Announcement Archive                            

Karen Spencer
By Karen Spencer
The Telegram

Between Jan. 29 and Feb. 9, a team of international cave divers from
Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States 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 last July and is mounted by
Ocean Quest Adventure Resort of Conception Bay South, 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, who
has spent 10 years planning, preparing and training in the hope of
obtaining permission to mount the expedition.

Its story is closely linked with that of the Bell Island shipwrecks —
four 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 have asked about the possibility of
diving in the mines — the source of the sunken ships’ valuable cargo.

“After diving in the mine last July and on the Bell Island wrecks for so
long now,” Stanley said, “my respect and understanding for the island,
its 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.”

Bell Island Heritage Society, operator of surface tours in the abandoned
mine, are excited about the venture and view it as a way of attracting
visitors 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, with the
American company Technical Diving International.

The 17-strong project team comprises many prominent cave diving
professionals from around the globe, including a member of the exclusive
Explorers Club, and they’re excited about the prospect of venturing into
the mines.

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.

For further information on the exploration project and its progress,

visit http://bellislandexpedition.blogspot.com/ or contact Steve Moore
at Ocean Quest at 834-7234, or e-mail info@oceanquestcharters.com.

t is the first time the Board has recognized an engineering work of this sort as being important to the people of the Province.

The most important benefit of the designation is described as the preservation of our Heritage.

It also means

1.Provincial recognition of the mine,

2 Eligibility for grants ,

3. Installation of  a plague

4. National recognition through the Provincial register of Historic Places and the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

These registers can be accessed at www.heritagefoundation.ca   and www.historicplaces.ca

Bell Island is experiencing an exceptional level of tourism this summer.

In July alone, the two Bell Island ferries carried over 30 thousand round-trip passengers and close to 15 thousand vehicles. It's estimated that over 13 thousand of those visits were tourism based.

Many visited the island for the summer activities, including whale watching, local events, and the 'submarine mine tour', which is one of the top ten most visited tourist attractions in the province.

2006 Torch Run. On Friday May 26th, 2006 over 200 Bell Islanders from all ages and abilities walked ran, skated, biked, wheeled and stumbled over the prescribed route ending at the local RCMP detachment.  Read more...
 

Bell Island Statistics - links to various databases where you can find information on Bell Island
                                 Added to the page in December 2004. 
 

Budget 2005" Opportunity on January 11,2005 to make the case to Minister Sullivan for improved public services on Bell Island"- Details... 
 Appeared on Bell Island Website -  November - December  2004