Missouri Cave Diving

[Goldie_n_jake]

Just finished two days of diving Cannonball Spring in SE Missouri.  The dives were excellent despite the 40 degree air temps and upper 30 degree surface water temp.  To be sure, Missouri diving is not the same as FL.  The water temp is 56 degrees in the cave vs 72 in FL.  FL has many more major explored systems than MO.  However, MO does have some advantages.
1)  Proximity.  It's a lot easier to get to MO for an extended weekend vs FL which requires a one and preferrably 2+ weeks.
2)  Many of MO's caves are pristine.  There are so few divers other than locals who go to MO the cave systems they are almost untouched.
3)  Local divers are eager to share locations and are not distrustful of "non-locals."
4)  Ed and the gang at Ozark Dive Co were awesome.  I called a few weeks before heading down and they turned it into a get together.  They have strong technical background and the resources to support tech diving. 

Missouri will not replace FL anytime soon for world class cave diving but for people in the midwest it deserves serious consideration.  There are several old lead mines (not counting Bonne Terre) to dive too which is like a cross between wreck diving and cave diving.

Anyone who is interested in going to MO in 2009 let me know.  A week long trip would be good but I would settle for a 4 or 5 day trip too.