched over to our two tanks hanging there for decompression for 12 minutes we then continued up to the 10 foot level and stayed another 15 minutes just to be safe we stayed a little longer, we were getting cold but we knew Milwaukie decompression chamber was a long ways off and we did not want to take any chances, better to be safe and give yourself a few minutes extra Navy tables do have a plus or minus on body conditions. People ask us why are you doing this well, we were trying to set a record ice dive in a fresh water quarry, it was a six month planned dive with with 72 cu tanks with regulators s at 10 feet and 20 feet for decompression Safety crew a lot of preparation not just a idea a week before it was dangerous we knew it but we planned out very carefully, we trained and were good shape it was cold that day 18 degrees plus we did it without dry suits, few years down the road we both got Poseidon Unisuits LOL for winter diving. Well, that's about it, now at 75 I am retired from diving 24 years ago but seen a lot and had a great adventurous life been all through the caves in Florida- jenny -devils ear -Troy and many others and all the keys and Grand Cayman wall I am a Padi Instructor then too we both were hope I did not bore anyone just looking through You tube and seen Red Granite Quarry just had to tell my story, I am done again great to Red Granite under water also Was a Skydiver for 10 years

[@theprettycity377]

Thanks a lot, that was super interesting. We used to jump off the cliffs there in the 80's. Always just slightly concerned we'd hit the top of a crane or something. Good to know those fears were unfounded.

[@akashamadison8050]

Hey! Did you see a wig. Lmfao. It's in there. The quarry took my wig

[@anitahernandez6266]

Gladly it was just your wig, in my end it was a life lost in that place. Beautiful and dangerous

[@TheWaynelds]

@@anitahernandez6266 Damn, what happened?

[@JustChiminin]

Nice production and editing. Interesting video. 👍

[@zacharymckenzie4127]

Thanks for posting. We stopped at Redgranite yesterday to scope it out after dive was canceled at West Point. If I had seen this video earlier we would have suited up.

[@Lisa-pe6hd]

Very cool video!! Went swimming there in the past. Was just there today. Says swimming prohibited. There were a few people jumping off the cliff. Very beautiful place for a picnic. Thank you for sharing!!

[@MrChunkerton2001]

It'd be neat if someone cleaned up the boats and stuff from down there, I'm also told there's a fully extended crane down there as well

[@nesmandan1037]

Mozzarella Stix I think many of us from the local WI area have heard this too. I would love if someone could show it on video. Though as a kid I heard it different from school to school some said it was in the Lohrville quarry.

[@samanthahoerth4509]

My grandparents, mom and aunts grew up in that area, more specifically Wild Rose and Pine River, and I remember hearing that same rumor when I was a kid many yrs ago, about the extended crane at the deepest. I’ve also heard that same rumor said about the Quarry by the church just east of Berlin in 91 too. I’d love to dive some of these quarries at some point in my life.

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

No crane that I've seen. I was out there a couple weeks ago and a few people asked about a bus being down there. The bus is in a quarry outside of Lohrville a few miles from this quarry. Others have mentioned a ferris wheel. No ferris wheel either, but I've heard there is another quarry near by that had circus equipment stored in it before it flooded. I'll have to track that down some day.

[@suresure267]

I just found a page the kind of explains some of what's down there. www.wiscuba.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1744

[@Calmetheis]

Appleton here. Scuba diving has always been a bucket list item for me, although water scares the living daylights out of me. I've been to the quarrey many times, honestly thought the bottom would have been littered more. If ever diving in Washington state, check out Deep Lake, a few miles from Banks Lake. "Supposedly," no one has found the bottom. Either by diving, sonar, or submersible. Great video, water clarity looked pretty decent.

[@sethcarpenter5167]

I heard from a friend but can't find anything about it or pictures of it that there is a Crane in the Quarry and really curious to see if it is true

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

I have done compass search patterns all over the quarry trying to find the deepest part. I never ran into any full size crane in the quarry. As a joke some divers put in a Tonka crane and dump truck.

[@heatherschuelke5814]

That's interesting thanks for sharing! The pickle factory is actually a 2nd plant for milsco now

[@bensmith4563]

I wish scuba wasn't so expensive I'd get into it so fast

[@adammann7639]

i now know why you havent found the 210 ft deep area is cause you stick to close to the shallow area you gots to go down in to it. i know a guy who's been down there said he saw old mining equipment.

[@nesmandan1037]

adam mann Can you point out on the map where it is?

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

Definitely have your friend contact me. We went out a couple weeks ago, wandered around the bottom and we were only able to find one small bowl that went down to 120' deep.

[@TheWaynelds]

I guess Adam Mann was lying since he never answered either of you.

[@realOpae]

The one area you didn't search is where I lost a gopro :(

[@coltonfranko8105]

Can you please dive the haydite quarry in independence Ohio me and a few friends have seen huge trucks and construction equipment inside it it’s probably about 120 feet deep

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

I'll have to put that on my to-do list for when I happen to be driving through the area. Not sure if that will be very soon.

[@ikigaiartlab2437]

Was it a human leg?

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

:-), Nope, that was just an old mannequin leg from a retail store.

[@MichaelEnglish88]

WOW, SCARY!! LMAO!

[@jrseitz21]

This was very interesting and answered some questions. I used to swim as a kid there in the early 90s. Looks completely different. I like the secluded old quarry better than how it looks now but 🤷‍♂️. Considering all the garbage we used to see on the shores, i was always wondered if the bottom was 2 feet deep in just cans and bottles 🤣 i used to be able to swim deep and almost caught 1 of you guys once. I don't think he knew i was there but he was just past my point of return. Another body length and i could have scared the crap outa him 🤣. I'm glad i didn't....stupid kid thinking. I might have ended up really hurting him or scaring him and causing him to choak or something.

[@KCYT2010]

I did a lot of diving in that quarry as a teenager in the '70s and found the bottom at 120'

[@cassandraneisius7]

There’s one guy in lohrville who lives right down the street from me. If you contact him he will let you dive there. He owns all of the quarry’s in lohrville but shut them down to the public cause of the drownings.

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

Hi Cassandra, There are a couple quarries in that area I would like to dive. Here's my email address if you can share his contact info. [e-mail] Thanks!!

[@MelanieBruh]

Thanks for sharing this! Interesting to see!

[@peterytkonen483]

Didn't see that girls gopro that she lost there last year though and he was around that area

[@mattwilliam5522]

Love your videos 👍🏻

[@mohicanmachine99]

I live in red granite. Have u seen any big catfish or pike?

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

I haven't seen any catfish or pike. Usually it is just bass and blue gills. One time I was out there with a new diver and we found a couple sturgeons sleeping on a ledge about 20 below the surface. They were both about 2 1/2 feet long.

[@mohicanmachine99]

@@bretthalderson-scubalog709 thanks for replying.enjoyed the video! Be safe out there,or down there I guess.! I'll subscribe. But I only snorkel at our cabin on private land

[@coreydycus45]

You should do a tour of duck creek quarry in Howard wi

[@lakelynleigh5435]

Corey Dycus that place is sketch 😂

[@coreydycus45]

Lakelyn Leigh lol true

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

Sounds like a good idea. My friend Todd and I did a dive there about 4 years ago. We went down to grab water samples for a professor at UW-GB. We made it down to about 145' deep. On the way down we went through a sulfite layer that turned our clips and lead weights a slightly different color. It's the darkest place I've ever dove. Like Lakelyn said... it's sketch.

[@peggykanneman903]

Was that leg real or fake

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

The leg is totally fake. It is a mannequin leg. :-)

[@mickk_kk]

What is the woman underwater at 6:13 a statue or?

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

Hi, that is a statue of a mermaid with a dolphin.

[@anthonyrincon7453]

Fr and the leg no ones gonna comment on that ?

[@mase8189]

I’ve heard from a few people now that there are old vehicles at the deepest part along with mining equipment and a crane. Is this just a rumor?

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

I haven't found any old vehicles or mining equipment. There are remnants of an old staircase. One or two bins for carrying granite out of the quarry. Divers have placed a toy tonka crane and dump truck in there just to say there is construction equipment in there (as a joke). There are three very old vehicles dumped in the far end of West Point Quarry, which is only a few miles down the road from Redgranite Quarry. Thanks :-)

[@Jtalatzko]

Is the Bear a statue @9:18? Would love to have that thing!

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

Yep, it's a very heavy lawn ornament. Being in there a few years...it is starting to fall apart.

[@davek62020]

This maybe a dumb question but does anyone know how the quarry filled with water?

[@av84fn]

Natural springs

[@marcJoel]

And we filled them🙄

[@silasschmudlach2093]

You should do another one in the deep area

[@willshefchik3825]

Is it a real leg or no??

[@Calmetheis]

A real leg would have decomposed. That is just a mannequin leg. Looks real though eh?

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

Yes...definitely a mannequin leg.

[@MichaelEnglish88]

@@Calmetheis WOW LMAO!! SCARY!

[@Solidstring12]

This is cool. Some people do not believe fish are in there. I've definitely lost a pair of shades there.

[@PyreValor]

That quarry has everything from largemouth bass to freshwater jellyfish

[@brandyduket1810]

How deep would the bodies of the people who died there be ? I know lots and lots of people have died there. Did you find any remains?

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

As far as I know, all people who died there have been recovered. Most are found shallower than 60 feet. A few years ago one was found around 80'. I haven't ever dove for bodies there but I've talked with guys that have recovered bodies from Redgranite.

[@ngcolby]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

[@Spaz42099]

Please do Waupaca quarry

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

Thanks for the idea. I might be doing some diving in that area this year. I'll keep that in mind. :-)

[@kcgibbs]

Did you happen to see Boomhauers car?

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

Nope...no Ms. Sally down there. I had a friend who thought their stolen care was in this quarry...I haven't seen that one either. Would be a cool find though.

[@realtruth172]

why did they quit minning there?

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

I did a little checking and it appears that the main use for the red granite pulled from this quarry was for paving roads. Concrete and asphalt eventually replaced red granite in road construction, causing companies to abandon mining from the quarry.

[@JuanHernandez-uo7cw]

Is their any fish

[@robluft7058]

I grew up there in the 70s and early 80s. Fished there all the time. There were allot of blue gill, sunfish, rock bass and crappies. We would see bass that never seemed to bite on anything.

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

Yes, I think they had been stocking it with fish each year. I was doing a fun dive with a student several years ago and we actually saw a couple sturgeon sleeping on a ledge. They were only about 2-3 feet long.

[@lincolnroehl3672]

one of them thar snowmobils is mine

[@1dollarten]

What make ?

[@jimd6162]

Very cool video

[@michaelkordus5001]

are the cat fish still there

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

I haven't seen catfish there. Mostly bass and bluegill. I've seen a couple snapping turtles sleeping when I was on an ice dive. Once I saw two smaller (2-3 ft) sturgeons sleeping on a ledge.

[@jackiebrowning5520]

I have a pair of glasses in there somewhere haha

[@romal6793]

Lots of stuffs to scare you🤒

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

It can get kind of eerie in the deep area where this is no light and all you can hear is the sound of you bubbles rushing to the surface. But, nothing down there to hurt you. :-)

[@mateom7201]

I lost an Apple Watch in there today

[@paradisebaby3071]

Very cool

[@realtruth172]

why did they quit winning there?

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

The granite was used in making city streets in areas like Chicago. Once better methods were found, there was no more need for the granite and it shut down.

[@realtruth172]

there used to be a road in milwaukee leading up to the 16th street viaduct that was made with red granet and that was old concerte made with red gait and it was flawless @@bretthalderson-scubalog709

[@lorinewton5181]

@@bretthalderson-scubalog709 Not so much better methods, when wagon wheels were replaced by pneumatic tires, there was little need for granite pavers. Then there was the IWW.

[@MichaelEnglish88]

What the hell is with that leg? Is that a joke?

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

Yes, it is a mannequin leg. I was just in the quarry last week and the leg is still there. I set it back up on top of the boat so the new divers could check it out. :-)

[@MichaelEnglish88]

@@bretthalderson-scubalog709 WOW I BET IT FOOLED SOME DIVERS LMAO!

[@tressachaney7471]

you should take a metal detector down there

[@freetrailer4poor]

lesson few weeds, few fish.

[@tapankumarhat3744]

Va🙏 the ofe

[@bbgal688]

Absolutely not.

[@bretthalderson-scubalog709]

:-) its not too bad.