18 March 2011
I arrived at Bonne Terre and found it easily, despite my GPS telling me it was on my right. It was on my left. I checked in and got my room key for the bunk house. I had arrived that there was one more walking / boating tour going on, so I quickly got signed up for that. The tour guide had a lot of good information about the mine he passed along. Many of the sights he pointed out Id get to see closer up in the next 2 days. The water was nice and clear.
You do get some exercise the water level is about 100 feet below the surface, and there is no elevator. You carry your gear down, and back up. However, if you are diving 2 consecutive days, you can leave as much of your gear on the dock under the bench as you want. So, you onlt have to schlep the lead up one time after all the diving is done. Tanks are furnished, you dont have to carry them up or down.
Oh, also, no bathrooms below ground.
19 March 2011
I had an 7:30 am show time at Bonne Terre Mine. There were several other groups arriving around the same time so quite a few folks figgering out where they needed to be. My group ended up being 14 divers, plus a group leader and a safety diver. The leader gave us a safety briefing, and a briefing for trail 1, our first dive there. During the brief, he pointed out the 2 points at which he would physically check everyones air, and let us know the minimum pressure required to continue. Anyone below the minimum would end the dive early, being escorted back to the dock by the safety diver. First dive no lights and no cameras. Just you and your diving skill. Or lack thereof.
Our first dive had a max depth of (for me, anyways) 51 feet, and I had a dive time of 45 minutes. On this first dive, they are assessing your abilities in the water, and require all to demonstrate 2 skills: mask clearing, and buddy breathing. We swam around, the leader pointed out various sites. We saw a lot of mining gear still down in it to including dynamite packaging materials floating in one spot. Hammers, shovels, picks, you name it. Some spots are well lit from above water lights, others get pretty dark.
At both air checks, I was above the min and I got out of the water at less than 600psi. Air temp in the mine was 66, water was 58 with no thermoclines.
We went to the surface for about an hour and a half after the first dive. Cool, cloudy and breezy. Glad I chose the dry suit. While switching over tanks, I checked my computers (I did carry 2), and discovered I had dorked up my Geo instead of entering in normal dive mode with 32% nitrox, it had gone into free dive mode. Imagine that, a 45 minute free dive! My computer says so! Glad my primary computer is the other one!
When we went down, we got our gear put back together with freshly filled tanks. The dive leader gave us a briefing for dive 2, on trail 2. On this one, I had 50 feet, and again 45 minutes. We started getting into more areas where we went a little ways under overhangs, or thru short tunnels where we could see the end from the start. I had not brought my camera down with me, I elected to do the first day without it, to just see the sights.
When we got out from this dive, we took off our tanks, and quickly got fresh ones, and re-entered the water about 45 minutes after the end of the second. For our 3rd dive, we did trail 4. Again, it was into darker and longer swim throughs. I had this one at 40 feet, and 49 minutes. After 3 dives in 6 hours, I was starting to get chilled, even in my dry suit. I had only worn the light fleece under it.
At the end of the day, there was some confusion about what time we were to be there: 7am, 7:30, or maybe actually 8am. With some folks only doing 1 day, they were condensing to fewer groups.
20 March 2011
I chose discretion being the better part of valor and elected to show up at 7. Good thing, I was thrown into the 7am show group. Another guy Id dove with the day better had not selected discretion, so we had to wait about 15 minutes for him. Oh, one thing I changed from the day before, I did put on my heavier fleece jacket, instead of the light one. I also brought my camera.
The group was about half and half for those Id dove with the day before. We started with Trail 6. I had this dive to 69 feet, and 37 minutes. More underground sections. Guess what? With putting on heavier fleece, I got to the safety stop, also low on air at this time, and could not hold depth. I dumped all the air from BC and suit, but I slowly drifted up in a spread eagle position. Long surface swim back. It turned out to be hard to take pictures because of how dark many sections were. I did get some good ones, but I got about as many blank ones.
Second dive, we went and did trail 3. Again I took pictures where possible. Good dive, but when we got to a shallow area at about 8 feet, with 800psi remaining, I again could not hold depth despite frantically dumping everything I could. Not too bad a surface swim, as we were getting close to the end by this time. This dive was to 51 feet for 37 minutes. During this dive, my computer only got up to 2 bars on the nitrogen loading, still no oxygen loading bars (from the EAN 32) through the first 5 dives.
Before the 3rd dive, I added 4lbs of lead to compensate for the heavier fleece. We did trail 7, and had fewer folks going on this 6th dive of the weekend. This trail went through quite a bit underground, and in a couple places pretty tight for 2 abreast. Some of my best pictures are from this dive, but unfortunately, my camera battery died about half-way through. 3 dives equals too much for one battery. Bring 2. Or 3. This was a shallow one, max depth 30 feet, and I got 51 minutes on this one. Good news, the added lead worked fine, and even at 5 feet with less than 1,000psi, I was able to hold my depth and not float to the surface. This dive did get me to a bar on the oxygen loading on the computer. The Geo was still in free dive mode, never could get it out all weekend. 6 free dives with an average of 44 minutes each. Must be some kind of record!
Then came the part Id started to dread having to schlep the gear up out of the mine. No elevators, no pack mules (anymore, they did have them working in the mine when it was being mined), nothing to help. However, since tanks are furnished and filled at the bottom, we didnt have to carry out tanks. They also have some lead down there, but not enough to supply 40 divers with all the lead they need (between all the groups, we started with about 40. Some had only planned on 3, 4 or 5 dives, some left early due to ears or sinuses, and even deciding the tight quarters werent for them, and ended with a total of about 14, 8 in my group, and one other group of about 6). I pity the staff when hydros are due . . . .
Overall, I did enjoy the trip and the 6 dives. However, I think a group of 14 divers, with a leader and 2 or 3 safety divers makes too big a group. I think it would be more enjoyable with a smaller group the group of 8 on the last dive was much better, but still a little tight in some of the spots we went into on trail 7. Other trails would have been great with the group of 8.
Incidentally, if anyone wants to dive the mine on tables, out of curiosity I checked how the tables would have turned out for these 6 dives.
If on air: In deco on dive 3. 2nd day, no dive time allowed for dive 2, but then dive 3 could be made.
On EAN32: All 6 dives could be made as dove and logged.
And then, as noted, using a computer set to 32% nitrox, the most bars on my nitrogen loading was 2, far from being in deco.
I arrived at Bonne Terre and found it easily, despite my GPS telling me it was on my right. It was on my left. I checked in and got my room key for the bunk house. I had arrived that there was one more walking / boating tour going on, so I quickly got signed up for that. The tour guide had a lot of good information about the mine he passed along. Many of the sights he pointed out Id get to see closer up in the next 2 days. The water was nice and clear.
You do get some exercise the water level is about 100 feet below the surface, and there is no elevator. You carry your gear down, and back up. However, if you are diving 2 consecutive days, you can leave as much of your gear on the dock under the bench as you want. So, you onlt have to schlep the lead up one time after all the diving is done. Tanks are furnished, you dont have to carry them up or down.
Oh, also, no bathrooms below ground.
19 March 2011
I had an 7:30 am show time at Bonne Terre Mine. There were several other groups arriving around the same time so quite a few folks figgering out where they needed to be. My group ended up being 14 divers, plus a group leader and a safety diver. The leader gave us a safety briefing, and a briefing for trail 1, our first dive there. During the brief, he pointed out the 2 points at which he would physically check everyones air, and let us know the minimum pressure required to continue. Anyone below the minimum would end the dive early, being escorted back to the dock by the safety diver. First dive no lights and no cameras. Just you and your diving skill. Or lack thereof.
Our first dive had a max depth of (for me, anyways) 51 feet, and I had a dive time of 45 minutes. On this first dive, they are assessing your abilities in the water, and require all to demonstrate 2 skills: mask clearing, and buddy breathing. We swam around, the leader pointed out various sites. We saw a lot of mining gear still down in it to including dynamite packaging materials floating in one spot. Hammers, shovels, picks, you name it. Some spots are well lit from above water lights, others get pretty dark.
At both air checks, I was above the min and I got out of the water at less than 600psi. Air temp in the mine was 66, water was 58 with no thermoclines.
We went to the surface for about an hour and a half after the first dive. Cool, cloudy and breezy. Glad I chose the dry suit. While switching over tanks, I checked my computers (I did carry 2), and discovered I had dorked up my Geo instead of entering in normal dive mode with 32% nitrox, it had gone into free dive mode. Imagine that, a 45 minute free dive! My computer says so! Glad my primary computer is the other one!
When we went down, we got our gear put back together with freshly filled tanks. The dive leader gave us a briefing for dive 2, on trail 2. On this one, I had 50 feet, and again 45 minutes. We started getting into more areas where we went a little ways under overhangs, or thru short tunnels where we could see the end from the start. I had not brought my camera down with me, I elected to do the first day without it, to just see the sights.
When we got out from this dive, we took off our tanks, and quickly got fresh ones, and re-entered the water about 45 minutes after the end of the second. For our 3rd dive, we did trail 4. Again, it was into darker and longer swim throughs. I had this one at 40 feet, and 49 minutes. After 3 dives in 6 hours, I was starting to get chilled, even in my dry suit. I had only worn the light fleece under it.
At the end of the day, there was some confusion about what time we were to be there: 7am, 7:30, or maybe actually 8am. With some folks only doing 1 day, they were condensing to fewer groups.
20 March 2011
I chose discretion being the better part of valor and elected to show up at 7. Good thing, I was thrown into the 7am show group. Another guy Id dove with the day better had not selected discretion, so we had to wait about 15 minutes for him. Oh, one thing I changed from the day before, I did put on my heavier fleece jacket, instead of the light one. I also brought my camera.
The group was about half and half for those Id dove with the day before. We started with Trail 6. I had this dive to 69 feet, and 37 minutes. More underground sections. Guess what? With putting on heavier fleece, I got to the safety stop, also low on air at this time, and could not hold depth. I dumped all the air from BC and suit, but I slowly drifted up in a spread eagle position. Long surface swim back. It turned out to be hard to take pictures because of how dark many sections were. I did get some good ones, but I got about as many blank ones.
Second dive, we went and did trail 3. Again I took pictures where possible. Good dive, but when we got to a shallow area at about 8 feet, with 800psi remaining, I again could not hold depth despite frantically dumping everything I could. Not too bad a surface swim, as we were getting close to the end by this time. This dive was to 51 feet for 37 minutes. During this dive, my computer only got up to 2 bars on the nitrogen loading, still no oxygen loading bars (from the EAN 32) through the first 5 dives.
Before the 3rd dive, I added 4lbs of lead to compensate for the heavier fleece. We did trail 7, and had fewer folks going on this 6th dive of the weekend. This trail went through quite a bit underground, and in a couple places pretty tight for 2 abreast. Some of my best pictures are from this dive, but unfortunately, my camera battery died about half-way through. 3 dives equals too much for one battery. Bring 2. Or 3. This was a shallow one, max depth 30 feet, and I got 51 minutes on this one. Good news, the added lead worked fine, and even at 5 feet with less than 1,000psi, I was able to hold my depth and not float to the surface. This dive did get me to a bar on the oxygen loading on the computer. The Geo was still in free dive mode, never could get it out all weekend. 6 free dives with an average of 44 minutes each. Must be some kind of record!
Then came the part Id started to dread having to schlep the gear up out of the mine. No elevators, no pack mules (anymore, they did have them working in the mine when it was being mined), nothing to help. However, since tanks are furnished and filled at the bottom, we didnt have to carry out tanks. They also have some lead down there, but not enough to supply 40 divers with all the lead they need (between all the groups, we started with about 40. Some had only planned on 3, 4 or 5 dives, some left early due to ears or sinuses, and even deciding the tight quarters werent for them, and ended with a total of about 14, 8 in my group, and one other group of about 6). I pity the staff when hydros are due . . . .
Overall, I did enjoy the trip and the 6 dives. However, I think a group of 14 divers, with a leader and 2 or 3 safety divers makes too big a group. I think it would be more enjoyable with a smaller group the group of 8 on the last dive was much better, but still a little tight in some of the spots we went into on trail 7. Other trails would have been great with the group of 8.
Incidentally, if anyone wants to dive the mine on tables, out of curiosity I checked how the tables would have turned out for these 6 dives.
If on air: In deco on dive 3. 2nd day, no dive time allowed for dive 2, but then dive 3 could be made.
On EAN32: All 6 dives could be made as dove and logged.
And then, as noted, using a computer set to 32% nitrox, the most bars on my nitrogen loading was 2, far from being in deco.
