Missile Silo

[connellc]

If I get bored and go I will put it on the board so others can go.

What is the place like? Is it cool diving?

 

[Cousin]

What is the place like? Is it cool diving?

How do you define cool? Cool as in the water is always around 60 degrees, or cool as in you have dove it? Once you get underground the air temp is in the mid 60's, feels rather good. Once you get in the water, you drop down to 100ft or so, we ask that you don't go any deeper, because there are several areas down there that you can easily get tangled up in and it really mucks up the visibility, which is normally 100ft, with the aid of your light. You work your way back up circling the cylinder, then about 50ft, you hit the nav center and spend a couple of minutes there. Keep on going up and do your safety, then call it a dive. Most people normally go down to Cornodo's Camp grab lunch and come back to do another dive or two.

That's really about it, it is a fun place to go and a great place to do training of differnt sorts.

 

[Blowin Da Bubbl]

I too had planned to dive this site but was informed by several instructors and dive shop owners here in Austin about the rats. They also mentioned that it is standing water and stagnet due to no water movement. I was warned that the possibility for bad ear infections exists there as well. Granted this is word of mouth as I have not been myself. But it was enough to discourage me.
B.D.B.

 

[archman]

I too had planned to dive this site but was informed by several instructors and dive shop owners here in Austin about the rats. They also mentioned that it is standing water and stagnet due to no water movement. I was warned that the possibility for bad ear infections exists there as well. Granted this is word of mouth as I have not been myself. But it was enough to discourage me.
B.D.B.

That's garbage. They're obviously referring to some other nuclear missile silo. Unless somebody knocked a hole in the roof and let it get all dirty, it should still be crystal clear, mostly microbe free (so low risk of swimmer's ear)... and the rats, well maybe they sneak in every once in a while, but there's nothing for them to eat.

Listen to Cousin, he works there.

 

[Blowin Da Bubbl]

well I assume this is the one reffered to as Vallhalla. But as I said I havent dove there .
The experience sounded cool. But I have my reservations about it from the hearsay.
Thanks to you both for reinstilling my desire to consider the dive.

B.D.B.

 

[Cousin]

I too had planned to dive this site but was informed by several instructors and dive shop owners here in Austin about the rats. They also mentioned that it is standing water and stagnet due to no water movement. I was warned that the possibility for bad ear infections exists there as well. Granted this is word of mouth as I have not been myself. But it was enough to discourage me.
B.D.B.

NO NO NO NO NO NO, do I need to say it again???

The shop owners in Austin are full of it. The water is constantly cycled through and is not staginat(however). If it will make you feel any better, on pretty much all of my dives at some point I do take a drink of the water while I am doing the dive, and have never had a problem. That is actually some of the best water you can drink, it has been filtered through atleast 4ft of concrete before it has gotten to the inside of the silo.

Rats No, Mice every now and then. They are not a problem, and you see them every once and a while. Sometime in the next couple of weeks I am going to run down on a Sunday, and I will try to remember to bring my camera and take a few shots for everybody.

People have been diving the silo for several years now, and not a one has complained about an ill effects after diving the silo.


If anyone has any questions about the silo you are more than welcome to email me chris@familyscuba.com

 

[chrispete]

Here's some photos from when I went last Feb. No UW photos though, was a bit busy managing a new diver.

The first photo is the stairway of doom, the second is of one of the lights on the wall of the actual silo, the third is the entrance to the don/doff room, and the fourth is a picture of the only part of the silo that sticks up above ground.