 | GROUNDHOG TALES |
Bonne Terre Easter 2002 Trip Report by Renee and Claude Pageau | |
| Bonne Terre is rated as one of the top 10 dive experiences in the continental United States. You can read about some of the history and background at the www.2dive.com web site.
Renee and I left Port Elgin about 2:00pm on Thursday 28th March 2002. The drive to Bonne Terre is approximately 13 hours driving time. We crossed the border at Port Huron with no delays and headed down I-69. This is a 4 lane divided highway. Average speeds are between 110 and 130 km/hr. We stopped at a Super-8 motel on the far side of Indianapolis at about 11pm. In the morning we had a leisurely drive, did breakfast, lunch and stopped at an antique mall. We pulled into Bonne Terre about 1:30pm on Friday and took the 2:30 walking tour of the mine. I was amazed at how large and high the mine was. We had arranged to stay at the Depot. |
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This is a nicely renovated rail car with its own washroom and shower from one of the dive packages. There is also a bunk house dive package as well as several motels in the area if you want to arrange your own accommodations.
The first dive was trail #1 scheduled for 9:30am Saturday morning. This is mainly a check out and familiarization dive. There is a surface orientation session then you haul your gear into the mine to a floating dock 163-ft below the surface. There were eight divers in our group with one lead and one trailing dive master. After gearing up we did a giant stride entry from the floating dock. We then snorkeled a short distance to a fairly large cavern room with a single roughly 15-foot wide entrance. The water depth at the dock is well over 100 feet. Water depth in the check out room is about 25-ft. This makes it much safer for the initial dive master safety checks. At 10:10 am everyone submerged to the bottom and had to demonstrate buddy breathing and mask clearing. There is an air drill stuck in the wall of the chamber that we all had a chance to examine and play with. After a quick buoyancy check, everyone followed the lead dive master into part of the main cavern room. Most of this dive is wall diving. The water depth is over 100 ft but we kept to about 40-ft. depth swimming around columns and walls. First stop was the saddle, which is a shallow area between two huge columns. On the saddle is an ore cart and a small motor boat that was sunk intentionally a few years ago by some of the diver masters. We then proceeded around the trail route around columns and walls with the dive master pointing out various features like equipment and calcite deposits, etc. The overhead sodium vapor lights shining through the rippling surface water gives the dive a surrealistic feeling. At the first of two air checks, two divers had to go to the surface since they were air hogs. Everyone dove with 80 cubic foot tanks. On later dives, the two air hogs upgraded to 92 cubic foot tanks, which gave them more dive time. At the end of the dive we came back to the dock where we did a 3-minute safety stop on a horizontal bar at 15 feet. Total dive time was 52 minutes with a maximum depth of 43 ft. The water temperature is reported to be 58 degrees Fahrenheit but I think it was cooler than that but still OK with a 6mm wet suit. Renee was critical of the first dive since the visibility did not quite meet her expectations. My estimate would be 80-ft but later dives got better. She was also expecting water temperature to be a little warmer. It takes a few dives to get familiar and comfortable with the environment. Lighting is from Sodium vapour lights shining into the water from the cavern air chamber above. This gives the effect of a moon lit night with street lights where there is brighter lighting and less light between. Renee was pleased with later dives where she felt there was better visibility and more challenges. Since our next dive was in the afternoon we went back to the surface and set our suits out to dry in the sun. We then went for lunch and a little R&R. We reported back for a pre-dive briefing at approx. 1:00pm The trail #2 dive was similar to the first in duration and depth and started at 2:10pm. The main features were more ore carts, keyhole swim through and a long set of submerged wooden stairs. The keyhole joins two chambers and is just big enough for one diver at a time to comfortably pass through. Total dive time was 46 minutes with a maximum depth 41-ft. The last dive of the day was trail #4. We entered the water at 6:27pm, which was later than planned since the dive masters, needed time to off gas from their 5th dive of the day. This trail had sections of overhead diving. Overhead diving is where there is only rock above you. This included going through one 25-30 foot long tunnel which was approx. 10x15 ft. There was also another tunnel, which was smaller, and divers had to swim through in single file. The highlight of the dive is the elevator shaft which is the submerged steelwork of the main mine elevator structure. You also see a few more ore carts. Total dive time was 53 minutes at a maximum depth of 39 ft. Your dive equipment can be store underground overnight. Dive suits are usually brought out at the end of the day and stored in the change room on the surface where they are almost dry in the morning. Renee and I drove about 11 miles to Farmington for supper since it has a little better selection of sit down restaurants. The next morning we dove trail #3 entering the water at 9:40am. A highlight of this dive is the Chappel Room, which is a large submerged room approx. 15 feet high with one entrance. The name comes from the fact that the walls of the room have crosses marking where drill holes where to be made. This is an overhead section of the dive, which was optional if some divers did not want to dive with only rock above. After exiting the Chappel Room you swim over the ceiling rock. As you swim over this section you can see air bubbling through the ceiling from the air that was exhaled when you were in the room a few minutes before. This is a very nice part of the dive. The dive also includes more ore carts as well as other overhead sections. In another large overhang there was an air pocket big enough for your head. You can check your pressure gauge in the air pocket that reads 32-ft depth. At the end of the dive is a section where you swim over a deep canyon with columns and walls on either side. This is just like flying over a miniature grand canyon. Total dive time was 47 minutes at maximum depth of 53 ft. After packing up your gear you have to haul it out of the mine from 163 feet below ground level. Divers walk along a gradual inclined underground trail then up a set of concrete stairs with 68 steps. After the last dive we got our C-Cards and drivers license ID back. We also got our logbooks stamped and signed for each of our dives as proof that we had done the trails. The 24 trails get progressively more difficult so you can only advance to higher trail numbers if you have completed the lower trail numbers. After buying a Bonne Terre video, some T-shirts and souvenirs we had lunch and started the drive back. The day was beautifully warm and sunny. We took our time and stopped at quite a few antique malls along the way. At St. Louis we went into the city and took the ride to the top of the St Louis Arch that is 630 feet high. Renee also dipped her feet in the Mississippi River, which is a short walk from the arch. The drive back was pleasant except when we got near Fort Wayne where we ran into snow again. All in all Deep Earth diving at Bonne Terre Mine is a very unique and rewarding dive experience. Recommended to dive at least once in your life. | |