I came a long way for the event, flying in from New Hampshire. Bonne Terre Mines has been on my list of places to dive for years now as I have read many articles about the place. Finally I got the opportunity to make the trip, not specifically for the contest mind you, but because I wanted to dive the mines. The contest was just an added benefit for me.
When I arrived at the mines I had no idea what to expect. On Friday when I arrived I took the underground tour and boat ride. While I was on the tour the excitement was building for me as I saw how big this place really is. It's hard to describe to other people how there's a huge underground lake that you dive in. All I can say is wow!
Saturday was contest day and I was motivated to do my best to attempt to win something if I could. I prepared my gear by making sure I was slightly overweighted so I could drop quickly to the bottom hopefully before other divers giving me a slight advantage in having first dibs on the poker chips. My plan worked pretty well as I was the first diver on the bottom on each dive within my group, as far as I could tell. I wasn't stopping to look about to see other divers positions to verify, but for at least 20-30 seconds I was completely unobstructed on each dive. I was able to gather between all 4 dives over 70 plus poker chips. Of course most of this has to do with luck really and even though I did gather a large amount of chips I just did not get enough of the elusive black poker chips. I ended up somewhere in the upper middle for total dollar amount.
Being that I was not close enough to the top prizes I thought I might walk away with some cool door prizes maybe. As it turns out I walked away with a 700.00 off discount for a Solmar V live-aboard trip!!!! I was ecstatic as I have never been on a live-aboard cruise before and have had this on my list for my next dive trip. The Solmar V, if your not familiar, sales to three different locations; Guadalupe, Sea of Cortez, and the Socorro Islands. All unique in what can be seen. This is a major opportunity for me as a father of 4 children and with the economy as it is money is always tight. This prize goes a long way in helping me achieve another dive dream.
Lets of course not forget why I came to Bonne Terre in the first place which was to dive the mines. Being my first time in the mines I dove trails 1, 2, and 4 on Sunday. Each dive built on the previous one as the swim throughs got slightly smaller on each dive and the trails got slightly longer. How I have been describing the amazing experience to fellow divers back home is, it's like diving in a sunken city swimming in between skyscrapers or buildings. At 55' looking up I could see all the way to the surface towards the top of the pillars holding the mines roof up. Looking down I could see 80' into what seemed like a bottomless pit in some places. The artifacts that you see and history of the mine make it just an incredible experience diving. I will definitely be back, now that my curiosity has been satisfied I am challenged with wanting to see what the other 21 trails have to offer.
Overall I had a fantastic time diving, winning prizes, and meeting other divers which is always a big part of diving for me. It's not just the dives it's the interactions with other divers from different walks of life and the lasting friendships that are made. I guess that makes it fitting that Scubaboard sponsored the event. Scubaboard which helps build communities of divers with the same interests worldwide. Special thanks to Scubaboard, Scuba Steve the founder, Solmar V of course, and all the vendors that made the event so much fun.
Thank you for the experience.
Sincerely,
Mick
