Kansas City Divers!

[philmayer]

I'm considering relocating to KCMO/KCK, but I have some serious reservations about the diving in the area.

Where do you guys dive?

I'm a PADI DM and active with my local CD in classes/checkouts/trips.

I know there's a PADI CD in KC. Does anybody know him or his shop? Are they fun to hang out with? What are their classes like? Where do they do their training and OW checkout dives?

I've been told Lake of the Ozarks is 2.5 hours away and Table Rock Lake is 3 hours away. Who dives there?

Help me out here folks!

 

[nagel]

There are several dive shops in the KC area, not really been to any of them, but I know they are there. I'm about 60 miles east of KC. Most people I know who dive out of KC go to Table Rock or travel to warm waters for diving a couple times a year.

For diving, forget about the Ozarks. This is true muck diving. Pretty much 0 viz. I don't know really anybody that dives the Ozarks unless they are looking for lost treasure for somebody.

The closest diving for KC is Table Rock in the SW corner of MO south of Springfield in the Branson area. Further South into Arkansas is Beaver Lake and Bull Shoals. Just north of the Joplin area is a quarry by the name of Oronogo. There are a number of quarry's around the state. On the other side of the state by the St. Louis area is a new quarry called the Dive Stop. In southern Illinios is Mermet Springs. South of St. Louis is the Bonne Terre Mine. I've heard of a lake in Kansas that some try and dive, but don't hear much about it because I don't think it is much of a dive.

Bottom line, KC really needs a closer place to dive. If somebody would open up a dive park or quarry it would be great and probably a gold mine. If you had an option of relocating to the St. Louis area, I would consider that above KC if diving is top on your list.

S. Nagel

 

[ChainSaw0069]

When visiting my son in KC I talked to some dive shops about local diving. They told me the nearest good spot was about 2 hours south. That may be the Table Rock mentioned above.

Remember if you are going to dive 2 to 3 hours to dive you may as well fly 2 to 3 hours to Florida.

 

[wb5plj]

well, it all realy depends on how you like muck diving. Some don't take to it well and others like it as much as the clear salty stuff (no kidding). If you can find something to apreachate in muck diving then there are a fair number of spots to dive that are an easy drive and little cost.

Table Rock Lake
Norfolk Lake (spelling is wrong I am sure)
Beaver Lake
Tanycomo Lake
Stocton Lake
Truman Lake
Bull Sholes Lake
Palm Detere Lake (spelling again)
Lake of the Ozarks
Truman Lake

These are the major lakes around the area, they are clearly muck diving (pun intended) and some are the worst of the worst such as Lake of the Ozarks that one is a chalange.

There are also quarries that are not that far depending on depending on your roadwarrieor wortheyness and wether or not others are going that you can throw in with.

Mermet Il,
Hide,
Eldon,
Oornogo,
Rolla,
Bontere Mine (like a clear quarry underground, not a cave dive)

Most of these are town names as I can't remamber the names of the quarries themselves...

and some that are not well known. There is one (well three) on hwy50 just out side of Sedelia that I have been trying to find out who owns to see if we can dive it.

There are also some Springs such as Bennit Springs which I suggest everyone try, though it is clearly a cavern dive and don't enter the cave without training.

Ally Spring
Big Spring
Round Spring
Cave Spring

Can't remamber some of the others. some are cave and some are cavern and a couple of them are OW but none of them are a big dive as an OW.

Then there are some rivers that are good to float down and dive such as the current river. it is mostly fed from springs and as such is typically very clear. there are some spots that are say 20 feet deep from what I here.

none of this may be what you are used to and some of it seems silly (talking about taking scuba gear to a river for a 20' dive, but some people like it)

In general the dives around here (and I have discribed places within a couple of hours of kc to several hours away) are murky and cold. if it is clear it is cold beacouse it is a spring. if it is warm the water is static, deep or the lake just turned over and it is usualy merky.

I would suggest you not let any of this turn you off to muck diving but rather get with some people that are expierienced in the muck (you have a good start here. many of the posters on here dive weekely and are very expierienced) and just go diveing with open expectations and see if you can find something in it you enjoy.

If you have options on where to live based on diving I personally would suggest someware in the carabian. I dive where I live as opposed to the other way around. that is just until some great benafactor hands me a brand new sail boat. Then I will dive everyware....

 

[nagel]

Nice report....

On follow-up concerning the quarry's outside of Sedalia. If they are the ones on the west side of Sedalia, that can be viewed from Hwy 50, they are owned by Howard Farms. I've checked several times and no they will not allow divers due to liability reasons.

Snagel

 

[Scott Bell]

Nagel,
that's too bad, as that quarry would be an awesome location. Very easy to get to, fairly deep from what I've been told, and I'm sure it would have some very interesting artifacts on the bottom from all the kids that have snuck in there over the years

 

[nagel]

I'm still working on it. The problem is that 2 people have drowned in the quarries over the years. They use to open it up to people on special occassions and way back in the day it was open to anybody who wanted to swim. The last time they allowed people in the quarry a guy in full leather (jacket, pants) jumped in and sunk to the bottom. They had to drag him out the next day. This became a huge legal issue for the owners.

The story I'm hearing now is that it is owned by two brothers at Howard Farms. One brother is okay with divers using it, but the other is absolutely against it due to the liability. This is where it stands right now. I'm working on a "in" with the brothers through a 3rd party and would like to meet with them and discuss the possibility of using the quarry for personal diving and explain the whole liability waiver to them and see if it budges them. I don't think they understand they are sitting on a gold mine for divers. The local dive shop has tried several times, but has gotten nowheres.

Snagel

 

[rkij]

The best place to go is Beaver Lake, they have a sailboat in about 80ft, and four boats and a plateform in 30ft. The vis is about 15ft-20ishft. As for Oronogo it a dump. It has a big hill to walk down and is not worth it unless you like caves and DEEP diveing. I have lived here all my life and have dove for 3 years and have only done one dive there. Table rock is good, the only problem is you need a boat to get to all the good sites. Stockton Lake is OK but there is nothing to see and I only dive there if i want to just get wet. I am interested in getting cave/cavern cert. so if anyone has any info about good spots in Missouri please e-mail me at scubaseibert@yahoo.com

 

[nagel]

Do a search for diving in Roubidoux Spring, Waynesville, MO. This is a good cave diving place.

Snagel