Mine shaft dive

[Hank49]

Me too but we haven't heard back from the original poster yet. Maybe some one already jumped on it.

I swear Mike, I wonder about you. I've gotten so much flack from you about diving deep on air in clear, open reef...but then you would actually go down a mine shaft, 100 years old, with possible shifted soil substrate, rotted lumber that may be ready to collapse at any moment, who knows what else.....I don't care what gas mixture you're diving. That's major danger. I'll stick to 1.6 ppO2 on single tank air, thank you very much.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I swear Mike, I wonder about you. I've gotten so much flack from you about diving deep on air in clear, open reef...but then you would actually go down a mine shaft, 100 years old, with possible shifted soil substrate, rotted lumber that may be ready to collapse at any moment, who knows what else.....I don't care what gas mixture you're diving. That's major danger. I'll stick to 1.6 ppO2 on single tank air, thank you very much.

LOL

Actually I haven't seen any timber. I've seen a couple of methods of support. One is to leave pillars untouched for support and the other is stacked colums of rock. And...diving flooded mines is more common than you probably think.

I haven't seen any evidence of collapse in the flooded sections although the one mine we dive had a land bridge outside (that was actually used for a road) collapse partially blocking one of the entrances. There's still plenty of room to pass and there are other entrances only a short distance away.

Either way, I wouldn't just gear up and jump in. I'd see what kind of info was available on the mining methods used (structure). I'd look at the shaft. If it looked like something I'd be willing to dive in then I'd drop down and check out the entrance. If there wasn't anything about it that bothered me, I'd lay some line (which would have alredy started at the surface) and take survey data on the way out or on the next dive. you'd be surprised how many property owners want a map of their flooded mine.

I wouldn't do any of it narced though.

 

[Hank49]

Sorry, I meant single tank air in open reef water. You guys are a different breed. I wouldn't go into an abandoned mine above water. I know it doesn't make sense, but running out of air or whatever in sunlit water doesn't scare me near as much as being trapped, above water, in a mine shaft that collapsed. At least I have a shot at the surface. Good luck amigo. Hank

 

[SDAnderson]

I swear Mike, I wonder about you. I've gotten so much flack from you about diving deep on air in clear, open reef...but then you would actually go down a mine shaft, 100 years old, with possible shifted soil substrate, rotted lumber that may be ready to collapse at any moment, who knows what else.....I don't care what gas mixture you're diving. That's major danger. I'll stick to 1.6 ppO2 on single tank air, thank you very much.

Deep air involves unpredictable and unneccesary risk and is just plain dumb. Penetrating an abandoned mine, however, is a whole 'nother level of diving where risks maybe greater but also more easily evaluated and controlled. That said, I'm with you - I think I'd rather make fun of my wife's mother than contemplate this dive. Actually, if I got caught making fun of my wife's mother, there's a reasonable chance Mike would find my carcass at the bottom of the main shaft...

Mike is a highly trained and highly experienced diver with an aggressive sense of self-preservation. He may also be nuts, but there you have it. He'll come back, rumpled, dirty and smiling like a fox in a hen house.

La Rue is an hour this side of Black River Falls, amigo. If you need someone to watch your truck for you, let me know.

 

[Dan Gibson]

My understanding is lead is not a problem until after it has been smelted.

Mike,

Please don't think this is a troll post, but Lead Mines? That can't be good for you. Knowing lead is posionous, and being able to soak through you skin. You are a much braver man, than I my friend.

 

[MikeFerrara]

La Rue is an hour this side of Black River Falls, amigo. If you need someone to watch your truck for you, let me know.

If I hear from the guy, you've got a deal. If it looks too nasty to dive in we'll have a cook out or something anyway.

 

[Hank49]

Deep air involves unpredictable and unneccesary risk and is just plain dumb. Penetrating an abandoned mine, however, is a whole 'nother level of diving where risks maybe greater but also more easily evaluated and controlled. That said, I'm with you - I think I'd rather make fun of my wife's mother than contemplate this dive. Actually, if I got caught making fun of my wife's mother, there's a reasonable chance Mike would find my carcass at the bottom of the main shaft....

All I can say is, Mike must have to get custom made wetsuits to make room for his "huevos". :wave-smil

 

[Randy43068]

If I hear from the guy, you've got a deal. If it looks too nasty to dive in we'll have a cook out or something anyway.

volunteer to be one of your topside tenders if you need that.

Randy

 

[SDAnderson]

All I can say is, Mike must have to get custom made wetsuits to make room for his "huevos". :wave-smil

I've never seen him in a wetsuit, but there is often a clanking sound emanating from his general direction.

 

[WellBelowH2O]

We have a fair amount of experience diving flooded mines...mostly lead mines in Missouri...and I don't mean the tourist kind.

Like the others... I'd love to hear more about this if it happens. Regardless, if I was scanning through the cable guide and I saw this as a special on the Discovery channel or the like, I'd be all over it. Just picture it: 8pm - Abandoned Mine Diving