cb5150
Contributor
Flying into St. Louis soon and driving down to Bonne Terre for some diving. The airport looks close to Ferguson...this should be fun.
Bonne Terre...St. Louis...Ferguson
- Thread starter cb5150
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CAPTAIN SINBAD
Contributor
Looking forward to a dive report.
NightForce
Contributor
I have been considering heading there for a winter filler dive. I am looking forward to your dive report.
Sent a group there last year. Had tons of feedback. Everybody said it was cold but truly amazing. The service is great too. One of these days I will get down there and try it myself.
Joey
Joey
Ferguson is seriously gunned up right now. Local Cabela's was using iPads to pre-checkout people just like McDonalds at rush time. There were cops in the aisles helping people with ammo /gun choices.
As a result, I wouldn't be surprised if the local crime rate goes waaay down. After the initial burning and trashing I suppose...
As a result, I wouldn't be surprised if the local crime rate goes waaay down. After the initial burning and trashing I suppose...
Neoteric James
Registered
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News reports come to us greatly exaggerated, you won't be going though Ferguson to Bonne Terre , and if you do, you will likely see not much.
I'd be more worried about Bonne Terre......ever see Deliverance?
Seriously though, enjoy the Mine, once I have my Dry Cert, I'll be diving there.
I'd be more worried about Bonne Terre......ever see Deliverance?
Seriously though, enjoy the Mine, once I have my Dry Cert, I'll be diving there.
Last edited:
OP
cb5150
Contributor
Signed up for three dives in my 7mm wetsuit.
We'll see if I'm brave enough/stupid enough to get back in after the first dive. The coldest water I've been in with my 7mm was the Valhalla Missile Silo and that was 60*F. I was cool but not uncomfortably cold.
The mine is reportedly 58*F.
We'll see if I'm brave enough/stupid enough to get back in after the first dive. The coldest water I've been in with my 7mm was the Valhalla Missile Silo and that was 60*F. I was cool but not uncomfortably cold.
The mine is reportedly 58*F.
Keep in mind that diving in a missle silo doesn't involve a lot of swimming. On the Bonne Terre dive you will be swimming for most of the dive (expect for the 15 minutes you spend at the start of dive one demonstrating gas sharing and mask clearing). The swimming will keep you warm.
The other thing to consider is that the difference between 58 and 60 is pretty much undetectable.
moody s
Contributor
I did it a few years ago in 7mm, it was chilly, the first 2 dives it didn't really affect me but towards the end of the 3rd I was really feeling the cold but not to the point that it caused me any issues or lessened my enjoyment. I did a weekend and stayed in their old train carriage which was cool.
OP
cb5150
Contributor
Back from Bonne Terre and the diving was great!! If you haven't been diving in the mine, do it!
I was in a 7mm and was cold, no two ways around it...I was cold. Most of the other divers were in drysuits and they were very comfortable. There are multiple threads about the regimented style of diving and the staff so I'll just make a short comment. The staff was very friendly and helpful and the dive leaders were extremely safety conscious. You pretty much dive the route they choose, more or less in a straight line of divers, but I never felt like I missed anything. It was very cool and I already plan on going back.
OK, here's what you don't hear much about...
Bonne Terre is a small dumpy little town with not much to offer. I chose to stay at the local Super 8 motel rather than the Bonne Terre Mine train depot or caboose. Big mistake. The Super 8 is crap, full of bugs and has no elevator and a very thin stairwell. It made lugging your bags and gear upstairs very difficult. The only other hotel I saw was right accross the highway and it pretty much looked like they were cooking meth inside. Seriously consider either staying at the Bonne Terre depot or drive 15 miles south to Farmington, which is a bigger town.
Decent places to eat are limited to Hub's Pub, Subway, Dairy Queen, Hardees and a Mexican restaurant that I couldn't find.
The mine is in a compound with multiple buildings. There is a large gift shop that sells t-shirts, hats, and other assorted mining souveniers. There is a dive shop where everyone meets to do paperwork before going into the mine. They ask you to leave your car keys behind rather than take them down to the mine. The reason for this is because you enter the mine as a group and leave the mine as a group. If you lose your keys, you're screwed.
The door to the mine entrance is locked behind you and you are not allowed to be in there on your own. Safety First! I took my car keys down to the mine in a dry bag after the first dive because I found that they apply the same security to the dive shop. The shop is closed and locked after you leave. When you come back up out of the mine for a surface interval and want to get into your car for water, snacks or as towel...well, you're out of luck if you don't have your keys. It was hard to find anyone to get me into the dive shop to retrieve my keys after the first dive.
They have a diver's "lounge" building which consists of a few tables, booths, and a coffee pot. They have a few snacks like crackers and cookies that you pay for on the honor system.
They have shower/locker room building, but the showers don't work and when they do, they cost a dollar. The changing area consists of a small bench and a bar to hang exposure suits. The best part about the locker room is that the heater is cranked up to about 90*F and it helps warm you up after the dive.
Another building is the men's and women's restrooms...there are no restrooms down in the mine. Both toilets in the mens room were clogged by 10am...way to go fellas!
To get to the mine you walk down a lot of stairs. Go slow and easy if you are like me and have bad knees. At the bottom of the stairs you then walk downhill on a winding trail that is roughly 100 yards long. Its darkish and the surface is uneven. There is plenty of room to gear up before the dive, but no place to secure valuables if you bring any. After the dive, you drop your gear on two giant, muddy tarps nearby before heading back out of the mine for your surface interval.
The walk up is not as easy as the walk down, LOL...especially after the final dive and you are lugging wet gear. You head up the trail to the stairs then up the stairs to the surface. The water was 57*F, the mine was about 65*F and the outside temp was 36*F.
Overall, this was a very cool dive site and I encourage everyone to dive it at least once in their life. It's a bit of work going up and down the stairs for each dive and the town is kinda dumpy, but hey...scuba is an adventure!
I was in a 7mm and was cold, no two ways around it...I was cold. Most of the other divers were in drysuits and they were very comfortable. There are multiple threads about the regimented style of diving and the staff so I'll just make a short comment. The staff was very friendly and helpful and the dive leaders were extremely safety conscious. You pretty much dive the route they choose, more or less in a straight line of divers, but I never felt like I missed anything. It was very cool and I already plan on going back.
OK, here's what you don't hear much about...
Bonne Terre is a small dumpy little town with not much to offer. I chose to stay at the local Super 8 motel rather than the Bonne Terre Mine train depot or caboose. Big mistake. The Super 8 is crap, full of bugs and has no elevator and a very thin stairwell. It made lugging your bags and gear upstairs very difficult. The only other hotel I saw was right accross the highway and it pretty much looked like they were cooking meth inside. Seriously consider either staying at the Bonne Terre depot or drive 15 miles south to Farmington, which is a bigger town.
Decent places to eat are limited to Hub's Pub, Subway, Dairy Queen, Hardees and a Mexican restaurant that I couldn't find.
The mine is in a compound with multiple buildings. There is a large gift shop that sells t-shirts, hats, and other assorted mining souveniers. There is a dive shop where everyone meets to do paperwork before going into the mine. They ask you to leave your car keys behind rather than take them down to the mine. The reason for this is because you enter the mine as a group and leave the mine as a group. If you lose your keys, you're screwed.
The door to the mine entrance is locked behind you and you are not allowed to be in there on your own. Safety First! I took my car keys down to the mine in a dry bag after the first dive because I found that they apply the same security to the dive shop. The shop is closed and locked after you leave. When you come back up out of the mine for a surface interval and want to get into your car for water, snacks or as towel...well, you're out of luck if you don't have your keys. It was hard to find anyone to get me into the dive shop to retrieve my keys after the first dive.
They have a diver's "lounge" building which consists of a few tables, booths, and a coffee pot. They have a few snacks like crackers and cookies that you pay for on the honor system.
They have shower/locker room building, but the showers don't work and when they do, they cost a dollar. The changing area consists of a small bench and a bar to hang exposure suits. The best part about the locker room is that the heater is cranked up to about 90*F and it helps warm you up after the dive.
Another building is the men's and women's restrooms...there are no restrooms down in the mine. Both toilets in the mens room were clogged by 10am...way to go fellas!
To get to the mine you walk down a lot of stairs. Go slow and easy if you are like me and have bad knees. At the bottom of the stairs you then walk downhill on a winding trail that is roughly 100 yards long. Its darkish and the surface is uneven. There is plenty of room to gear up before the dive, but no place to secure valuables if you bring any. After the dive, you drop your gear on two giant, muddy tarps nearby before heading back out of the mine for your surface interval.
The walk up is not as easy as the walk down, LOL...especially after the final dive and you are lugging wet gear. You head up the trail to the stairs then up the stairs to the surface. The water was 57*F, the mine was about 65*F and the outside temp was 36*F.
Overall, this was a very cool dive site and I encourage everyone to dive it at least once in their life. It's a bit of work going up and down the stairs for each dive and the town is kinda dumpy, but hey...scuba is an adventure!
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