A Bad Weekend At a Training Lake

The weekend of June 17/18 was not a good one at White Star Park Quarry, in Gibsonburg (OH), a former limestone quarry often used for dive training and scuba certification.

On Saturday, one diver discovered the body of another diver floating motionless in the water. He pulled her to shore. Despite life-saving techniques administered by other divers, it was too late. Fearing for the deceased diver's buddy, a search was conducted, which was called off when it became apparent no other diver was missing. Mary Wolf, 58, of Powell, OH, had been diving alone.

The following day, another woman diver, Annmarie LaPorta, 55, got into difficulties when she and her buddy became low on air and made a hasty ascent, during which she inhaled water. Emergency crews arrived, but her current condition is not known. Clearly, quarries, however benign, pose a danger to unsuspecting divers.