The video that talked me into this insane dive can be found here: http://vimeo.com/19172657
Lets start off with my response to the popular question: When are you going back?
Wow, um, never. Ever. I'll play tender to your dive there. Climb down into the hole, assist with gear and have lunch ready. All the things a good tender should do. But go back in those tunnels? Nope.
My adventure quotient is pretty high. Cavern/cave diving, skydiving, bungee jumping, backcountry skiing. Probably my age is kicking in a little too much (51). It's a 'bucket list' thing. Marked off and moving on. If I was younger, a return trip would be a given. But it was a little heavy for me, nowadays. I only got one hole in my drysuit and feel lucky. Watch the video carefully, look for the steel posts, angle iron and other rippers. Btw- as far as I know no-one else got holed.
Do I recommend the dive. Oh, yeah! But be ready. It's not for the faint of heart, claustrophobic or those allergic to rust. Did I mention the rust? Everything not thoroughly painted back in the day is fully rusted.It was a truly amazing visit to the reality of nuclear war. Very spooky how close you get to what is must have been like. Stairways, elevators, doors with knobs that still work. You are diving inside a very human built space. I pushed open a door in the Equipment room and was able to close it behind me. Very strange feeling.
It was a long day for me. Showed me how out of shape I am. the whole tunnel walk in, dive the silo and equipment room and walk out. Lunch. Back in for the walk, silo 2 and back out. All while fully geared up. I was beat. Post dive exploring in the dry sections was amazing also. Nasty and toxic, but amazing. My little 'buy a missile silo as a retreat bunker' fantasy was truly exposed for what it was.
Overall, I highly recommend the experience. Don't go just for the diving, but the experience taken as a whole. Worth every penny. I paid $200 thru Capitol Divers.
Gear: Black Diamond BC, Steel 80, Dacor Extreme regs, Bare NexGen Pro, Split fins (not recommended, too much silt), D8 light, Ultramax light.
Take the warning about the 20 inch space from the video seriously, I watched a guy get hung up and almost panic. This dive has very tight spaces, have a very tight gear setup. Also, currents created by bubbles get very real, have your buoyancy and situational awareness at it highest. I tried to bail to the center of the silo at @ 50 ft to get some space, and was almost piked on a cutoff angle iron at the edge of the cribwork.
Mea Culpa- If all this just shows my butt @ my dive skills, ok. I welcome other, more positive, writeups of the dive. Like I said, I recommend it, I'm just not going back in there!
![nutty :nutty:](./images/smilies/cuckoo.gif)