Bonne Terre Mine, MO

[roakey]

Good writeup on the mine can be found at:

http://www.overheadtimes.com/article_disp.asp?Article_ID=119

The writeup does a good job of calling out what's really, really good about the mine and what's really, really bad about the mine.

Roak

 

[scubafanatic]

Thanks for the link, roakey...very informative, current information....I've been considering a long weekend trip up there this summer/fall......it sounds like, contrary to their official WWW site, divers can bring their own tanks, as long as they are prepared for the physical effort. I'd probably tolerate the'negative' aspects of the operation, as long as I can at least bring one of my 'big' Y-valve single tanks (LP112 or HP130).....I won't go if I'm limited to an AL80/100...that's my line-in-the-sand.

Karl

 

[HammerNoMore]

The writeup does a good job of calling out what's really, really good about the mine and what's really, really bad about the mine.

Except that it's either completely out of date or completely wrong. First the author claims that this is an overhead environment and that he spent 30 of 47 minutes in true overhead. I know which trails he took because the mine has a very strict rule, you can't do trail 2 until you've done trail 1, 3 until 2, etc... I've done these trails and I've been in more of an overhead environment in Cozumel swimthroughs.

Second the author claims that rebreathers are not allowed. It is my undestanding that the will accomidate technical divers as long as proior arangements are made.

Third the author indicates the staff are rude idiots, which couldn't be farther from the experience I had.

Finally, even though I found the leader and saftey divers to be very competent and completly aware of the state of the divers, the author wants to blame a buddy breakdown between (presumably) him and his panicked buddy on the staff. Yet another case of pass the buck itiis.

James

 

[MikeFerrara]

Except that it's either completely out of date or completely wrong. First the author claims that this is an overhead environment and that he spent 30 of 47 minutes in true overhead. I know which trails he took because the mine has a very strict rule, you can't do trail 2 until you've done trail 1, 3 until 2, etc... I've done these trails and I've been in more of an overhead environment in Cozumel swimthroughs.

Second the author claims that rebreathers are not allowed. It is my undestanding that the will accomidate technical divers as long as proior arangements are made.

Third the author indicates the staff are rude idiots, which couldn't be farther from the experience I had.

Finally, even though I found the leader and saftey divers to be very competent and completly aware of the state of the divers, the author wants to blame a buddy breakdown between (presumably) him and his panicked buddy on the staff. Yet another case of pass the buck itiis.

James

They recently had a rebreather death there so they may have banned them.

I've never been there myself and don't have a reason to go but we dive caves that are near there and I have had several divers warned me that I wouldn't be treated well if I went there for an air fill. Like I say, I don't know if it's true but they definately have a reputation for it.

i won't go because of the cost and the no-lights thing. It's one thing to ask you to keep your light off (which is bad enough because you lose a good communication tool) but, IMO, it's flat out nuts to dive underground without carrying lights.

If they have a power outage, I have to rely on the guid for light?...ummm...let me seeee...NO.

 

[HammerNoMore]

I've never been there myself and don't have a reason to go but we dive caves that are near there and I have had several divers warned me that I wouldn't be treated well if I went there for an air fill. Like I say, I don't know if it's true but they definately have a reputation for it.

The mine is not, nor does it even pretend to be a dive shop and is therefore not a place to stop for fills. I would compare that to walking up to a livabord that was docked and asking for a fill there. Add the fact that their compressor is a hike down a bunch of steps and a trail, and I'd turn you down for an air fill as well.

i won't go because of the cost and the no-lights thing. It's one thing to ask you to keep your light off (which is bad enough because you lose a good communication tool) but, IMO, it's flat out nuts to dive underground without carrying lights.

If they have a power outage, I have to rely on the guid for light?...ummm...let me seeee...NO.

They allow backup lights. Mine is sufficiently bright enough to get me out.

James

 

[MikeFerrara]

The mine is not, nor does it even pretend to be a dive shop and is therefore not a place to stop for fills. I would compare that to walking up to a livabord that was docked and asking for a fill there. Add the fact that their compressor is a hike down a bunch of steps and a trail, and I'd turn you down for an air fill as well.

I wasn't told that they would turn me down. I was told that it wouldn't be pleasant. If they let me in they should be nice to me. LOL. But like I said that's just what I was told.

 

[HammerNoMore]

I wasn't told that they would turn me down. I was told that it wouldn't be pleasant. If they let me in they should be nice to me. LOL. But like I said that's just what I was told.

Well, my personal experience is that they are very friendly, just like most places you go. They have some rules that nobody really cares for, myself included, but it's their sandbox. A lot of people who have never been there tend to judge them for their rules so perhaps your friends went in a little jaded or maybe they caught someone on a bad day. I guess I could have caught them on a rare good day as well...


James

 

[diverbob]

OKay...heres my experience there:

I was doing my first dives in about year, which was also my first dives after OW class. They couldnt get my weight right, and I had trouble staying on bottom for the first dive. Second dive, I fought with all my strength to stay down, and was up to 41 pounds in my BC. I was wearing a farmer john suit which made me super bouyant anyway, but they still couldnt get me to be able to stay down. Next thing I know, I was at the surface, and didnt see any of the safety kayakers anywhere around, so I just started to a surface swim to what I believed to be back towards the dock. As I went around a corner, I saw I the dock, and about that time, the trailing saftey diver finally surfaced to see what was wrong. I had been gone from the group for about 10 minutes at this point. I thought that to be pretty long to be away from a group and nobody noticed. Anyway, I got back to the dock, and the guy working the dock asked me for my weight belt. Having a weight intergrated BC, I didnt have a weight belt. After I told him that, he told me "Well then, you are on your own" and he refused to help me out of the water and onto the dock. There are no stairs. I took off my BC, climbed up on the dock, and then fought to bring my BC on the dock as well, while this guy just watched. After a few minutes of struggeling with it, he finally came over to help. Just when we got it on the dock, the guys glasses fell off his face and went straight down about 150 foot. I was thinking in the back of my mind, "serves you right." At this point, I was so pissed, I didnt even do the third dive.

I spoke to one of the people topside, and they said that after the instructor died on the rebreather, they dont allow them anymore.

I can understand the lights, like someone mentioned earlier, thats how they communicate. There is plenty of lighting so lights really arent needed. You are also not allowed to have a dive knife, you can not bring your own tanks(and after walking that trail, you wouldnt want to) and they do not have Nitrox. You can upgrade from an AL80 to a ST95 I think is what they had.

As far as watching the video, I am learning that is pretty standard. I had to watch a video when I dove the springs down in Florida too.

 

[bigblue63304]

I'm a Missouri native, and I have been there once, and only once. There so many reasons not to go there than there are reasons to make a dive there. First the owner Doug Jorgenson is an ego maniac! He runs a tape from Good Morning America 24/7 to hype a very lame experience. The mine is lighted with underwater lights, but they will not allow you to bring your dive light, and you really need your own light! The dive guides do not border on being dangerous, They are dangerous! Many divers have not made it out of this mine. Check it out for yourself if you don't believe me.

 

[HammerNoMore]

I'm a Missouri native, and I have been there once, and only once. There so many reasons not to go there than there are reasons to make a dive there. First the owner Doug Jorgenson is an ego maniac! He runs a tape from Good Morning America 24/7 to hype a very lame experience. The mine is lighted with underwater lights, but they will not allow you to bring your dive light, and you really need your own light! The dive guides do not border on being dangerous, They are dangerous! Many divers have not made it out of this mine. Check it out for yourself if you don't believe me.

Boy, first post from a new member. Sounds like someone has an axe to grind. You are bordering on liable with that "Many divers" remark. You can get off that soap box now, it's obvious you got into a tiff with the owners and your opinions are higly suspect so I doubt your post will stop a single person...

James