04/29/2026
With the opening of the scuba concession at White Star Quarry this Saturday, May 2nd, you will notice some big changes that may affect you. Here is what you need to know before you head out.
Weekday access is changing immediately. Starting this Friday, weekday diving at White Star is limited to season pass holders and approved industry stakeholders only. If you don't fall into one of those categories, the weekend is when you come. The concession will open with the park at 8am on Saturdays, Sundays, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.
Starting this weekend, all divers will check in at the scuba concession upon arrival before entering the water. This applies to everyone — recreational divers, students, instructors, and divemasters alike. The staffed, in-person check-in process we are moving to is the standard used at managed quarries, springs, and resorts across the country. It creates consistency, it creates accountability, and it protects the site for everyone who uses it.
We want to be straight with you about why these changes are happening. Over the past two seasons we've dealt with situations where liability releases weren't being completed, procedures weren't being followed, and accountability for divers in the water wasn't being maintained. What we can tell you is this — every accident at White Star over the past two years involved a diver who had not completed their envelope. Every single one. That's not a coincidence, and it's not something we can continue to look past.
Some of it was honest. There were divers who simply didn't know they were required to pay or complete paperwork to dive. We get that, and the new check-in process solves that problem by making the expectations clear from the moment you arrive.
Some of it was not. Here is a representative picture of what we have been dealing with:
Dive centers scheduling students on weekdays specifically to avoid weekend oversight and fees — including one that regularly brought their own compressor to the quarry to fill cylinders for students they never made pay for diving. Three dive centers and one dive club that actively taught their customers and members how to work around the rules. Divers arriving on park property before 8am. Envelopes being filled out after dives were already completed rather than before entering the water. Groups registering for night diving and simply not showing up, leaving us with no accountability for who was in the water. Divers entering the tunnel without permission and then posting the footage on social media. Underwater items being deliberately moved and in some cases intentionally destroyed.
That is not a list of accidents. That is a list of choices. And those choices have consequences for every diver who comes to White Star and does things the right way.
A few other things worth knowing for 2026. Cameras are now active at White Star and will be monitored to ensure compliance with site procedures. A gate has been installed on the dive side — the keypad system is still under construction so you will find a padlock there for now. Once the keypad is operational, season pass holders and approved industry stakeholders will have access through our approval system. North side entry is available on weekends, but only after checking in at the concession first. All primary registration and diving activity runs through the south side entry points. Regular night diving has been discontinued — if you have something specific in mind, reach out to us well in advance and we can talk through options.
To the divers and instructors who have supported White Star over the years, followed the rules without being asked twice, and treated this place with the respect it deserves — thank you. You are the reason this site has been worth protecting, and these changes are as much for you as they are for anyone else. We don't take that loyalty lightly.
These changes are being made to ensure that diving at White Star is sustainable, accountable, and worth showing up for — not just this season, but for every season that follows. White Star has been a diving destination since 1977 and we intend to keep it that way.
Have questions? Send us a private message here on Facebook and we will get back to you.
— Rich Synowiec, Divers Incorporated – White Star Quarry
