Bonne Terre Mines - Any recent Updates?-

[caileon]

Hi,
Thinking of taking a trip to Bonne Terre Mines. Heard a lot of good and bad about it and just wanted to know what the current conditions are. Is it worth going? Any information from anybody who has recently gone and willing to give a non-biased account.

Eric

 

[tajkd]

I don't know about recent but here's mine from December last year. I'd definitely go again if I have the opportunity.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/mid-west-region/440955-bonne-terre-mine-trip-report.html

 

[Welling]

I have had mixed luck with the Bonne Terre Mine.
First off let me say this, where else in Missouri can you dive in January? It is always cold, at 58 degrees.
I am a warm water diver, and not the biggest fan of cold water dives.
With that said, My first time I dove there was in January 2013. I did trails 1,2 and 4. It made for a long day. 3 cold water dives and breaks, and walking in and out of the mine made me exhausted. If you dive the mine, make sure you do trail 4. It is the best of all of the ones I have done.

I recently went back in November 2013, as my wife wanted to go once she was certified. The mine is a mixed bag. Some LOVE IT and others absolutely HATE IT. I have had mixed experiences only due to equipment. If you are close, then you may want to check it out. Again, being a warm (salt) water diver, I will say this. For a guy who lives in Central Missouri, the Bonne Terre Mine is a great dive to do to get back in the water between dive trips.


Here is a link to a video a guy from our group in November of 2013 made.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGlpG7kn-fI&feature=youtu.be

 

[nagel]

The conditions don't really change...pretty much 58 degrees year round. I don't think the viz changes much either.

 

[bada3003]

I was there this past weekend. Did trails 1 and 2. There were 12 people on trail 1 which was a bit much. Staff includes lead diver and a couple of safety divers trailing the back. Due to the varied skills of divers, it's not the most pleasant experience. 3-4 people quit after trail 1, so it was less crowded on trail 2 and it's a more interesting route that toward the end leads up some stairs. The best deal would be to have 3-4 divers in the group with decent diving skills (now seems to be their peak period but during summer, they say, it gets less busy). The mine, at places, has good depth (e.g., 130 feet at entry dock) but there is almost no chance to explore deeper depths. The mine is unique and an interesting dive site for sure. Certainly worth a visit when in the area. Their operation is professionally run but a tad too constrained/structured for more experienced divers. All in all, I found it a bit overrated and underwhelming, perhaps due to the surrounding hype. I was visiting St. Louis so just an hour drive south, but would not make the trip from longer distances just to dive at the mines.