The Bonne Terre Mine is one of the best places to dive in the Midwest. Divers flock there every year and winter is the most popular time to dive because the temperature stays relatively steady throughout the year. Bonne Terre Mine is full of history and is incredible place for divers to learn the background surrounding mining in the United States. One of the first explorers to research the history surrounding the mine was Jacques Cousteau. On his expedition to St. Louis, he visited the mine and they took underwater pictures, thus sparking the interest of divers everywhere.
One of the most spectacular things about diving in the Bonne Terre Mine is the annual Treasure Hunt, held at the beginning of summer each year. This is a major attraction in the diving community and for good reason. It is a fantastic underwater treasure hunt followed by an incredible auction and meal, with a little education thrown in for good measure. The event is well attended with people coming from all over the United States. A variety of different age groups and skill levels are also represented in the Treasure Hunt.
So how does the Treasure Hunt of Bonne Terre Mine work? Well, there are major sponsors for the event and prizes often totaling more than $50,000. Throughout the dive, divers are looking for tokens. There are four different types of tokens, each of which has a different dollar value from $25 all the way to $500. In past events nearly 150 divers have participated and there are also safety divers and other staff members on hand.
Divers are split into groups and then briefed. When it is a specific group's turn to dive they are lead down what used to be the mule entrance/exit to the mine. Here divers descend a number of stairs to end up at the top level of the mine where they don their gear. The group that is about to dive is then divided into two sub groups and each is assigned a section to dive. There are two sections and each of them is full of tokens. Divers are given the signal to enter the water and away they go, searching for the tokens and collecting as many as possible. Once the divers are given the signal the divers switch areas and search again. On the final signal all divers surface and come into the dock.
Each diver has a token bag and once they come in these bags are sealed and taken to the Mine Bank to be counted. After lunch, divers are treated to a second round of diving for tokens. Between each group dive the tokens are replenished so that all divers have a fair chance to get as many tokens as they can. The fun is searching in the watery depths of the mine and racing against the other divers. The tokens are all in water less than (25 feet) so even novice divers can participate.
So during lunch and once the divers are done diving for the day, they have the informational portion of the day. While this sounds like the “catch” in the fun of the day, divers actually enjoy this part. All the sponsors for the event give product demonstrations and information sessions. This part is required, seeing as though these companies have given so much to the divers that day. However, what they have donated is not disclosed until later in the day.
Once everyone's tokens have been counted, everyone's accounts are credited with their haul. Each diver is given their Mine Dollars and they are treated to an amazing feast, with a barbeque and loads of good food. It is at this time of the day that the auction takes place. There is an auction list that is available to divers so they know what is being auctioned off next and the prizes are amazing. The grand prize is generally an all expense paid trip for two to an amazing locale. There are also many smaller trips and other gear that are auctioned off. Divers bid with their Mine Dollars and obviously the diver who was the best token hunter and came away with the most Mine Dollars will also walk away with the grand prize. Others who have fewer Mine Dollars tend to bid more per item so that they will walk away with something and each diver is given a free prize.
The day is well organized, the schedule is laid out in a functional way, there are plenty of volunteers on hand, and the auction is well organized. It's hard to say what the highlight of this eventful day is. Is it the diving or the auction? The diving probably makes the top of the list for most people, but there is no doubt that the entire day is filled with incredible fun, tasty food, and good friends. In fact, this is a great event at which to meet new people and to reconnect with old buddies. You might even meet people that you have met at past events, even if they live half way across the country from you. The Bonne Terre Treasure Hunt is one of the biggest diving events in the Midwest; June 2015 is approaching, be sure to make your reservations early, you won’t want to miss out on this fabulous underwater adventure!