Changes at the Grotto

The reconstruction project continues in earnest at the Grotto. This page is designed to help keep our guides and guests up to date on what has changed, what will change shortly, and what remains the same.

If you have any questions this page does not answer, visit our Just the FAQs page, or e-mail us.

• New Docks: They’re In!
• New Picnic Area
• New Parking Area
• Welcome to the Fort 40 Fathom Stockade
• Other Changes
• What Hasn’t Changed

 

New Docks: They’re In! On April 17, we made among the most significant improvements yet to the Grotto. At noon, a large crane appeared at our doorstep and, within an hour, we had all five new dock sections lowered into the water.

By day’s end, Ron and Scott (with an assist from Hal) had bolted all five dock sections together.

The next step was to build stairs leading from the new docks to the water. This took Ron a couple of days. The new stairs are wider, have a very substantial hand rail — and, at the bottom, you’ll find a six-by-eight platform big enough for an entire class to stand on while donning fins and deco bottles.

Soon, Ron will begin fitting the new docks with full-length aluminum roofs, overhead lighting and brand-new, built-in tank racks. The next step will be to build a wider, more substantial set of stairs to replace the ones currently on our northwest bank. At that point we’ll turn the docks 90 degrees and attach them permanently to the base of the new stairs.

Even though we will be working on them for the next several weeks, the new docks came ready to use. That means that, if you want to bring a class here tomorrow, you can. And wait ‘til you walk on these docks. You will not believe just how sold and stable they are. We were amazed just working on them. In a word: Wow! (24 April 2007)

 

New Picnic Area: A recent dive group from Augusta, Georgia, making their first visit to the Grotto, got the shock of their lives when they suggested to us that the only thing they felt was missing from the Grotto was more picnic tables.

By the time they surfaced from their next dive, they found us business at work assembling a total of six new tables (four of which you see in the photo above; the rest are next to the Tiki Hut’s fire pit for the moment). If you look closely, you will see a dive flag painted on the top of each table.

The new picnic area is located immediately adjacent to our new parking lot, directly across from the Tiki Hut. As time allows, we’ll be adding barbecue grills and more. The picnic tables make a great place spend surface intervals, and to conduct pre-dive briefings and informal class sessions. (1 April 2007)

 

New Parking Area: If you’ve not seen it yet, there is a new parking area for you and your guests, located directly across from the Tiki Hut (n your left as you enter). Please have your guests park here (1 April 2007)

 

Welcome to the Fort 40 Fathom Stockade: We’ve erected a six-foot-high privacy fence around the entire property. This way, our Guides and their guests can feel free to conduct their affairs without the constant scrutiny of passers by. It also helps underscore the fact the Grotto is not open to the general public, but only to our Guides and their students and divers. (1 April 2007)

 

Other Changes: As you may remember, there were a number of items that used to float, unattached and unwanted, around the periphery of the Grotto. This collection included an overturned boat, a derelict pontoon craft and two commercial lifting cylinders. These are gone now, pulled from the water by Captain Black’s deft administration of our Caterpillar Track Hoe.

A few more changes:

• Preparatory to ripping out the old docks, we’ve removed the high-pressure air lines leading to them. That means that all fills need to be done in the air station. (See current fill policies.)
• The Tiki Hut is now the check-in center and dive store.
• The old dive store is now a classroom.
• The old classroom is now an administrative building.

 

What Hasn’t Changed: Under water, the Grotto is much the same as it has always been. We have not changed any lines, moved any platforms — and we certainly have not horsed around in any way with Momma Nature. And we plan to leave things that way for the time being.

Things to Keep in Mind: An undertaking as large as this doesn’t happen overnight. Construction is likely to continue over the next several months. Also, as any of you who have done similar projects know, there is often a difference between what you think you want to do and what you are able to do. None of this is cast in stone.

We will keep updating this page as things develop. Bear in mind that, when you visit the Grotto, it is a construction site. At any given time, there may be places you are not able to go, or facilities you may not be able to use. We hope you will forgive the inconvenience, and understand that our long-term goal is to make the Grotto better than ever. Stay tuned.

 

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