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 Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society

Dedicated to Preserving our Shipwrecks and Maritime History
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HomeFun Dive in Crosby Mines 1st Annual

Initial Announcement

GLSPS 1st Annual Fun Dive
Changed to New Date!!

Please join us for a fun dive
September 14, 2013

The GLSPS would like to invite the GLSPS Members and their guests
to the 1st Annual "Fun Dive"

To learn more, please click on this link button.


If Interested in participating in this event, please register!

If you have any questions, please contact Dick with any of his contact information on the event page.

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 Closing Report

Thsi was the first Fun Dive put on by the GLSPS.  We supplied lunch for all participants and their friends, and or spouces.  

For the first dive we just presented a dive briefing, suited up and and made a Fun Dive in mine pit known as Louise.

The first dive was performed by, Jim, Lee, Bob Jerry and Mike.  They all had fun doing the dive and exploring the bottom searching for something to lift for practice on the next dive.  They found a railroad tie and a play-ground turtle.  They all agreed that the play-ground turtle would best fit the need for a practice lift.

It was fun and successful.  At 12:30 Noon, we eat lunch.  After lunch we gathered aropund and talked about lift bags and different ways to use them.  We also talked about calculating their weight and tying them off properly so that the lifting straps and harnesses wouldn't slip off accidently causing damage or someone getting hurt on a lift.

The subject that was decided by the group on the last dive was a playground turtle located 50 yards to the south east and brought it over closer t\o the shore in 22 feet of water directly out from the entry steps.

The lift was successful and we moved the turtle and set it back down right where we wanted to set down at.

Unfortunately it started to rain and we all vacated to the camper to stay dry.  It let up a little for those people not staying to pack up and leave to travel home for the day.

Despite the rain, we all had fun and thoroughly enjoyed each other especially the unique skills each of us displayed and had an opportunity to learn from one another.

A couple of us stayed overnight.  We stayed in Phil Kerber's pop up camper.  It was a good thing we stayed inthe camper.  It rained until 2:00 AM and was very damp.  We had both the heater and generator running to keep us comfortable throughout the night.  With the great steak dinner that Mac McClure cooked up on the grill and his special baked potatos, we lived like kings.

Thank you "Grumpie"  (Dick Hagen, the original event leader) for providing the lift bags and associated equipment for us to use to practice our lifting skills.  Sorry about your foot.  We hope you feel better and it heals up fast!

Thank you to those that helped put this fun dive event on.

We hope to have another one of these fun dives next year (2nd Annual).  Please watch for the 2014 schedule that is available around the end of January.  Please register to seal you spot.

Safe travels and diving,

Phil Kerber
GLSPS President
Event Leader
pkerber@glsps.org
612-720-2825





Lake Louise in Crosby Mines



Phil Kerber Giving a Demonstration on Using Lift Bags Properly
Phil K, Bob M, Mike G, Rick


Mac and Bob Relaxing after a Training Dive



Dive Gear Staging Area






Closing Report
# 2


The GLSPS Crosby Mine Fun Dive…with a purpose!

 

 

A small crew of 6 GLSPS members and two spouses gathered at the Holiday Station in Crosby, MN on Saturday September 21, 2013 to caravan to one of the iron ore mines in the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area.  For those who may not have been there in the last 5-10 years you’d be amazed at how developed the Recreation Area is now.  It is developed in that there are some actual maintained gravel roads, parking lots, asphalt bike path and numerous nationally renowned mountain bike trails.  There are still numerous road pot holes and filled with that old familiar red water and mud though! 

 

Our first dive site was too crowded for our group of 8.  Moving on to another of the 15+ mines we found ourselves at the Louise Mine pit all by ourselves.  A decent entry too!  The first dive was simply for fun and to get acclimated to the water, mine’s bottom features, our equipment and especially our weights. It was also a dive to scout out a suitable and heavy enough object for the lift bag exercise on the second dive.  An unusual but suitable object was located in 15’ of water not far from the shore’s entry point.  Our surface support crew was confused by our description of the object and very interested in getting to view it for themselves!  Visibility was about 30’ with water temps at about 60 degrees near the surface but immediately dropping to 42 degrees below 22’.  Our surface interval time included switching out tanks of air and a lunch of tube steaks (hot dogs) grilled by Chef Phil and other traditional picnic fare.  Jim Christian brought his Dutch oven and baked a cake for dessert. 

 

The second dive was a training dive in how to plan and execute the use of a lift bag.  GLSPS President Phil Kerber first provided a briefing on lift bag equipment and its proper use and safety.  The divers geared up and headed directly for the “object” located in 15’ of water.  To see what this unusual object is view this link.   The video is shot with a Go-Pro Hero2 (red lens filter but no video lights) on a SeaLife AquaPod (telescoping monopod).  Only one of the ___pound lift bags was used to lift the object from the bottom.  It was floated to the shore for our surface crew to see and cleaned up somewhat by the divers.  They were as surprised by the object as much as we were. However, coming upon this object underwater without knowledge it was there does make a big impression. The object was then moved to about 25’ of water and carefully placed on the bottom.  Satisfied with the successful training exercise the divers exited in the water to a rain filled sky.  It rained the rest of the afternoon and all evening. 

 

Phil and Mack stayed overnight in the camper at the peaceful and quiet dive site and dined on steak.  The other divers went their separate ways.  Jim & Julie Christian stayed in a hotel and biked the beautiful 8-mile (asphalt from Crosby to Riverton) Cuyuna Lakes State Trail the next day. 

Looking back at the pictures of when the mine was in operation one would have thought the landscape was ruined forever.  Today, the mines are filled with water, stocked with game fish and surrounded by steep tree covered hills that were once ugly piles of mining waste material.  A variety of trees have grown up and the area is bustling with campers, divers, bikers, walkers and fisherman in a unique and beautiful recreation area. 


Jim Christain
Event Co-Leader of the GLSPS Crosby Fun dive