For scuba diving enthusiasts, Mermet Springs is ‘the best place in the Midwest'

BELKNAP, Ill. — Sometimes a person doesn't just discover a place. It discovers them, too. For Glen Faith, that place was an abandoned rock quarry in rural Massac County in far southern Illinois. He would eventually transform it into Mermet Springs Inc., a scuba diving destination that draws hundreds of divers every year for recreation and training. But Faith's life underwater began years earlier. A certified diver for over 40 years, he got his start in 1987 after joining the Illinois Secretary of State Police as an investigator, and volunteering for its dive team. Working out of the agency's Marion office at the time, Faith helped conduct underwater search-and-rescue missions across southern Illinois, recovering bodies, guns, drugs and other evidence. The work introduced Faith to scuba diving. It became a lifelong passion. Originally of Joliet, Faith first came to southern Illinois as a student, earning a bachelor's degree in administration of justice from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1985. A few years after starting his job in law enforcement, he learned from a neighbor about an old quarry just up the road from his home in Vienna, a piece of private property that divers would sometimes sneak onto to explore. 'He told me about it and I drove straight down here in my police car and drove in the gate and found what is now Mermet Springs,' Faith said. The quarry, which operated from about 1956 to 1972, had been long abandoned by the time Faith arrived at that gate of untapped opportunity, still early in his police career. He was immediately drawn to the place. 'The water was blue and crystal clear and it was just amazing because diving on a rescue team, you dive in muddy ponds and creeks and rivers,' Faith said. 'This was almost like the ocean compared to what I'd been diving in.' But there was one problem. The owner, Adley Schmidt, wasn't too keen on divers sneaking onto his property. Faith had heard all the stories about how he was known to run them off. So he tried a different approach. He knocked on Schmidt's door and asked for his permission to dive in the quarry. 'We ended up becoming good friends,' Faith said. 'I ended up getting permission from him to come in here and to scuba dive.' Starting a business A few years later, Faith decided he wanted to start his own business and open up the quarry to others. Schmidt wasn't ready to sell, so they worked out a long-term leasing arrangement — and that is how Mermet Springs Inc. got its start in 1996. 'That was more than 30 years ago now,' he said of the business he now co-operates with his wife, PJ Faith. Today, the Faiths can be found there nearly every day. They advertise Mermet Springs as a full-service dive center and open-water destination, offering scuba instruction for everyone from the beginning open-water diver to aspiring instructors. The property includes a dive shop that offers rental equipment and repairs, and the business organizes group trips to some of the world's best scuba destinations. Certified open-water divers can also enjoy the quarry outside of classes, while those who are not certified must dive with a buddy. 'I love that it's a diving location that gives people the opportunity to not only dive, but to see and explore the world,' Faith said. He also loves that it brings families together and draws people to southern Illinois from across the region and country. It's also a great boost to regional tourism efforts. 'Mermet Springs is a wonderful asset to the region, and complements the other soft adventure offerings across the area,' said Carol Hoffman, executive director of the Southernmost Illinois Tourism Bureau. 'It is a much-needed part of our outdoor infrastructure, which is good for visitors and community members alike.' After leasing the quarry, it took about one year to have it ready to host divers starting only on the weekends. When it first opened it would average about 10-12 people a day. The numbers have grown much higher since then. 'This past weekend,' Glen Faith said during an interview at the property in August, 'it was a little slower, but we still had over 100 people a day.' Crystal clear water The old limestone quarry offers a unique diving experience. Limestone is a rock composed primarily of calcium carbonate, which can help neutralize and remove impurities from the water, making conditions suitable for dive training. The water's clarity also makes it the perfect place for divers to find and explore the many attractions the Faiths have submerged at Mermet Springs. Most famous among them: the wingless Boeing 727 that Faith paid $1 to purchase and that was featured in a scene shot underwater for the film 'U.S. Marshals.' Faith laughs talking about how expensive that $1 plane really was — the real cost was in transporting it to rural southern Illinois. The quarry also includes two submerged Cessna airplanes, a school bus, pickup truck, motorcycle and train car. Mermet Springs is one of only two dive spots in Illinois and offers a variety of diving options and training from night diving to open water, advanced and instructor certification. Unlike many quarries, it is also open year-round, allowing for certification such as a dry suit, which is required for diving in much cooler temperatures. 'We use local pools, and right now we have more than 25 instructors,' Faith said. 'We've got training classes that are going almost every day.' Prices vary by the service, but divers pay $25 a day and non-divers $8 to enter, according to the website. pen water certification is the most basic scuba training one can do. It starts with practicing skills in the pool and a written test. Once completed it is moved to the quarry where they review the skills and pass a test to be officially certified. Divers can be certified starting at age 10 — and it is common for families to have generations of divers. 'It is a safe, fun and controlled environment,' Heather Kiswani said, owner of Great American Divers, located in St. Charles, Missouri, who frequently visits Mermet Springs. 'They run a very, very good organization down there. Glen is amazing, his wife PJ is amazing.' Safety a priority Faith said they take safety very seriously at Mermet Springs. 'We have an underwater recall system,' Faith said, describing a radio system that can be heard throughout the entire quarry. 'I can do recalls if we were to have a lightning storm or a lost diver, things like that.' All of their instructors 'practice and speed-dress until they can be dressed and ready to help with the rescue in 2.5 minutes or less,' Faith said. The quarry can provide all the gear one may need with additional upgrades if desired. On Thursdays, they offer a discount: Anyone who helps clean the submerged items has their entrance and air fee waived. They also offer multiple trips a year for a set price where everything is included. They then travel with the group and scuba dive together. Jessa Shoemaker, who is a part of the office staff, traveled with owner PJ Faith to Little Cayman in the Cayman Islands in April for a women-only trip. 'We had women from ages 18 all the way up to 80, and everybody interacted with everybody,' Shoemaker said. 'Above water was just as much fun as below the water,' PJ Faith said. The Great American Divers shop has been going since 1996. Kiswani said they travel there about two to three times a month. 'Glen has it set up so well for training. There's underwater attractions there so divers don't get bored,' she said. For Glen Faith, his ownership of Mermet Springs Inc. also represents a full-circle moment. As he once worked on a law enforcement dive team, today he helps train firefighters and others so they can be certified to conduct underwater search-and-rescue missions. 'It's not just a training platform and then diving into the murky green water,' Kiswani said. 'He's just got it set up so well for training that it really is the best place in the Midwest to go to train.'