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Pennyroyal Scuba Blue Springs Resort, Kentucky
Depths to: 130 feet (39 m) Visibility: 80-plus feet (24-plus m) Water temperature: 37 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) in February, 87 F (31 C) in the summer. Marine life: Catfish, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, and koi. Underwater attractions include a UH-1 helicopter, 1941 Dodge fire truck, motorcycles, four-wheeler frames that serve as an "iron reef" for fish, a school bus, seven runabout boats, two cabin cruisers and a navigational course. Fees: $15 per day. On-site amenities: Rental gear, concessions, restrooms, "primitive" camping facilities, picnic tables, changing room, one submerged platform at 23 feet (7 m), two floating docks, four open-water training platforms and two advanced training platforms. More info: Call (270) 797-4206, visit www.pennyroyal scuba.com, e-mail ktapp@pennyroyalscuba.com or write to 602 Christian Quarry Road, Hopkinsville, KY 42240. Open: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends during the spring season, which begins the second weekend in April, and from Wednesday to Sunday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Winter and night diving can be arranged but require reservations. Getting there:
From Nashville, take Interstate 24 north to Exit 86. Then take 41-A north to
Hopkinsville. Look for Pennyrile Parkway, which is about 11 miles (17.6 km)
from I-24. Take Pennyrile Parkway north to Exit 9 at highways 68 and 80.
Turn right. The entrance is the first road on the right. |
The
dive site in the southwest Kentucky city of Hopkinsville is a 22-acre former
limestone quarry shut down in 1986 after workers struck two springs. In
1989, Kris Tapp began looking for a quarry he could open as a dive site, and
in 1994 the Hopkinsville location became available. Tapp and his father,
Dennis Tapp, purchased the site and opened a dive center there in 1995.
Because Pennyroyal is in the city limit of Hopkinsville, lodging and
restaurants are close by. Some motels provide discounts to divers.
