Is Bonne Terre worth it?

[SeaHound]

I just found out about it in SportDiver magazine. It seemed like one hell of a diving experience. I was wondering if it would be worth a 14 hour drive from DC? I have the money to make one dive trip either to Florida or Bonne Terre. While I understand that the dives would not be what diving tourist would love to do ... sandy beaches, marine life, pina colada but if it could give me an experience I could carry with me for my life, I would gladly drive to Missouri instead of Florida.

Those of you who have been down there, please share what is it like?

Regards -

S-H

 

[hudson]

Disclaimer: I'm a local, have never been there, and have no interest in the place whatsoever.
But it's absolutely not worth a 14 hr drive. It's hard to qualify it as diving as you are herded through a fixed path by the guides. Most people I've discussed it with would say it's neat to do once, but hardly a once-in-a-lifetime experience...more of a tourist trap.

For that kind of thing, you have great wreck diving much closer to you.

 

[timle]

Also disclaimer - never been there - can't imagine I would ever go.

From their website

Dives are conducted in groups of up to 12 divers..Guide Leads..Safety Diver in Rear.
Average Length of dives is 35-45 minutes, Average Depth 40-60 feet.

NO LIGHTS OR NON-DIVE KNIVES ALLOWED IN MINE

sounds like something I would never do. But that is me personally I dislike group diving - I think it is a cause of a lot problems for new divers (running low on air as they can't leave the group) and I have no desire to be lead around a dive site. $65/dive seems pretty steep (min 2 dives) - a boat out of Key Largo for a 2 tank trip can be had for $75. I'd go to Florida - but I live there

 

[Blu Diver]

I have never been and I live in St. Louis it's not too far away. I have been torn on whether to fork out the dough to dive it. The quote that TIMLE posted is right on the money, and to add to his post. There are levels or tiers that are set for divers. If I recall correctly everyone starts out on a very basic guided tour. Then if you return at some point I think within a year, you can take the next guided dive on the next level. You have to use Bonne Terre's tanks you can not bring your own etc...

The ONLY reason I would consider diving Bonne Terre is that I am from St. Louis, Missouri. It seems that everywhere I go diving outside of Missouri (Florida, Hawaii, mexico where ever). Divers always ask if I have been to Bonne Terre Mine? On of these days I might just answer "YES, I have!"

 

[amymm]

Bonne Terre is cool, but I would pick FL over it any day, we drove about 8hours to go, and dont regret it, we had a free hotel stay.

It is kinda like being in a herd, and they lead to the worst diver in your group. We had divers that hadn't dove since Clinton was president! And another goup had never dove in cold water, so you can guess how it was.

 

[bklumpp]

I just got back from Bonne Terre. I have to say it is definately worth checking out. We had about 10 of us go down there about 2 weeks ago. The drive from Michigan was just over 10 hours, and we are planning on going back again.

Admittedly, I haven't been diving much. I just got certified this past year, but have dived in the Bahama's, St. Kitts, and the Great Lakes (wreck diving). Bonne Terre is different in many ways from all of the other places I've been to. To say that one is better than another is doing a disjustice to any of the places I've been. If you like variety, and trying different things, it is definately worth the trip.

If you want to know more about our trip, I have a blog site at yesitispossible <dot> com. I recently posted about the trip to Bonne Terre. Check it out if you want to know more.

 

[Lone Frogman]

Can you bring a camera?

 

[SeaHound]

Can you bring a camera?

Ya! Can you? And is there anything worth photographing?

 

[bklumpp]

Yes, you can bring a camera. You will want to make sure you have a good, powerful flash though. They also won't allow you to bring it on the very first dive (although they did let our Dive Master bring his).

Yes, there are some things worth photographing. The better stuff is on Trail 4 (the elevator shaft). There were some other things too such as ore carts, old mining rooms, sunken stair cases, ore carts, rail tracks, and even your dive buddies if they're not camera shy.

There's also some overhead environments and caves that have some unique colors and such worth photographing. You might also need assistance though from the guides to illuminate stuff with their dive lights.

Basically, how they work it is the first dive is to make sure everyone has their "kinks" worked out (so to speak). Subsequent dives get more technical, deeper, and more interesting progressively. If I recall, there are literally dozens of different trails and such, and each one depends heavily upon the certifications and experience of the divers in the group.

 

[bklumpp]

Also, just to note, the staff at the mine is very friendly and helpful. I know they worked with us quite well although we did have a group of 10 of us at once (part of our dive club around Detroit).

The town itself is really depressed economically speaking. Custom arrangements I'm sure can be made - especially if you do so as part of a group.

If you would like to keep in touch with me, let me know and we can always make whomever a part of our next dive trip (Negotiations in numbers are always a good idea We're planning our next trip down there soon.