Looking for dive buddy

[trfollis]

My name is Tyler Follis and I live in Springfield Missouri. I am looking for a dive buddy and have been unable to find many in my area. I am also having trouble finding a good place to dive. If anyone has any ideas or is also looking for a dive buddy please let me know.

 

[nagel]

Hi Tyler,

I live North of you around Knob Noster (Sedalia/Warrensburg Area) so won't make a great dive buddy. However, you are in the heart of what the Mid-West has to offer as far as diving. A lot of local divers travel to the Bull Shoals, Table Rock, Norfork, and Beaver Lake to dive. For me, it is a little drive, but it's basically in your back yard. Also, I have heard about a quarry around your area (Maybe closer to Joplin) called the Oranago (something like this). It's been posted about several times on this forum. I've never been there, but hoping to this year. Several have commented that it a nice place to dive. If you get the urge to travel a bit, I would recommend Mermet Springs in southern Illinois. They have a web-site, I think it's www.mermetsprings.com. It's a quarry, but they have a lot of underwater attractions, such as the plane from the movie U.S. Marshalls. I've got several trips scheduled for Bull Shoals this year along with hoping to get back to Table Rock, Norfork, and Beaver.

Hope this helps,

S. Nagel

 

[tstormdiver]

I would think there'd be quite a few divers around the St. Louis/ Bonne Terre Mines area. There's Bonne Terre & Mermet Springs within driving distance. I've been to Mermet a couple of times. Nice set up there.

 

[diverdown247]

Tyler,

You know you can ALWAYS just ask myself or Mike if we're available to dive with you. Since I work nights, it's easy to coerce me into a dive after 9am. Lake visibility seems to be better in the spring before boat traffic gets heavy, but it does vary from lake to lake all season. Here's my location suggestions in no particular order:

Table Rock: Moonshine Beach (swimming area or spillway) or Dewey Short (Army Corps station by dam); these will not require a boat to access. Some/most of these will require a boat to access: any of the sites at this link http://scuba-sports.com/dive.htm Mike also has info on a low vis/near 0 vis cove if you want to learn how to dive in braile.

Norfork Lake, Arkansas: visit Jordan Marina for the beta on the lake http://www.jordanmarina.com/diveshop.html Jordan Marina has a treasure hunt every year, I'm currently awaiting information for this year's event(s).

Beaver Lake, Arkansas: see Mike at Sho-Me Scuba for the gps coords, he's got the maps too. There is a cove with several boats, moped, chainsaws, manequins (that I've yet to find), 2 piper cub airplanes (1 of these is at the deepest point at roughly 50ft), and a helicpoter. The foundations are a good place for classes. Dui will have their rally near the dam.

Oronogo, Missouri: http://www.oronogo.com/ Brian at work has first hand info on this site.

Bonne Terre Mine if you want to shell out the money.

Mermet Springs, Illinois: This is where the aircraft from the U.S. Marshall's movie is located. DUI usually does a DOG Days rally at this location near the end of the season.

Any of the clear-water rivers in Missouri like Jack's Fork, Current, etc. Just make sure it is not a direct spring branch so you're legal to dive it and be sure you're ready for a current/drift dive in cold water.

Stoney

 

[cummings66]

I dive there all the time as well and I'd be glad to have you either tag along with my buddy and I or just with me.

I figure I'm going to be needing a new buddy anyway since my regular one is intent on becoming an instructor, and if that happens he'll never dive during the Summer again for fun.

The bigger question is do you dive year round like me or just when the water warms up some? I was diving dry at your number of dives so it could be you do to as well.

 

[diverdown247]

Matthew,

He was waiting on a custom wetsuit to come in. When that happens, he may be hitting the water quite soon, so we'll see how prone to cold he is. He might just be a polar bear.

 

[cummings66]

Depending on the wetsuit I could see diving now in it. I've dove 42 F water in my 7mm, of course now it'd not be my first choice but I could do it.

Anymore I'm a drysuit diver year round, it's something that turned me into a wimp, but a dry wimp.

 

[diverdown247]

He's one step closer now, hopefully that wetsuit came in so he can get diving before his schedule gets funky.

 

[PacketSniffer]

Are any of you guys diving this weekend? I've got nothing going on over here.

 

[cummings66]

I want to but it all depends on today. We have extremely high winds, high enough to drive wood splinters into my metal hangar door, of course it broke the door in half and some of the trusses and ripped steel of the building's roof. Nothing compared to the 3 million in damage my neighbors hangar had, they lost the King Air, but I've got to deal with Insurance adjusters, Engineers, and Contractors today. Depending on how that goes if I have free time I plan to dive this weekend. I need a break.

I'll PM you my number, call me.