lake rawlings scuba and camping park

lake rawlings scuba and camping park印象

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  gjscollins

  Let me start by saying I read all the reviews before we went so went in with my eyes wide open! We visited twice this month, once on a Saturday and once on a Friday. Both times were excellent because we knew the guys are grouchy and you have to pay for showers. :) didn't ruinous trip! My husband and son had an absolute blast diving here and if it wasn't three hours away, they would visit more often! Wish they had places to sit and put on gear if you are not part of a group.

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  scottiedorva

  I had the fortune of being able to do my Open Water & parts of my Advanced Open Water at Lake Rawlings. I say it was a fortune because once you dip below the surface and start taking in how clear the water is, how neat all the underwater attractions are, and how many fish there are that will swim right up to you, you really do forget about some of the downsides. I would have to agree that most of the comments on here about the staff are fairly accurate. The main gentleman that works the dive shop is excessively "gruff" (kindest way to put it). The dive shack staff are regularly dismissive and will often not acknowledge customers that are new to "Rawling's Regimen." After you go a few times you know to keep your mouth shut until it's your turn, don't step behind their lines, don't stand in their way (this will require dodging), and definitely don't smile and look like this is your first open water experience. Also, it doesn't hurt to have your Cert Card, Driver's License, and payment method readily available for when your turn finally arrives.The Shack is old and hasn't been maintained, but it does have a rustic and almost "charming" feel to it. I wouldn't buy gear from them because there really is no telling how old it is or how it has been maintained as many things are stored in a very humid/hot environment heavy with dust and dirt. They fill your tanks standing on the concrete floor instead of in a tub of water to cool them so you will notice a slight variance in the PSI of a filled tank there vs. your nice professional home dive center. Most of my tanks were about 300 psi light after a full fill, however a full day air refill card (not Nitrox) is only $18.00 so it's not all that big a deal. The parking situation isn't that big of a deal if you go with one of the dive centers that typically train there. They are pretty flexbile with divers temporarily parking at the huts and unloading gear, so long as they unload and load quickly as the lower lot is very busy and fills quickly. Don't assume this is OK for your situation, just ask for permission first and nobody will hassle you.The concessions stand there is run by a family that is not afiliated with Lake Rawlings ownership. They rent their space and run their own operation. I found that it wasn't over-priced to get a sandwich and soda (about $5-$6) so I'm not sure where the over-priced concessions complaint came from. They don't have any problem with bringing in food in coolers and they even have charcoal campsite grills if you really want to have a nice time, so plan ahead.Bottom Line: Just go for the water, folks. It's a beautiful place with a lot of fun and exciting things to experience. Don't get sidetracked and ruffled feathers by rude staff and pay-per-showers. Go with your friends and family and just enjoy yourself. Safe diving!!

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  relaxbirdies

  We completed our AOW diving at Lake Rawlings recently. This was a really enjoyable trip! The staff was nice and everything was very organized. They had a small food stand on site, adequate showers and changing rooms, and there were large camping grounds. The lake itself is beautiful.The water was around 80 degrees even in late September, and all of the dives were fun. Due to the sheer number of divers, the visibility got pretty poor by the second day, but we were still able to enjoy the dives and the various sights underwater, including the helicopter, the bus, and the car.

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  BarrettJ_13

  Like many others who have reviewed Lake Rawlings, I had the pleasure of getting my open water certification there. I was there the weekend of June 14 and everything that has been said is fairly true. The guy who runs the "shop" was extremely gruff (maybe even a little rude) when we first arrived on Friday morning. When we arrived for our 3 advanced dives on Sunday, he seemed a bit friendlier. I do agree that the dive shop is not somewhere that I would personally buy gear due to the humidity and dusty environment. Tank fill service: The shop filled our dive shops tanks on Saturday. My instructor mentioned that the dive shop fills the tanks WAY to fast resulting in the compressed air heating up. The shop quickly fills to 3000 psi but by the time we got setup (maybe 30 minutes), the pressure was down almost 300 psi. Another worrisome issue with the fills did not happen to any of the tanks that I used, but did to another group going through the open water certification. While on the 10' platform performing their skills, 2 of the divers surfaced and complained that their air tasted like oil. The divemaster surfaced with them and confirmed that their tank did indeed have oil in it. Those tanks had been filled by the dive shop at lake Rawlings.Aside from the above issues, the diving was great. Visibility seemed to be about 50 feet and there are planty of things to swim around and see. Although I am looking forward to more tropical diving, Lake Rawlings seems to be a great spot to get comfortable with diving. I look forward to heading back next month to complete my advanced open water certification!

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  669JA

  I have dived here a couple of times, definitely better than the Milbrook Quarry. Water clarity is decent. if you can get there early you're better off, especially when all the OW classes start. If you can off set your surface interval with them you should be good to go. I don't really have too many bad instances of negative customer service from the staff, although they do act like they're doing you a favor by waiting on you. There are a couple small things, just like others have commented on that are rather annoying...paying for shower water and walking down a relatively dangerous path to get to the water. I actually bring my filled tanks with me, I have heard accounts of compressor oil getting in the tanks from people who got tanks fills from them. I don't have first knowledge of that, but I don't really want to take the chance. Inside the dive shop, it's utterly disgusting - dust and filth on top of the equipment and just an unorganized operation in the morning with everyone trying to pay their admission. That being said, I do enjoy the diving and would go back without reservation.

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  745suh

  I have been doing a lot of diving this summer in the Caribbean and just wanted to get a couple more dives in before the craziness of the holidays. My local dive shop arranged a day of diving at Lake Rawlings in mid-September, and the lake is about a 3.5 hour drive from my home in Northern Virginia so I gave it a shot. I had done OW certification in a quarry west of Fairfax, VA, and it was not a great experience. At Lake Rawlings, however, the visibility was okay - about 20-30 feet, which wasn't bad given that there had been a lot of rain in the week prior, so the water had a fair amount of particulate matter. Not a lot of fish, although I did learn to distinguish a bluegill from a large- or small-mouth bass. There are lots of items sunk in the lake - a Blackhawk helicopter, buses, cars, boats, something that looks like a dummy in an ejector seat. They have some playful stuff too, like "the campfire" and "the mystery boat." Lots of platforms at about 15-25 feet down. There were tons of scuba classes going on during the Saturday that I was there, but we weren't all on top of each other. Water temp down to about 20 feet was balmy, in the 70s. Below the thermocline was another matter - very cold. If you stay shallow, you can get by with a 3mm or 5mm, but if you're going deeper (where some of the attractions are) you will definitely want 7mm with a hood. There are shelters that can be rented for groups, or you can bring a tent/shelter and pitch it. Lots of parking, and there's a loading/unloading zone for gear. Bathroom facilities are good - at least 7 bathrooms in the bathhouse and all have shower facilities (50 cents to start, then a quarter for 80 seconds). I didn't use the showers but it was nice to have the option. There's a concession trailer with decent food for sale. A lot of folks have commented on the gruffness of the personnel, but I didn't have any issue. Was a little surprised at the cost of tank refills - $9 for air but $18 for Nitrox. $28 admission to the lake. I didn't camp, so I can't speak to the campsite facilities. I can definitely see going back for some advanced training classes next year, and for an occasional dive it will do if you can't get anyplace else. I'm not a huge fan of lake/quarry diving because I like to see more marine life, but this is a decent place to go when you need to wet your regulator.

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  NUCC93

  I have been diving here for years. I have seen it all through the years. This place has great diving. The Rawlings Quarry Diving Company that runs the place informed me that the $200 dollars I paid up front for my admission is no longer valid, even though it is still "valid". I can see having to kick in a few extra bucks off season or what have you, but to invalidate my validation which is still valid is just plain horrible.

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  Cherylsj757

  A lot of time and money went towards making this lake a diver's dream. So well used the fish come right up to you. We learned about it through Lynnhaven Dive Center in VB, Va. That's the review I really wanted to do but it wouldn't pull up. My husband got cert through them and because of a fear of water, I took swim lessons. Not quite up to full scuba but I am snorkeling. A miracle in itself! Well stocked store, good pricing (flea market on occasion), friendly and very knowledgeable staff, dive trip booking, etc. I could go on and on. Rawling's and Lynnhaven......a match made in heaven.

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  M0J056

  Lake Rawlings has the clearest visibility of any site. It is an awesome place for training since it has a multitude of training platforms and more attractions than you can visit with just 4-5 dives.

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  RERichter

  How often can the cranky man running the show there demonstrate bad customer service? In every interaction. We did exactly as instructed, yet were scolded. His mistakes with charges became a big deal, full of sighs and muttering. The shop charges a rental fee for weights. FOR WEIGHTS. Here's a tip : rent everything you need elsewhere and minimize your dealings with the dive shop on site. Just pay for admission upon arrival and speak as little as possible. The lake itself is OK. Some fun stuff rusting away under the surface, like a helicopter and a school bus. A hike from parking area to the pavilions to get gear on, unless you are an instructor. We won't be back.