Need help, Kimberling City Bridge info

[beperkins]

I am planning a dive on the old Kimberling City Bridge and would like the GPS numbers to the bridge if anyone has them. I have researched the web and this forum and have the pictures etc, and last weekend I made a land reconnaissance of the site, but GPS would be helpful.

If anyone has any info for the old houseboat sunk near the old bridge I would appreciate that as well, I thought it would make a good second dive after the bridge.

Our plan is for an early morning dive (6 am) and to grapple the bridge from our boat. For those of you that have done it, how much rope do you guys dangle when trying to grapple the bridge?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer, Ben

[SLIM]

Hmm one day I will get GPS for that thing. I just know where it is at. If you like, try this. The second peir in from the KC side has a line on it about 25-30 foot below the surface and goes to the bridge. Have some one dive in and atach a line with a snap on it so that you can use it and back up as you are letting line out and then you have a line down that will get you very close to the bridge and then you can get GPS readings. That is unless you get GPS before you go.

The house boat, I know of one that is between Point 6 and Point 7. Um look for the small notch in the bluff and should find it with another boat attached to it (old v bottom aluminum).

All these years, I just have never gone around to get GPS I just go to them.

[theskull]

The bridge coordinates according to my iPhone are:

N 36 37.58, W 93 25.53

We have grappled it with 150' of anchor line and a heavy anchor. It is easier SLIM's way, though. Or to grapple the line that connects the 2 bridges somewhere in the middle, which gets you pretty close to the bridge and gives you a secure tie-in for your anchor line.

Trolling for the bridge takes much patience unless you get lucky and hit it right off--that long of a line really swings out when you are moving. And I know I'm not the first to grapple a very deep tree instead of the bridge and blow a dive just untangling the anchor from the tree. :-)

theskull

[beperkins]

Thanks for the help guys!

Skull, when you were there in April was the line from the pylon to the old bridge still there? My info is that the old bridge is about 600 feet west of the center span of the new bridge, is that correct?

I heard about a cabin cruiser 100 yards east of the bridge near the mouth of the cove about 45 ft deep, anybody know about that?

[theskull]

The poly line between the bridges was indeed still there! 400-600 ft., yeah. Not sure of the compass heading, but it is about a 45 degree angle to the North--the bridges are not parallel.

And yes, there is a cabin cruiser in the shallow cove that is just NorthEast of the new bridge. Not too hard to find.

theskull

[moregooder]

take notice... the poly line is not on the second pier from the KC side, it is on the middle one, 30 to 35 feet down. sighting down the line you get a compass heading of 280. the line has been there for 10 years and is chocked with thousands of fish hooks and line so be prepared for that. it is tied to the top of the east span of the old bridge and runs across to the west span. right under the east span where the poly line ties in you will find a 3/8 chain that hangs horizontal and drapes off to the north west for about 40 feet in the middle is the bell, make sure you read it, the dive site name is cast into it.
there are 2 boats in the cove to the east, one is on the south east corner on the top of the wall in about 40 feet, has a cable leading to (about a 30 footer with the cabin missing) the second is up in the cove a bit, it is a larger fiberglass boat.
In the center of the cove the top of the wall is 90 feet,at 96 feet there is nothing?.. because the bluff wall has been cut back under itself 20 feet making a dramatic overhang the bottom of which is at 140. have a good light, the wall here is smooth with no ledges so very little silt your bubbles run up the wall and across the over head, it will twist your head a little bit,, it is no little thing vary easy to find... a very cool dive.

[theskull]

Now THAT is good intel.

Thanks,

theskull

[beperkins]

Hey thanks for the detailed info!! I appreciate you sharing it, I know that is a special dive site to you.

Is that dramatic overhang you describe known as "hairlip wall"? It sounds like a cool dive.

Thanks,

Ben

[moregooder]

my dive partner and I have OMS full face masks with com system and extra ear jacks, we can talk back and forth and authers can at least hear us, had a newer guy down there on his first dive after his deep cert, on the bottom I asked him how his air was, he patted his head shrugged his shoulders and gave me that Deer in the head light look, back on the surface he asked why I cared about how his hair looked. that and at the top of the wall you don't have a gradual drop off it gos right down into the black-black and cuts back under making a nice lip so we just call it Hairlip