2 replies to this topic

[DoctorB]

I just got back from a weekend at the Bonne Terre Mine in Missouri.

The mine is about 1 hr south of St Louis. There is a small resort at the mine, I stayed at the Super 8 up the road. There were other divers from elsewhere in the US and Canada there as well. The resort at the mine tells you not to bring wet dive gear into your room. I wore my dry suit back to the super 8 and thru the lobby and they didn't bat an eye! They also had a washer and dryer, so I was able to have clean dry dry suit underwear for the second day of diving.

The dives were guided by a tour guide, along with a safety diver who brought up the rear. We had between 10-13 people in each group. It would be easy to get lost in the mine, so it was important to stay with the group. The dives were 45-50 minutes long and profiles were to a maximum depth of 60 ft and average depth of about 30 ft. The water was 57 degrees with no thermoclines, no currents or waves. Vis was excellent, at least 100 feet. Both air and EANx32 are available. I used nitrox for $10 extra per dive.

The first dive was preceded by a thorough briefing and safety video. Then it was down into the mine. There are 68 steps plus a ramp leading to the dive deck 125 feet below the surface. Tanks are provided and filled down below. Weights are available for rental down below, o/w you must lug down your own weights. Lugging equipment back up was no fun, but I only had to do it once since they let us leave it down there all weekend.

The first trail was trail #1, and is basically a check out dive. The DM will check your weighting, and then the group proceeds to the shallows where skills you should have learned in open water are verified (clearing a flooded mask and air sharing). My weight was too light, and I made an uncontrolled ascent from about 20 feet at the end of the dive. I added a little more lead for the next dive and all was well. Cameras and lights are not allowed on trail one. Small lights and cameras are allowed on subsequent trails. Parts of the mine were well lit, while others were nearly pitch dark. People using lights was really annoying, as it was better to dark adapt and take in the scenery that way. A light across your eyes ruins your dark adaptation. It also made it hard to pay attention to the guides light that was pointing stuff out. Also some sudden light movements were more like the night diving emergency signal.

The signature dive is trail number four where they take you to the elevator shaft that used to carry material out of the mine. We were able to swim thru it. Really cool.

One note: these dives are NOT for people who have any issues about overhead environments or restrictions. There were a LOT of overheads. Some restrictions required passing single file.

Overall I had a great time in Bonne Terre, and would definitely do it again.

Pros:
very different and unique dive site, more like a wreck dive
staff was very knowledgeable
very clear calm water


Cons:
no marine life. One pet fish hangs out near the dock.
long walk into mine
Trails must be done sequentially. If a group has people new to the mine, they must start on trail one, while other members will be placed in a different group according to which ones they've already done.

Notes:

cold water - it's not that cold but the people who weren't in a dry suit wished they were
old mine dive shop was a mainly a registration point and had limited other gear/supplies. Bring a save a dive kit. Doug's main shop is near St Louis and is well equipped, but is over an hour away.


They advertise that they will do private dives the friday before the weekend for a large enough group. Perhaps an SD event.

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

You did not mention the current cost. Last I looked, it was $85 per tank for air. Is it still the same?

[DoctorB]

You did not mention the current cost. Last I looked, it was $85 per tank for air. Is it still the same?

It's $70/dive, 2 dive minimum. Nitrox (32%) is $10 a tank extra. 92 cf tanks are also $10 extra. Weight rental is $15 for 1 day or $25 for two days. (You can bring your own weights, but you'll have to lug them in and out, also, if you need even one or two extra pounds, you'll have to pay to rent weights). I chose to rent weights, which was a good choice since it sucked carrying all my gear out w/o weights. (thankfully you could leave your gear on the dock for the entire weekend)