Bonne Terre Mine Questions

[1KWIK_69]

Been having withdrawls since getting back from Cayman last month. We're bouncing around the idea of finally checking out Bonne Terre Mine. I looked at their web site and all I could find is hotel/diving package rates. Or did I miss something? I'd like to know what they charge for just diving?

 

[tstormdiver]

Last I heard, their prices were $65/ guided dive, for a minimum of 2 dives (all dives are guided). That was last year though & may have changed since then. I believe the motels/ bunk houses they advertise is part of their operations (could be wrong on this). You can, of course stay elsewhere if you wish or need to. I had a friend who dove there a few months ago (never been there myself). He said it was cool to see all the old mining equipment & such, but is one of those "been there, done that, got the T-shirt" type dive sites. Once you've been through it, you've just about seen it all. Another thing to consider is to make sure you have adequate exposure protection, as the waters are quite cool at about 60 degrees or so.

 

[1KWIK_69]

Thanks for the info. Think I'll just wait another month or so and hit Oranogo or Beaver
for the same water temps without paying as much for a single tank 35-45 minute dive
as I will for a two tank boat dive in Cozumel later this year.

 

[luckydays]

I am going to be in the area at the end of this month and am planning to dive there for the weekend. I will be staying somewhere else and just driving in. It is my understanding that the diving is $65 per dive with a 2 dive minimum as Tammy said. It looks interesting even if expensive but since I am going to be in the area for a bit, I thought it to be worth while to try it, say I did it, and then not go back if it was ****.

 

[amymm]

My family went to Bonne Terre over Valentines weekend. We all thought it was awesome. Dives are 65 each dive each person, so it does add up fast. We stayed at the Super 8 by the highway and it was much more affordable than the depot. Others in our group stayed at the depot and said it was very cool.

The only issue we had was that you dive in "groups" and for dives 1 and 2 I think we had 12 people and 3 or 4 saftey divers. By the 3rd dive on Saturday our group had froze down to 5 or 6, and I was the only female to make it all 3. Well, not all of the 12 people were at the same skill level, and you had people floating down on top of you, or bumping into you from under.

But other than that we will go back, it was a great weekend, and we loved the town.

 

[1KWIK_69]

I did a little more research and have a pretty good idea what to expect down there.
I was kind of expecting it to be like the cenote dives on the yucatan that I've done before. This sounds more like a tourist trap to me. When they demand a dive log no matter what your cert level and stick 12 people together to bump into each other on a tightly guided tour, it just doesn't sound like that much fun. Add in that they get $65 per tank on a dive that they say only lasts 35-45 minutes at 40 feet and there is no way I'm doing it. It's not like they have expenses like on a boat dive where they pay for gas, a crew, the cost of the boat, and maintenance. Even in expensive Grand Cayman you get 2 tanks from a boat for $90 to $115 and the dive isn't over until you're low on air. We have plenty of local fresh water places to go around here that'll be close to 56 degrees in about a month, and they don't tell you what to do every step of the way and what gear you have to rent from them. I'll just wait till April and hit Oranogo or Beaver.

I have enough vacation T-Shirts, I don't need one that says I dived a big hole in the ground near St. Louis.

I'll get off my soap box now. Sorry but I was really expecting something better.

 

[Scubagal]

We made our first trip to Bonne Terre Mine in early January 2009. I have to say it was a very unique experience. We completed three dives in one day. The last dive I logged was over 1 hour, at least according to my dive computer. I was shivering like crazy after that last dive, but it was still fun. A small group of hardy Canadians were doing a 4th dive that day. Trail 4 was definitely my favorite. We came out a swim through and it reminded me of wall diving in the ocean. We took the walking/boat tour of the mine the day prior to the dives and it was well worth the cost. Very interesting. We stayed at the Super 8. All in all it was a fun trip. I'll admit it was a bit on the pricey side for the dives, but I'd do it again.

 

[MikeSK]

I'm planning on going at some point for the beginner cave course. They also have a treasure hunt thing happening in June this year. Collect poker chips and use those to bid on donated stuff. I don't think I'll make it for that because i need to get some new gear first.

 

[jaxjags64109]

Can you give any more information on the Treasure Hunt in June. I've emailed yhen but do not ever get a response.

 

[luckydays]

Try this thread on the board. Its the link to the treasure hunt info.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/scuba-industry-news/269068-bonne-terre-mines-treasure-hunt-sponsored-scubaboard.html