Kurt S.
New
First off i want to say, that i have never once had such an adrenelined filled scuba dive as the one i experienced at the Bonne Terre Mine treasure hunt last Saturaday.
I am relitively new to the hobby/sport so " i guess for some people it might not have been adreline filled" but it certainly was exciting.
A little about me.
I am 16 years old and was certified in February so i am pretty new.
I live in St. Louis, Missouri and was certified by West End Diving (the people who own Bonne Terre Mine)
I first heard of the the BTM treasure when the owner of West End diving was giving his usually salespitch to all the new comers to scuba.
I personally at that time had yet to ever dive so i was like ehh...
after taking my check out dive i wouldnt dive again till Spring Break where me and my father went scuba diving in local reefs off the coast of Amergris Caye, Belize.
To say the least i was fascinated and wanted to dive more.
But you know how it goes, you say you're gonna do something and you just never get around to it.
So as the months passed and school ended my dad had the idea to go and do the BTm treasure hunt.
The main reason at first was just to keep our scuba skills fresh, but as we looked at the $30,000 worth of prizes our hearts were corrupted
and just had to go.
My dad already owns a house almost literally right next to the BTM. Maybe a mile away.
So on friday night we drove down to my dad's lakehouse and got ready for the dives tommorow.
The next day while pulling into the BTM entrance i couldn't believe my eyes!
the parking lot was stuffed to the brink! (if you have ever seen the BTM at any other time (maybe other than holidays) you would understand that rarley is the very large parking lot was filled) (i guess it was not that unpredicatble but still...)
So after parking and getting are gear out we went to get briefed on what was going on.
Me and my father were in group 2B and our first dive time was 11:00am and our second was 4:00pm
so after getting briefed we got our wetsuits on....(not very fun) :splat:
(keep in mind im a novice scuba diver)
i provided a little entertainment for the expirienced pros who watched jokingly as i got my wetsuit on.
But alas in my heart i was rready to take on any of them to get any of the prizes that were being given away. :biggun:
In the treasure hunt the "treasure" was poker chips of varying color.
black=$500
Green=$100
Blue=$50
Red,Orange,White=$25
After each group performed the treasure hunt, staff members would go out from kayaks and replenish the chips by throwing them out of the kayak
Tip alert! notice that this means that the chips are not really hidden as they are randomly scattered!! because it is done from the surface.
So basically this is how the dive wennt:
1. Everyone got on their gear and entered the frigid Bonne Terre Mine waters using the side entry technique
2. After everyone was in, dive masters took the group to a certain section of the mine.
In these areas the maximum depth was usually no more than 20ft.
3. After doing as hort surface swim over to the section were the poker chips were located. The dive masters gave the usually "play nice" talk before they started the hunt.
4.The dive masters said "good luck" and with that started the hunt"
this was a little bit of a disappointment (nothing serious) but i was expecting a fog/horn or something more big to start the race but none the less it was still a reace to the bottom
5. all the competing divers dived to the bottom and serached for chips.
6. After like 15min the dive masters would pull out their flashlites and shine them in your face till they got your attetion and told you to ascend (which was the sign for "its over"
after surfacing, a staff member in a kayak would zip tie your mesh bag (this was given to you) that contained your chips. (this was done because last year evidently there was a problem with poolong chips which made some people have a ridiculus amount of chips
7. After that dive, the dive master took us to another area and the process repeated again.
8. finally after both dives were completeed we headed back towards the dock and got out.
So i headed up to the surface. But before we left the mine, staff members counted up all your chips and then gave you the total amount for that dive which was written on individual score cards which you would later use in the auction for the free prizes.
my first trip into the mine i got 2,450 chips, which is not horrible but it is not good either
On my second time at 4:00pm i got 4,200 chips. im almost doubled my score!
but the time in between these dives was quite long but not unbearable.
Me and my dad had Aprox. 3 hours of decomp time.
(not much decomp to do for a maximum depth of 20ft and a time of 30 min) :confused4:
so after getting back from lunch me and my dad actually had a number of different things to do.
first off there was washers, and ladder golf setup so you can of course do that if you had nothing else to do.
but one main thing was that aa few of the donators of the prizes had setup booths that you could come and visit.
Unfortunately, like i said there were a few...
I really think that the scuba companies would have really benefited from having their own booth.
and for almost all of the companies that did show, i think they we very succesfull in "showing off" their goods.
I want to give a shoutout to manager or whatever of Bonica that the person you had explaining the camera that was for auction was very fun and very smart.
By the end of the day i believe almost anyone had their eye on the Bonica Camera at the auction.
After the final dive finished and everyone was out of their wetsuits, the staff rang the dinner bell.
The West End Diving Company provided a free barbecue for all those who attended.
You got a free hot dog and a burger (even though they didnt really mind if you would have taken more)
the whole staff was very friendly and caring.
and im not talking about the "salesman" friendly the staff was genuienly funny and good humoured.
After the barbecue the auction began and as i said the staff was quite funny and the auctioneer (i forgot his name) was particularly funny.
Making fun of stupid actions and things done by some of the novice bidders
such as when one lady who was bidding on an item bid lower then what was the running price and made quite a funny joke out of it without being a jerk.
Suprisingly the auction began with the items worth the most amount of money ( i was expecting the opposite)
as all the free vacations were being taken i just had me eyes on the prize either the mares regulator (which i knew i wasnt gonna get because i knew that people other with more chips had their eyes on it to also)
The main thing i had my eyes on were the Omega fins.
The reason i really though i was gonna get them was because they were near the end of the auction thus most of the big money makers will have spent all their chips and also because Omage was giving 3! pairs of fins
( i did want the camera but i knew i wasnt gonna get it. :daydreaming: )
so as the auction for the fins began as expected the last remaing people who had money were betting high on them.
This was what frustrated me the most!:
there was exactly two people that had more chips then me so....
i would be able to get the third pair of fins so i was like YES!!!
but then to my suprise the owner of West End diving came out and said
"Omega only sent 2 pair of fins"
You can imagine my reaction
:chairfight: :furious:
so after that sucker punch all that was really left that i might actually use was an emergency strobe light by TeKTite
so i got that.
Still regardless of not winning the thing i was sure to get i thing i did pretty good for myself against some of the seasoned scuba diving veterans.
Overall i had a very fun day and really enjoyed the event
I am definantly going again next year with my dad.
Tips for next year:
1. Dont underestimate your oppenent
2. Getting down to the bottom fast will give you an advantage, but that being said it will not spoil it for you if your down last. (finding black blue and green chips is hard)
3.While the dive master is finishing up talking right before the dive ,deflate a little of your air using the dump valve so you have a head start on your way down (be silent) cmon its not that bad
4. Getting black chips should be the upmost importance when doing the treasure hunt!there worth a whapping $500!
5. Be vurdious dont be a jerk while doing the hunt... if someone obviously has a hand right above a chip dont try to grab it...although if its a black chip and they have only seen it go ahead and take it (i cant say i wouldnt stop myself)
6.Be fast yet keen while looking for chips. Remeber you want black chips! which are hard to spot if your rushing yourself.
Advice i would give to the Staff of West End Diving for improving the Treasure hunt:
1. Try to get more sponsors to setup a booth,(really it should be a no-brainer for the companies)
2.in addition to waschers and ladder gold, setup horseshoes maybe... alot of the older people didnt seem that interested in ladder golf which is not as old as horseshoes
3.Try to moniter the treasure hunt more...what i mean is that while i was under water i saw people pooling their chips.....i know u guys can only do so much but it does make quite a big disadavantage.. and i wasnt gonna go rat someone out.
other than those minor issues everything else when EXECELLENT!!!!!
thakn you West End Diving for having the event!
Next year i have heard that it will be hosted by Scubaboard so i hope that it will be as great as this year!!
Oh yeah one thing to the scubaboard people
!its only letting me use 16 icons!!!! this is madness!!!!
I am relitively new to the hobby/sport so " i guess for some people it might not have been adreline filled" but it certainly was exciting.
A little about me.
I am 16 years old and was certified in February so i am pretty new.
I live in St. Louis, Missouri and was certified by West End Diving (the people who own Bonne Terre Mine)
I first heard of the the BTM treasure when the owner of West End diving was giving his usually salespitch to all the new comers to scuba.
I personally at that time had yet to ever dive so i was like ehh...
after taking my check out dive i wouldnt dive again till Spring Break where me and my father went scuba diving in local reefs off the coast of Amergris Caye, Belize.
To say the least i was fascinated and wanted to dive more.
But you know how it goes, you say you're gonna do something and you just never get around to it.
So as the months passed and school ended my dad had the idea to go and do the BTm treasure hunt.
The main reason at first was just to keep our scuba skills fresh, but as we looked at the $30,000 worth of prizes our hearts were corrupted
and just had to go.
My dad already owns a house almost literally right next to the BTM. Maybe a mile away.
So on friday night we drove down to my dad's lakehouse and got ready for the dives tommorow.
The next day while pulling into the BTM entrance i couldn't believe my eyes!
the parking lot was stuffed to the brink! (if you have ever seen the BTM at any other time (maybe other than holidays) you would understand that rarley is the very large parking lot was filled) (i guess it was not that unpredicatble but still...)
So after parking and getting are gear out we went to get briefed on what was going on.
Me and my father were in group 2B and our first dive time was 11:00am and our second was 4:00pm
so after getting briefed we got our wetsuits on....(not very fun) :splat:
(keep in mind im a novice scuba diver)
i provided a little entertainment for the expirienced pros who watched jokingly as i got my wetsuit on.
But alas in my heart i was rready to take on any of them to get any of the prizes that were being given away. :biggun:
In the treasure hunt the "treasure" was poker chips of varying color.
black=$500
Green=$100
Blue=$50
Red,Orange,White=$25
After each group performed the treasure hunt, staff members would go out from kayaks and replenish the chips by throwing them out of the kayak
Tip alert! notice that this means that the chips are not really hidden as they are randomly scattered!! because it is done from the surface.
So basically this is how the dive wennt:
1. Everyone got on their gear and entered the frigid Bonne Terre Mine waters using the side entry technique
2. After everyone was in, dive masters took the group to a certain section of the mine.
In these areas the maximum depth was usually no more than 20ft.
3. After doing as hort surface swim over to the section were the poker chips were located. The dive masters gave the usually "play nice" talk before they started the hunt.
4.The dive masters said "good luck" and with that started the hunt"
this was a little bit of a disappointment (nothing serious) but i was expecting a fog/horn or something more big to start the race but none the less it was still a reace to the bottom
5. all the competing divers dived to the bottom and serached for chips.
6. After like 15min the dive masters would pull out their flashlites and shine them in your face till they got your attetion and told you to ascend (which was the sign for "its over"
after surfacing, a staff member in a kayak would zip tie your mesh bag (this was given to you) that contained your chips. (this was done because last year evidently there was a problem with poolong chips which made some people have a ridiculus amount of chips
7. After that dive, the dive master took us to another area and the process repeated again.
8. finally after both dives were completeed we headed back towards the dock and got out.
So i headed up to the surface. But before we left the mine, staff members counted up all your chips and then gave you the total amount for that dive which was written on individual score cards which you would later use in the auction for the free prizes.
my first trip into the mine i got 2,450 chips, which is not horrible but it is not good either
On my second time at 4:00pm i got 4,200 chips. im almost doubled my score!
but the time in between these dives was quite long but not unbearable.
Me and my dad had Aprox. 3 hours of decomp time.
(not much decomp to do for a maximum depth of 20ft and a time of 30 min) :confused4:
so after getting back from lunch me and my dad actually had a number of different things to do.
first off there was washers, and ladder golf setup so you can of course do that if you had nothing else to do.
but one main thing was that aa few of the donators of the prizes had setup booths that you could come and visit.
Unfortunately, like i said there were a few...
I really think that the scuba companies would have really benefited from having their own booth.
and for almost all of the companies that did show, i think they we very succesfull in "showing off" their goods.
I want to give a shoutout to manager or whatever of Bonica that the person you had explaining the camera that was for auction was very fun and very smart.
By the end of the day i believe almost anyone had their eye on the Bonica Camera at the auction.
After the final dive finished and everyone was out of their wetsuits, the staff rang the dinner bell.
The West End Diving Company provided a free barbecue for all those who attended.
You got a free hot dog and a burger (even though they didnt really mind if you would have taken more)
the whole staff was very friendly and caring.
and im not talking about the "salesman" friendly the staff was genuienly funny and good humoured.
After the barbecue the auction began and as i said the staff was quite funny and the auctioneer (i forgot his name) was particularly funny.
Making fun of stupid actions and things done by some of the novice bidders
such as when one lady who was bidding on an item bid lower then what was the running price and made quite a funny joke out of it without being a jerk.
Suprisingly the auction began with the items worth the most amount of money ( i was expecting the opposite)
as all the free vacations were being taken i just had me eyes on the prize either the mares regulator (which i knew i wasnt gonna get because i knew that people other with more chips had their eyes on it to also)
The main thing i had my eyes on were the Omega fins.
The reason i really though i was gonna get them was because they were near the end of the auction thus most of the big money makers will have spent all their chips and also because Omage was giving 3! pairs of fins
( i did want the camera but i knew i wasnt gonna get it. :daydreaming: )
so as the auction for the fins began as expected the last remaing people who had money were betting high on them.
This was what frustrated me the most!:
there was exactly two people that had more chips then me so....
i would be able to get the third pair of fins so i was like YES!!!
but then to my suprise the owner of West End diving came out and said
"Omega only sent 2 pair of fins"
You can imagine my reaction
:chairfight: :furious:
so after that sucker punch all that was really left that i might actually use was an emergency strobe light by TeKTite
so i got that.
Still regardless of not winning the thing i was sure to get i thing i did pretty good for myself against some of the seasoned scuba diving veterans.
Overall i had a very fun day and really enjoyed the event
I am definantly going again next year with my dad.
Tips for next year:
1. Dont underestimate your oppenent
2. Getting down to the bottom fast will give you an advantage, but that being said it will not spoil it for you if your down last. (finding black blue and green chips is hard)
3.While the dive master is finishing up talking right before the dive ,deflate a little of your air using the dump valve so you have a head start on your way down (be silent) cmon its not that bad
4. Getting black chips should be the upmost importance when doing the treasure hunt!there worth a whapping $500!
5. Be vurdious dont be a jerk while doing the hunt... if someone obviously has a hand right above a chip dont try to grab it...although if its a black chip and they have only seen it go ahead and take it (i cant say i wouldnt stop myself)
6.Be fast yet keen while looking for chips. Remeber you want black chips! which are hard to spot if your rushing yourself.
Advice i would give to the Staff of West End Diving for improving the Treasure hunt:
1. Try to get more sponsors to setup a booth,(really it should be a no-brainer for the companies)
2.in addition to waschers and ladder gold, setup horseshoes maybe... alot of the older people didnt seem that interested in ladder golf which is not as old as horseshoes
3.Try to moniter the treasure hunt more...what i mean is that while i was under water i saw people pooling their chips.....i know u guys can only do so much but it does make quite a big disadavantage.. and i wasnt gonna go rat someone out.
other than those minor issues everything else when EXECELLENT!!!!!
thakn you West End Diving for having the event!
Next year i have heard that it will be hosted by Scubaboard so i hope that it will be as great as this year!!
Oh yeah one thing to the scubaboard people
!its only letting me use 16 icons!!!! this is madness!!!!
