Bell Island Expedition "Mine Quest"

Update

2007-10-23T06:06:00.000-05:00

Well, we completed our report and initial feasibility study on operating the mine as a dive destination. Our findings were, on the whole, positive. Two issues holding things back now: The findings of the RCMP investigation into Joe's death; Working out a plan to go forward with the great folks of Bell Island.

Photo page is up

2007-02-15T23:53:00.000-05:00

Mine Quest photo page is now available:

http://www.wrecksandreefs.com/mine.htm

VLD

Map showing approximate location of lines and places of interest

2007-02-14T08:34:00.000-05:00

We laid approximately two kilometres of line in #2 Mine during the expedition in spite of challenging conditions. We discovered numerous artefacts -- too many to catalog in the time allotted -- and our initial impression of the areas of mine we visited shows no apparent sign of collapse or cave-in. The depth of the seam varies from four metres to about two metres and spacing of "ribs" (the pillars of rock and ore left as supports) is quite irregular drifting from one metre (as in the area we called the squeeze) to ten metres or more. We discovered several areas with graffiti drawn on the walls including the James Bennett Room which was one of the most interesting. At first we thought the miners had used lumps of charcoal on the ribs but learned by talking to Bell Islanders that the miners turned up their carbide lamps and used the soot to trace out their designs. While visibility in some areas was a true challenge, other portions of the mine featured extremely good visibility. We put this variance down to snow melt and run-off and temperature differences in spring water and the run-off.

Our overall conclusion is that Mine # 2 should be opened for qualified divers with certain restrictions that will be contained in our final report to the Bell Island heritage Society.

The accompanying map shows approximate locations of lines laid (actual lines extend beyond borders of this map) and also shows some of the features we discovered during our exlporations. Please note that this map is intended for discussion only and in this version is not accurate enough for future dive planning.

Funeral Services for Joe Steffen

2007-02-13T14:34:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday and Monday (February 11 and 12), some team members were fortunate enough to make it to the Cleveland area to attend visitation and funeral services for Joe. It's difficult to describe the impact Joe had on friends and workmates, but the sheer numbers of mourners and a mile-long procession from the funeral home to the church was some testament.

An education fund for Joe’s young son will be set up this week by an Ohio-based dive club called Aqua Amigos so visit (www.aquaamigos.com) if you are interested in finding out more details.

You may also be interested in the local newspaper’s take on Monday’s events…

http://www.news-herald.com/site/news...= 21849&rfi=6

Joseph T. Steffen will live on through his children.

Those were the words Monday from the Rev. Sal Ruggeri of St. Gregory the Great Church as hundreds of family and friends packed the South Euclid church to pay tribute to the retired Richmond Heights police lieutenant-turned-councilman.
Steffen, 51, died Feb. 4 during a scuba diving expedition in Newfoundland.

He was an experienced diver with five years under his belt. Diving was one of the many sports that Steffen loved, Ruggeri said.
Steffen was instrumental in bringing the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program to the Richmond Heights area. The children knew him as "Officer Joe," and both kids and parents turned to him for advice, Ruggeri said. He was also a church member who would volunteer for any task needed, the minister said.

He was a public servant who never asked for anything in return, Ruggeri said.
"He was also a prankster," Ruggeri said with a smile.

Friends smiled softly as Ruggeri talked of Steffen's annual Halloween display, calling it one of the best in Richmond Heights. It made the children happy - which was what Steffen loved to do, Ruggeri said.

Moments after the reverend talked of Steffen's playful pranks, the lights and power briefly went out in the church.

"That's our Joe," one church-goer whispered.

Richmond Heights Police Chief Gene Rowe described his longtime friend as an excellent police officer who quickly moved up the ranks from patrolman to lieutenant. He was always on the go, not even wanting to sit in his office because he wanted to get back to work, the chief said.

"He was like the (Energizer) bunny - only bigger," Rowe said.

Rowe illustrated his friend's outstanding public service by reading letters sent to him about Steffen's ability to go above and beyond the call of duty, no matter what the task.
Once, he made snowballs for a 3-year-old, only to be hit with those same snowballs.
Steffen is survived by his wife, Jennifer; daughter, Lindsey; son, Joey; mother, Helen Nero; and several siblings.
Joey and Steffen's niece Dawn Culp, both members of the Singing Angels, joined other members of their group to sing "Let There Be Peace on Earth."

It was a fitting tribute to a man who lived his life to keep the peace, friends said.

©The News-Herald 2007

Wrap-up and parting

2007-02-09T06:57:00.000-05:00

Final day... some team members have gone home but there are eight of us packing our bags and getting ready for flights to various parts of the world, and the exploration phase of the project has been successfully concluded.

Over the next several days, the full reality of what happened to Joe and the rest of the team on Bell Island will finally sink in. The events of our final day on the island offered a small consolation as we placed in the mine, at the spot on the gold line where Joe's body was found, a memorial white cross. That evening, the people and council of Bell Island hosted the dive and support team at a special supper... which was fantastic... and one of the speakers said something we found profoundly moving.

"Long after all of us are in our final resting place," he said. "Joe Steffen will be remembered fondly by the people of Bell Island, because of the sacrifice he made in order to bring something special to this island."

Extending Jump 29 (East Shallow) line

2007-02-07T14:22:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, Feb 6, we extended the Jump 29 line by another ~600ft, so that East shallow line is now about 1,500 ft long running in depths betweem 25 ft and 45 ft (6 and 13 meters).

While my buddy was tying off the jump spool to go East, I took snaps of the directional marker pointing to Jump 30 (West Shallow) line placed in there by other team members to help the Jump 30 team with their navigation.

Throughout the expedition, East shallow line consistently had the best visibility. Due to recent snow/ rain / snow sequence and increased runoff that affected the whole system, the visibility on the first 800 ft on the East line declined . Visibility then improved dramatically further East as we were adding new line, allowing us to stay in the same tunnel. Earlier, putting down the first 1,000 ft of line , the team encountered column numbers 11, 12, 13, 15. We saw 19, 20, 21 and 22 when adding the 600 ft of line on Tuesday.

The find of the day for me, along with the column numbers was a little blue teapot sitting in the red rubble.

VLD - Vlada Dekina

Photo Updates

2007-02-07T11:44:00.000-05:00

As our expedition is coming to an end, some of the team members have already returned home or are in the process of travelling. That includes me, so i will try to catch up with photo updates in the next couple of posts. We will eventually have a page for this expedition with all the pictures.

On Monday, February 5 the photography team returned to Pump area hoping for slightly improved visibility, compared to previous day. As we travelled though very limited vis on a main line to get to the pump, the hopes for better vis were fading. As we turned the corner towards the pump area, we discovered that visibility was indeed slightly better enabling us to produce some pictures that give people an idea of how big the pump really is. Given the dept (32 meters or 115 ft max) and the distance (about 10 min swim), the pump would likely be one of the prime tourist attractions in the mine.

Another task for photo team was to improve on the pictures of James Bennet name from the day before. The name is painted on a wall in the pump area alongside the little portrait of, presumably, James Bennet. On a way out, photo team also stumbled upon the rather large saw and a remains of the ore cart. We also cleaned up some lines around pump area.

With main line, deep East and West lines and shallow East and West lines installed, the measuring completed and position of lines known, our pre-expedition mandate was essentially completed at that point. In addition, we also created 2 circuit – one around the pump and one on the East line (that was getting better visibility throughout the week that the rest of the system).

VLD - Vlada Dekina

Tuesday's Progress

2007-02-07T05:36:00.000-05:00

Tuesday was bonus line day and we were able to add several hundered metres of new line including the Jump 67 line (Smeagle's Siding) which follows an old rail bed from the Gold Line east for 200 metres. The team extending the Jump 30 line ran across the original flag line left in Gord's Room last July.

Picture above shows Stephen and Aaron with the special line arrow made especially to point them to the Jump 30 line which eluded them for a couple of days.

Tomorrow -- Wednesday -- we will place a memorial for Joe Steffen in the main passage where he met with his accident.

We will go on...

2007-02-05T20:28:00.000-05:00

After the accident, the dive team and our wonderful volunteers huddled together in a room trying to come to grips with what just happened.

Shock, denial, profound sense of loss and overwhelming sadness - the feelings and emotions that we were experiencing are impossible to describe even now, one day later. Everyone's reaction to an event of that magnitude is different and we all cope and deal with the aftershocks in unique ways. Being together with our teammates and volunteers helped a lot as did a prayer led by a priest from a local church.

The support from our volunteers, Bell Island Historical Society and the Mayor of the Bell Island was unequivocal. As soon as the news spread, people started to arrive to say few words of support to each of us, shake our hands, bring us food and offer to help in any way they could. As a team, it helped us tremendously and we can't thank them enough.

We spent the rest of the day at our lodge, all together. Few hours later, as the reality of what happened sunk in, the question was raised about the future of the project, whether or not it was to continue.

The vote from the dive team was unanimous - we wanted to continue. And we also had a vote from Bell Island Historical society supporting that decision. We wanted to do it for Joe, for the people of Bell Island who made us feel like we were their family and for ourselves as we all believed that the project could be successful despite the adversity.

So it was decided that we would carry one and expand on the tasks completed in Day 6 which were extending the main line to 60 meters and photographing the pump area. Below are some shots from Day 6 - all artifacts are from the pump area (short distance from main line at 115 ft (35 meters)) and further away on the East deep line.

Deepest regret

2007-02-04T21:34:00.000-05:00

It is with the deepest regrets that I have to announce that Joe Steffen, well-known in the diving communities in both the Great Lakes and North Florida, died today while exploring the flooded mine on Bell Island.

The incident is under investigation by the RCMP.

Joe was brought to the surface by fellow team members at approximately 13:05 local time and attempts to revive him at the dive site and the medical facility adjacent to the mine were unsuccessful.

We have lost a great buddy. Joe leaves behind a wife and young son... and many, many friends.

Sunday's tasks

2007-02-04T06:22:00.000-05:00

Since we are a little ahead of our modified work schedule, today is the day for some housekeeping. We will get our large concrete anchors into the system and in place on the gold line and at the start of the shallow east and west jumps (Jump 29 and 30). Have still photography of the main water pump found at 34 metres, planned and will try to extend the gold line to our target depth of 60 metres. And finally, a team will follow line already in tunnel 30 jump to the spool and extend it to the end of the 300 metres of line it carries. (Original team encountered a blocked passage and poor vis on initial push.)

Day 5- extended push and reline

2007-02-03T09:51:00.000-05:00

The winds have died down and the Tickle, the local name for the body of water between Bell Island and Portugal Cove, was flat as glass. We had received the kermantle on Thursday evening and had planned on relining the main line with it. Two teams had 1000ft spools set to go.

Again, the volunteers were great. Gear was taken down into the mine and divers were ably assisted into the water. More video and pictures were planned for, as well as a big push to the west of the main line. We were successful in both efforts. The main line was relined and straightened to the pump room. The west team ran their line out into a dead end. The video team ended up with twenty five minutes of usable video, as the system had a pretty visible mud line from the floor to halfway up the passages.

We have been getting three hours of in water time on the RB's and 90 minutes on OC. With the number of divers and support staff, we have been getting further into our schedule than we thought we would get by this time. We were excited by the deep push setup today with the gold line getting down to 43 meters. This is past the 58 passage on the mine map, quite a way in as the slope starts to settle out.

It has been truly amazing to hear the excited stories from each diver. Despite the constant presence of the local media and documentary team, we have been open in sharing all aspects of the dive, successes, failures, equipment issues (two lights so far, both repaired). The amount of artifacts we have been finding has been exciting, as you are constantly on the look around the next passage to see what is held there. Short rail tracks, rail ties, wagon wheels, spikes, shovels, metal bars, canvas tool bags, support poles... all exciting to us. To think that the miners were making these passages all by hand, Wow. Some of the main rooms have exceeded my previously held ideas, as they exceed 100ft by 100ft in size. Too bad the visibility is so poor as it would be great to see from one side to the other.

We have constantly commented on the amount of support poles we have found on the floor, and the amount of breakdown we are finding. Needless to say, we have been looking overhead a lot during our dives. We did have one pole fall already during a dive, the divers had used it as a tie off, but it turns out the pole was not as firmly positioned floor to ceiling as it appeared, and after they had swum away, began to topple.

Day 4 - More mine diving

2007-02-01T17:27:00.000-05:00

We were met by a beautiful day, warm weather and water.....Ok, not really. The winds have kicked up quite a bit today and the snow is flying. Everyone was excited to get back into the water as the debrief left several areas of possibilities to enhance the dive time. The line arrows arrived and several more exploration reels were respooled with 48 line. The volunteers have been phenomenal as they have been great going up and down the sixteen degree slope with all our kit and making sure any last minute items are obtained.

We had planned to obtain pictures and some video of the push today and add new line. Both goals were accompished rapidly as the comfort level of the divers has increased with their growing knowledge of the passages. We have found a moderate current in many of the passages. There seems to be an underground river coming down into the passages from the surface drainage area. Fortunately, with the three feet of snow on the ground and the cold temperature, the amount of runoff has decreased. It has still affected visibility in many passages as flying particulate keeps raining down upon us.

This time we had no camera crew there and it was more of a "get in and dive" day and see what can be found.

We had a few problems with lights, O2 sensors and little equipment quirks, but all these were overcome quite quickly which meant that the divers got in and had an enjoyable dive.

Some artifacts like large wheel a pump were found as well as remains of old rail cars and rail lines that the miners used.

It was great to see the smiles on all the faces as we were successful on both fronts, the video footage even made it on CBC across Canada. Now for that long walk back up the mine shaft with the gear..........

Day 3 - First day in the water

2007-02-01T05:23:00.000-05:00

Breakfast – Rick was cooking bacon and eggs – cereal – fruit salad.

Had an early morning meet with Mike Fowler, as he’s the last to show up at 3AM.

Load vans with remaining gear, rebreathers and OC.

We arrive at the Ferry at 9AM for the ride over and to meet the CBC news crew

1030AM, we arrive at Mine #2, unload tanks, RBs and remaining stage bottles; take our kits down to the changing room and assemble. Once assembled,we begin the long haul down into the mine to get them to water.

First dives were completed today and we overcame a few challenges... mostly vis but a couple of equipment issues too.

Open Circuit Team put in the 200 metre long temporary line in the main tunnel to roughly 30 metres deep, and one of the rebreather teams put in the 300 metres long west jump in at an approximate depth of 31 metres. Vis became awful in the main tunnel from about the 200 metre mark, which we suspect was caused by runoff pushing a river of silt in from the west of our main line and forming a band of foggy water until below a depth of 35 metres... which is where there appears to be blue water. We were also able to put in a small jump (initially about 100 metres but doubled on a second dive) from about the 100 metre penetration point and a depth of only about 12 metres. While swimming this jump the team found what they took to be the remains of a stable for the horse that pulled trucks of ore from the working face to the surface. Unfortunately, the second rebreather team could not place the east jump today. We also managed to get a few excellent photographs and will upload when time allows, and several interview with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation... TV and Radio.

Interview with the final diver, Phil Short, coming out of the water. Phil had done the first long push 1000 ft west of the main line. CBC first showed Phil Short heading in and down the main line.

Left gear near the entrance to save time as the team will be there for 2 weeks.

Came home for a great supper and post dive the day and plan the next day diving.

Day 2 - Visit to the mine

2007-02-01T04:56:00.000-05:00

Breakfast – toutons & eggs - Toutons are a bread like pancake that you use molasses or Maple syrup poured over.

Speeches of the team members to kind of outline what their role is and what they expect to of the other team to help the team out as a whole

Load vehicles to move some gear and food / drink over to the island

Trip to island – Van and Ferry - got tour of pilot house and engine room

Met up with our lovely camera crew at the ferry for another fun filled day.
Baptice and her partner Paul.

Arrive at #2 mine and unload van

Lunch

Welcome from the Bell Island Heritage society – Gordon, Claton (two other people)

Move gear from storage room to dressing room

Look over maps in dressing room

Tour of mine by Gordon

Check out waters edge and where we'll be dressing.

Dave S, Vlada, Phil Short, Rick Stanley, Stephen Phillips go for a walk off the existing tour path away for the group due to excitement of seeing what they’ll be diving.

Leave mine and headed back to Ferry. Pick up some Dick’s Fish & Chips before boarding.

Head back to lodge, relax and plan what’s going to happen on Day 3 (actual day of getting in the water)

Leave lodge to head out for Chinese dinner, head down town to local pup for a quick drink

Head back to lodge and hit the sac for an early rise and start of Day 3.

Day 1 - Final arrival and gear prep.

2007-01-29T17:36:00.000-05:00

Well, it’s basically day 1 of the expedition and all the members have finally arrived. The day has been spent dealing with gas needs and equipment preparation for both the CCR and OC teams.

Some of the team members are waiting for last minute shipments of the gear that seem to get side tracked whenever we entrust our kit to the airlines.

Dive planning and talk of what’s to be done and how the line is to be laid took place in an informal meeting. Some members were prepping the lines that are to be placed into the mine, which included marking and cutting the line to length. This will make the placement easier on the teams laying the line later on in the week. A couple of the members, including myself, got into the pool to insure no leaks in the hoses and suits. Some got in to insure the weighting was just perfect, which is critical in this type of diving.

Of course what kind of trip would it be if things were too serious. We had to have a few some silly things.

Like those taking pictures of someone taking pictures.

Of course you have to test the dry suit to really make sure that you're not affected by the cold. Because lets face it, the water in the mines will be cold. So, by testing thermal factors in this manner should be good right?

And the best, is when someone gets into the mind to make faces at the camera, thinking that just maybe the picture won't be put on the internet.

We even had a couple of silly buggers thinking, while sitting a hot room, that cold was only a frame of mind. And proving this by going out playing in the snow was a good choice?

I must say, that if today is going to any indication of what's to happen over the next two weeks, this is going to be a great time.

The day ended with a fabulous turkey dinner prepared by Rick and Debra Stanley of Ocean Quest Charters. What a fantastic meal!

The Bell Mine a heritage site.

2007-01-29T15:09:00.000-05:00

The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) is proud to announce the recent designation of the Bell Island No. 2 Mine as a Registered Heritage Structure. It is the first engineering works of its kind to achieve such a designation by the province. I have attached a short article announcing the designation of the Bell Island No. 2 Mine. We would be pleased if you were able to put it in your publication. Please advise if you are unable to read the attachment.

About the Heritage Foundation

To view designated structures, visit www.heritagefoundation.ca. HFNL was established in 1984 to stimulate an understanding of and an appreciation for the architectural heritage of the province and to support and contribute to the preservation and restoration of buildings of architectural or historical significance in the province. Since its creation, the Foundation has designated 261 buildings as Registered Heritage Structures. It has disbursed more than $1.1 million in restoration grants across Newfoundland and Labrador, with an estimated economic spin off of close to eight times that amount.

So close...

2007-01-27T11:20:00.000-05:00

A huge storm over St. John's has created havoc with arrival times of various team members. My flight in Saturday morning got within 20 metres of the runway, but the pilot aborted our landing and we turned tail and headed back to our starting point of Halifax.

Heading back to the airport to meet Stephen Phillips who arrives from London, Heathrow at about 14:00 but his flight from here to the Rock is also cancelled... perhaps we'll go for a beer!

Bell Island Mine Quest map.

2007-01-26T15:54:00.000-05:00

The #2 shaft slopes down at approximately 10 degrees and the distance to the water from the entrance is about 650ft. The square shown in the center of the map is from the waters edge and represents about a 1000 ft x 1000ft area thats is planned expedition coverage.

A message from a friend and sponsor

2007-01-25T06:20:00.000-05:00

January 24, 2007

Dear Bell Island Mine Exploration Team:

Approximately a year ago Steve Lewis approached me about the "Mine Quest" project that he had begun working on in conjunction with one of our most successful Canadian facilities, Ocean Quest in Newfoundland and Labrador. While he was scribbling away on a piece of paper putting together a diagram of the mine and frantically talking about what he wanted to accomplish, I have to admit I was only half paying attention. (In my defense, I figured it was just another creative scheme for Steve to get out of the office for a few days -- he does that a lot.) Well last week when he pointed me to your blog site and showed me a list of the participants, I was blown away. This is truly a team of experts.

TDI has been a part of many exciting and successful expeditions in the past and I was more than happy to offer whatever we could to help with the success of this new project. The fact all of you are volunteering your time and expertise to a worthy cause such as this one is is definitely a noble act. Too often in our sport I hear stories of people getting hurt by venturing somewhere that has not been made “diver safe” or pushing the limits in some other related way. You all are making this mine safer for the next diver to explore, and for them to experience the underwater world – where we have chosen to spend most of our time.For that reason alone, you all deserve to be commended.

Now in order for me to keep up with where you are planning on going and what days you are planning to lay what line, I went searching through my desk for Steve’s scribbled diagram. Due to the fact I “did not run a line”, I am unable to locate it. Depending on how successful you are, I may have another project for you. Find the diagram in my desk. It will definitely require at least two teams and a wine steward; Interested Aaron.

Have fun and stay safe. We look forward to running a story on your success in an upcoming issue of Diving Adventure Magazine.

Sincerely,

Brian Carney

President, International Training

Big Press Release

2007-01-19T06:44:00.000-05:00

NEWS FROM THE BELL ISLAND HERITAGE SOCIETY AND OCEAN QUEST ADVENTURE RESORT

MINE QUEST 2007 - UNDERWATER EXPLORATION OF THE BELL ISLAND MINES

Conception Bay, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. Between 29 January and 09 February 2007, a team of international cave divers from Canada, United Kingdom, USA and Egypt will carry out an exploration project in the abandoned and now flooded Iron Ore Mines in Wabana, Bell Island. The project follows an initial dive made in July 2006 and is mounted by Ocean Quest Adventure Resort in association with the Bell Island Heritage Society. It will provide information on the integrity of the mine shafts underwater, hazards, artifacts discovered and overall suitability for establishing a full-time cave diving operation in the mine.

Mine Quest is the brainchild of Rick Stanley, owner of Ocean Quest (Canada’s National Award Winning Dive Centre and the only 5 Star TDI Training Facility in Atlantic Canada), who has spent 10 years planning, preparing and training in the hope of obtaining permission to mount the expedition. It’s story is closely linked with that of the Bell Island Shipwrecks, 4 Allied Ore Carriers sunk by German U-boats in nearby Lance Cove during 1942. The wrecks and the history surrounding them attract divers from around the World and many ask about the possibility of diving in the mines - the source of the sunken ships’ valuable cargo. The No2 Mine Tour in Wabana currently provides the only opportunity for the Public to visit the disused mines but now the possibility to offer a full range of Technical and Recreational diving and a mine tour with a difference - giving the complex a new lease of life in the Adventure Tourism industry - is well within reach. Rick commented “After diving in the mine last July and on the Bell Island Wrecks for so long now, my respect and understanding for the Island, it’s people and their culture has grown immensely. I see this expedition as a great opportunity to increase awareness of the island’s unique history and of the 170 people who lost their lives in the mines and on the ships”.

The Bell Island Heritage Society (BIHS), operators of the surface tour in the abandoned mine, are very excited about the venture. They are confident it will increase tourism to the Island, help the business community and create many new employment possibilities. Committed to spreading the word about Bell Island’s rich heritage, the BIHS hope that Mine Diving will be a way to reach a group of people the area would probably otherwise never see.

The possibilities for exploration in the nine square mile submarine complex are “endless” according to Dive Team Leader Steve Lewis, Director of Product Development for Technical Diving International (TDI), USA who are supporting the venture. They plan to develop a unique ‘Mine Diving’ specialty for cave divers which would be conducted exclusively in the Bell Island Mines. The 17-strong project team comprises many prominent cave diving professionals from around the globe, including a member of the exclusive Explorers Club and all are excited about the prospect of venturing ‘Below the Bell’. Fittingly, the word Wabana is a native word meaning "Place of First Light" – in this case it will be high intensity light held by some of the World’s foremost underwater explorers as they go where no-one has been since the closure of the vast mine complex several decades ago, illuminating a dark hole below a small island but putting extreme diving in Newfoundland & Labrador very much in the spotlight!

For further information on the exploration project and its progress, visit the Mine Quest Blog Site bellislandexpedition.blogspot.co m or go to www.oceanquestcharters.com. Alternatively, contact Rick Stanley or Steve Moore at Ocean Quest via 709 834 7234, Skype steve.oceanquest or info@oceanquestcharters.com.

Who's doing what...

2007-01-11T14:24:00.000-05:00

While our team members are multi-talented and the roles each of us will play are various and subject to change, here is a brief outline of the major responsibilities each of us will have during the exploration of Mine #2 on Bell Island

Rick Stanley: As Project Senior Executive Rick has been responsible for getting this project from a concept to reality... he has worked hard and for the duration of the expedition, our hope is he can relax and enjoy his role as survey diver and Project Videographer. "Best kind, Ricky!"

Stephen Phillips: Chief of Logistics for the Dive Team, which essentially means that Stephen will be the go-to-it guy for "dive stuff." Because Stephen is the closest thing we have to a diplomat on this team, he will liaise between the surface support team and the divers to make sure what we need to have on site at the beginning of each day's diving is on site. Stephen will be working closely with Project Manager Steve Moore... after all, they both have odd accents and the same first name so it seems fitting.

David Sawatsky, MD: As well as being our onsite doc, David will be the Project Surveyor responsible for collecting and collating daily survey data and assembling it into something resembling a readable report. His experience in mapping caves in similar conditions to those we expect to find in Bell Island Mine makes him the natural choice for this role.

Debbie Stanley: Rick’s wife and co-visionary for this project and one of the original exploration team, will work principally as one of the survey team and will more than likely have her hands full keeping the rest of us in line during surface intervals. While the term Den Mother would be inappropriate, I think Lion Tamer is fitting. Debbie will also wield a camera during our underwater adventures.

Phil Short: Phil has extensive experience both as an explorer and putting together the bits and pieces for TV shows that tell the story about exploration, and so as well as being one of our principle survey divers and long-range diver, Phil will also work as creative consultant with the project photographers.

Aaron Bruce: While he applied for the job as Project Wine Butler, Aaron’s talents will be directed to running the dive support team and as Support Team Leader he is the man who will arrange to have hot chocolate waiting for the survey divers when they begin their decompression in the main shaft of #2 Mine… I have no idea how he will arrange this without a habitat but at least we know he WILL have spare deco gas and a warm smile waiting.

Ralph Hoskins: As Dr. David’s long-time dive buddy and right-hand man, Ralph will work as Assistant Project Surveyor helping to make sense of the chicken scratches and poorly scribbled notes some of us will be handing in at the end of each dive.

Mike Fowler: Is a welcome late addition to the team and one guy I am very pleased to have on board… although he does help tip the scales very decidedly towards the theme song for this project being Rule Britannia… I can live with that and Mike will be a Safety Officer with particular focus on the CCR divers.

Vlada Dekina: A long-time friend and one of the most talented wreck photographers I know, Vlada is a newly minted full cave diver and will serve as our second Official Photographer and be an important part of our in-water support team.

Joe Steffen: Originally recruited for his skills cooking over an open fire, and taken on as part of the Survey Team, Joe will also assist with Team Logistics helping to make sure we start the day with a full fill, two fins and a dry suit of some description… Since Joe’s luggage is usually the first to be misplaced by carriers serving St John’s Airport and the last to be found, he has special talents scrounging dive gear.

Dave Clemmens: As well as a survey diver, Dave has the important task of keeping the world informed about our progress via this blogsite. We expect nothing but glowing reports of the team’s progress from day to day and no mention of whatever happens during various screeching in and related fish-kissing ceremonies planned for the many newcomers to the Rock.

Steve Moore: As Project Manager, Steve has worked wonders already with sponsors and various local supporters and for the duration of the expedition will be Mr. Fix-it running around like a headless chicken wondering why he ever left the piece and quiet of the Royal Air Force.

David Powell: Thank the gods that Dave is Operations Manager because as well as helping to make sure things run smoothly getting to and from the mine site, he will have the job of pointing Steve Moore in the right direction every morning at dawn… and explaining to him why retiring from the British Military was a wise career move.

Susan Copp: A great organizer and a stickler for detail, Susan will work as Project Administrator and be responsible for logging our exploits and keeping track of our time in the water and helping to make sure none of us turns into a clammy prune. She is also charged with making sure that no team member leaves the project without tasting some traditional Newfoundland and Labrador grub… “Will there be seconds o’flipper, me dear?”

Mark McGowan: We needed one sane, responsible team member and Mark is it. As a career peace office, he also has the kind of logical mind that will be helpful assisting Susan with Project Record Keeping. Now the challenge is going to be how he is going to get his horse and that bloody great big lance down the mine shaft.

Steve Lewis: Me… well, having handed out responsibilities for most of the important tasks to all the other team members, my main job will be keeping Rick’s father company and having a “wee swallie” when the time arises.

Steve Lewis

Bell Island History

2007-01-10T07:35:00.000-05:00

I thought that maybe some of the readers would like to read up on a little of Bell Island. The following links will jump you to a couple of sites for a little history lesson.

The first link is a site for the Island itself.
www.bellisland.net/default.htm

With these links taking you to the Bell Island mine as well as some interesting sits that outline the kind of role that the different ages played. Including a interview with a former employee of the mine.
www.bellisland.net/no2mine/history.htm
www.heritage.nf.ca/society/bellisland_mines.html
www.heritage.nf.ca/society/bellisland/default.html
www.heritage.nf.ca/society/bellisland/interview.html

Of course these are only but a few sites that google pulled up. For those that are really keen, if you google "Bell Island Mine", you should get a few more.

Another site I found interesting is Youtube.com because there are some old videos that have been put up there. Check out the following links
OldSchool
I left my heart there
PML 27 Saganaga (Iron ore carriers sunk during WWll carring ore from the Bell Island Mines)

Enjoy.

Schedule

2007-01-09T19:01:00.000-05:00

The below is a schedule of the expedition. As team designations are really arbitrary at this point… the way we see it, we need three groups or teams to be able to complete our tasks with lots of contingency, but it will give us maximum flexibility if we pick who is on one team or another on a day-to-day basis… that’s to say, a diver may be on Team A one day, Team B another and be part of the inwater Support Team on a third.

DAY / DATE	TASKS / GOALS	PARTICIPANTS

DAY 1 -- Monday 29	Travel Day… lost luggage, jet lag and unpacking…	Team members “from away”
DAY 2 -- Tuesday 30	Orientation… overview of expedition goals, gear checks, personal responsibilities, visit to mine, prepare lines and anchors, mix gas.	Team A Team B Support Teams
DAY 3 -- Wednesday 31	Set Mainline to 30 metres and place East Leg from 20 metre arrows for 300 metres.	Team A sets Mainline Team B sets East Leg Surface and In-water Support on Stand-by
DAY 4 -- Thursday 1	Set West Leg from 20 metre arrows and set East Leg from 30 metre arrows for 300 metres.	Team A sets West Leg Team B sets East Leg Surface on Stand-by In-water Support meets teams at 20 metre arrows
DAY 5 -- Friday 2	Set West Leg from 30 metre arrows and set Bail Outs from 300 metre arrows east and west to surface. Tourism Party in Evening…	Team A sets West Leg Team B sets East Bail Out Surface on Stand-by and places Surface Lines in East and West Tunnels In-water Support meets teams at 30 metre arrows
DAY 6 -- Saturday 3	REST… maybe dive a wreck .	Whole Group
DAY 7 -- Sunday 4	Test all lines, Collect Samples, Dedicated Photo Sessions Logistics for deep push	Team A tests West Leg and Bail Out Team B tests East Leg and Bail Out Surface on Stand-by In-water Support meets teams at 30 metre arrows
DAY 8 -- Monday 5	Extend Mainline to 60 metres (gapped) Bottle Drop for next day’s push	Team A and Team B Surface on Stand-by In-water Support meets team at 40 metre and 20 metre stops
DAY 9 -- Tuesday 6	Push East from 60 metre arrows as far as practical	Team A and Team B Surface on Stand-by In-water Support meets team at 40 metre and 20 metre stops
DAY 10 -- Wednesday 7	Clean up and Sign-off
DAY 11 -- Thursday 8	Off-gassing
DAY 12 -- Friday 9	Travel

Our Personnel

2007-01-09T12:32:00.000-05:00

STEVE LEWIS: Nova Scotia, Canada: Maine, USA. Project Team Leader. Steve is an experienced Technical Instructor Trainer with more than a decade of experience teaching technical diving, and with several thousand logged dives to his credit. His special expertise is in overhead and mixed gas diving and he was a member of the Training Advisory Panel for International Training - the governing organization for SDI, TDI and ERDI - and currently is a staff instructor-trainer and Director of Product Development for that agency. Steve has written several textbooks and training standards for both SDI and TDI and is a popular speaker at dive shows across North America. He has led explorations and survey teams in deep, cold water dives on several occasions.

RICK STANLEY: Newfoundland, Canada. Project Senior Executive. The President and Owner of Ocean Quest, Rick has a background in the Home Renovations Industry and learned to dive in the early 1990s as a recreational pastime. His passion for the sport rapidly grew and he soon realized the potential for diving tourism in Newfoundland & Labrador. Founding Ocean Quest in 1997, his commitment to the sport and preservation of underwater heritage is widely acknowledged and in addition to receiving numerous tourism awards and UNESCO recognition, he was appointed as advisor to Parks Canada on the subject of SCUBA Diving. A diving instructor, he is also an avid technical and cave diver and accomplished underwater photographer.

STEPHEN PHILLIPS: Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Diving Team Chief of Logistics. Stephen Phillips is an active Instructor-Trainer for TDI and Regional Manager for SDI/TDI United Kingdom. He specializes in Rebreather training up to mixed gas level on various units and has conducted dives to many deep wrecks off the Donegal coast including Audacious, Empire Heritage and Justicia. His passion for U-Boats has seen him on various trips with submarine hunter Innes McCartney. Stephen is also full cave certified and has logged dives in many of the cave systems in Southern France. He will be a valuable member of the team and will be deep support and chief of logistics on rebreather and OC pushes.

DAVID SAWATSKY, MD: Nova Scotia, Canada. Project Physician. David is a Diving Medical Specialist who was on contract at Defence Research and Development Toronto (formerly DCIEM) from 1998 to 2005. Previously he was the Canadian Forces Staff Officer in Hyperbaric Medicine at DCIEM (1986-1993) and later the Senior Medical Officer at Garrison Support Unit Toronto (1993-1998). He has written a monthly column on diving medicine in Diver Magazine since 1993, is on the Board of Advisors for the International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers (IANTD) and is an active cave, trimix and closed circuit rebreather diver, instructor and instructor trainer. David has completed over 500 cave dives and most of these dives were original exploration and surveying dives.

DEBBIE STANLEY: Newfoundland, Canada. Survey Team & Photographer. Co-Owner of Ocean Quest, Debbie learned to dive with husband Rick as a recreational pastime and is an ardent wreck and cave diver. Debbie’s accomplishments as an underwater photographer have gained her much acclaim and she is recognized as an extremely skilled technical diver.

PHIL SHORT: (Our own personal global legend) United Kingdom. Project Creative Consultant. The founder of Phil Short Technical, Phil is one of the UK’s foremost IANTD Instructor Trainers and is a PADI Master Instructor with over 5000 dives to his credit. A participant in numerous expeditions worldwide, he has been involved in many major TV productions and is the leader of a continuing cave exploration project in the Ural Mountains, Russia.

AARON BRUCE: Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Support Team Leader. A former Royal Navy Mine Clearance Diver, Aaron has been in Egypt since 1997 is the Technical Director at Emperor Divers. He is one of the most highly qualified TDI Instructor Trainers in Egypt and his credentials include TDI Inspiration/Evolution Mixed Gas Instructor Trainer, TDI Drager Dolphin Instructor Trainer, TDI Advanced Gas Blender Instructor Trainer, TDI Kiss Advanced Mixed Gas Instructor Trainer PSA Instructor Trainer.

RALPH HOSKINS: Nova Scotia, Canada. Assistant Project Surveyor. Ralph is a technician at the nuclear power plant in Pickering, Ontario. He has been a very active diving instructor, technical and cave diver for 20 years, with several hundred cave dives to his credit. Many of these dives were original exploration and surveying dives in the very challenging cold water caves of Canada. For the past several years he has been David Sawatzky’s main diving partner on dives all over the world. Ralph is originally from Newfoundland and has family who worked in the Bell Island iron ore mines.

MIKE FOWLER: Ontario Canada. Project Safety Officer. The co-owner and founder of Silent Diving Systems, LLC (SDS). Mike has been diving the Inspiration since it was first introduced in the market in 1997. He has worked in all phases of production in the factory in England. He is the primary person for maintenance service and repair of the units. Originally starting as a British Sub Aqua Club diver, then instructor through PADI & IANTD, Mike founded IANTD in South Africa and is an IANTD Instructor Trainer for the Inspiration, Cave, & Trimix both OC & CCR. He is an avid Cave & Tri-mix diver on the Inspiration and is very excited about how the Inspiration Rebreather impacts those types of diving. Mike has over 800 logged hours on the Inspiration Rebreather as well as over 1000 dives on OC and other Rebreather. He conducted the first Inspiration training class in North America; his students included Tom and Patty Mount. Eventually Mike returned to England to work for Ambient Pressure Diving. Then relocated to Brockville, Canada to manage Silent Diving Systems distribution and service center. He loves dive instruction and is an avid diver.

VLADA DEKINA: Ontario, Canada. Project Photographer #1. Born in the city of Khabarovsk in the Far East of Russia, Vlada has called Toronto home for the last ten years. Living within hours of all the Great Lakes, Vlada is an active wreck diver and accomplished underwater photographer with a keen interest in the maritime past of the Great Lakes region and histories of wrecks she visits. When not diving in the Great Lakes, Vlada can be found photographing wrecks and reefs of the Truk Lagoon, Red Sea, Florida and Carribean or the caves of Yucatan.

JOE STEFFEN: Ohio, USA. Team Logistics. Joe is an experienced technical diver with more than 130 logged cave dives, including 35 DPV cave dives. His dives in deep caves include Eagle's Nest and Diepolder, and he has several deep cold-water wreck dives including Gunilda and Judge Hart. A career police officer and veteran, Joe’s organizational skills and natural leadership have made him a welcome member of dive expeditions in each of the Great Lakes and Eastern North America including two trips to the Bell Island wrecks.

DAVE CLEMMENS: Ontario, Canada. Project Communications. Born and raised in the city of Toronto, Dave is currently working for IBM Canada as a System Analyst. Living within hours of all the Great Lakes, Dave is an active wreck diver looking forward to reaching some of the deeper wrecks via his newest toy, the Prism Topaz eCCR. First certified as a NAUI open water diver in 1973, Dave moved up to the upper levels of diving and became a PADI Dive Master. Furthering his education in diving he became Mixed Gas certified 2004 as well as Cave certified in 2005. Dave not only enjoys the challenging deeper dives but is very much at home in shallow water just swimming and enjoying the environment. As like some of the expedition members, Dave has also visited and enjoyed the Bell Island wrecks 2 years in a row.

Permanent Support Team:

STEVE MOORE: Newfoundland, Canada. Project Manager. A TDI/SDI Instructor originating in the United Kingdom, Steve retired from the Royal Air Force after 25 years to pursue a new career in the diving industry. He learned to dive with the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) whilst based with the RAF in Ascension Island, South Atlantic Ocean and after getting the 'diving bug’, organized several military diving expeditions on both sides of the Atlantic. Newfoundland became his favourite diving destination and he now lives there with his family and works with Ocean Quest as the Program & Expeditions Manager.

DAVID POWELL: Ontario, Canada. Project Operations Manager. A retired Royal Air Force Engineering Officer, diving since 1983 and now living in Canada, David has experience of a wide range of environments. A BSAC First Class Diver & Advanced Instructor and TDI/SDI Instructor, he spent 15 years as a British Forces Sub-Aqua Diving Supervisor and organised or participated in numerous military expeditions including: Ascension Island, Cyprus, Spain, Orkney, Gibraltar, Canada, and the Falkland Islands. Extensive experience organising and leading military expeditions and dives utilising divers working on projects. Additional qualifications: Draeger Dolphin SCCR, BSAC Rescue Specialist, PADI EFR, O2 Instructor, regulator technician.

SUSAN COPP: Newfoundland, Canada. Project Administration. An extremely active SDI Instructor, Sue left a fulltime occupation as a College Instructor in Natural Resource Management and found a new career in SCUBA Diving. In her relatively short time as a diver, she has gained numerous instructional certifications in diving specialties and has completed over 300 recreational and technical dives in her favourite diving destination, Newfoundland, during the last year alone. A member of The Royal Newfoundland Regiment (Reserve) for over 20 years, Sue is also the Training Administration Assistant at Ocean Quest.

MARK McGOWAN: Newfoundland, Canada. Project Record Keeper. A career police officer as well as an instructor for PADI and TDI.