SCUBA Diving

[FiReDiVeR]

Anyone else on here a diver? I am a rescue diver and spend most of my time on Lake Norfork in Mountain Home, Arkansas. I have also been to a few other places around the ozarks. I know of a few interesting things in Norfork such as: a bulldozer, snap-on truck, school bus, dynamite shack(from dam construction), a bridge that is about 1/4 mile long and about 50 yrs old but was only 8 yrs when the lake was flooded so its in almost perfect condition and it has a suicide shift Harley-Davidson chained to the guard rail. In Bull Shoals has lots of cool stuff also I have heard that there is also a helicopter somwhere. I was just wondering if anyone on here knew of any cool places to dive ie: caves, springs, rivers, flooded mines, or any thing to do with SCUBA diving such as what gear you use, where you have been, or stuff you may have heard about.

[piplnr65656]

Bull shoals is awsome to dive in because the water is very clear. The lake is very acidic so it keeps the water clean and clear. There are a few house boats sunk in the lake. I did'nt know about the helicopter but I will ask around about it. There is a cool lighted underwater mine you can dive around joplin and another up around rolla somewhere. Stay away from tablerock as it is just plain nasty anymore. Junior is the big tech diver in the group. I have been wanting to go to florida and get my tech cert. in the big sinkhole but alas I never have the time.

[White Rabbit]

Yeah, Table Rock is filthy, but there's some cool stuff in there.

There's an entire town called Oasis buried under the Long Creek arm of the lake, although I hear there's no much left down there. Also, under the Kimberling City bridge, there's the original bridge that went over the river down there. Lots of houseboats and things, too.

I wish I knew how to scuba dive so I could put Oasis on the site

[SandMan]

I'm a diver as well. Beaver is another good one to dive. A friend found a ring under some buffs by the dam and there is a old school bus out in the lake.

I was thinking the helicopter was in Table Rock north of the dam.

[FiReDiVeR]

I am not sure where the helicopter is I just thought that I had heard it was in Bull shoals. Most of the lakes around here had towns in them before the dams were built, but all most all of everything that they were is gone reduced to foundations and rebel. If you are looking for an acidic lake you need to go to greers ferry lake that lake is so acidic that the galvanized steel used fot underwater bracing wont even last 5 yrs where as Norfork and Bull they last 20 plus yrs. I haven't been yet but the mine of choice for most divers is the Bonne Terre Mine by St. Louis. This mine is home to the worlds largest underground lake, so big they had a professional wakeboard tournament inside. Check out www.2dive.com/btm.htm to see some pics. Last thing what kind of gear do you fellow divers use???????????

[FiReDiVeR]

Does anyone else on Underground dive?????

[whipping_post]

This is another thing I want to learn. My dad did SCUBA when he was younger and after reading several books, I'm hesitant for certain reasons.

[Korb]

Of course you know that I dive firediver, but I thought I should post so everyone else knew that I do it. I've been doing it for about 8 years now. Its one of the coolest things I have done.

whipping_post... What are you hesitant about?

[whipping_post]

Mostly deep diving, although lake diving unless it's clear might not be good for me. Since I have vision problems, to say it lightly, I depend more on my other senses and without a frame of reference, one can get in deep shit real quick in a situation like cave diving without a rope or again, a frame of reference. It's not the breathing that worries me, I did a little bit with a O2 tank mixture a few years ago on a friends pool to do some patch work, so I figure that's okay, it's just getting lost and dying that's a bit of a problem.

[FiReDiVeR]

I don't know about you Korb but I just wouldn't go cave diving. Would anybody else on here go? I would go into a cave and dive but only if the place where I am diving the ceiling above me doesn't touch the water. That way in case of an emergency you can go to the SURFACE and be able to breathe, because if you are in a cave tube that is completely submerged you don't even have a chance. 75% of people who dive in caves die. I just thought I would throw some stats about cave diving out there for your information.

[Korb]

whipping_post... If you start out doing the basic stuff I think you would gain a little more confidence in your abilities and see just how easy it is. As for vision problems I'm assuming that you have to wear glasses. They make googles with prescription lens in them, they even make bifocals. Cave diving and tech diving takes years of training and practice to be safe at. In the future I would like to go to Florida to take some cave diving classes but I don't want to get to crazy about it. Just basic stuff. Hope some of that info helps.

[ShadowBearer]

The owner of Talking Rocks use to do some cave diving...it is like the most dangerous hobby in the world.

[piplnr65656]

The owner of Talking Rocks use to do some cave diving...it is like the most dangerous hobby in the world.

My vote for the most dangerous hobby in the world would be beastiality with large mammals.

I have never cave dived but I don't think cave diving is much diffrent then wreck diving. Buoyancy control is everything. You don't want to kick up sediment because then you are blind. Navaigation is important too.

[caver]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheck_Exley
Sheck Exley wrote Caverns Measureless to Man
A pretty good read if your local library can get it.
Seems like every chapter he escapes death while his dive partner does not.
That dude had nine lives.

[FiReDiVeR]

Sheck Exley is now dead along with all of his cave diving buddies, he died while trying to reach the 1000 ft depth mark inside a cave.