We’ve mentioned
diving in a nuclear facility for pay, but never paying to dive a nuclear facility. About 20 miles southwest of
Abilene,
Texas, sits a facility that used to house nuclear-tipped Atlas missiles. After the
U.S. government abandoned it, the Hannifins bought it and converted it into a controlled-environment training facility for technical diving. With a depth of 127 feet and containing nearly 2 million gallons of water, the Valhalla Missile Silo is now part of
Family Scuba and the
world's largest indoor deep-diving training facility.
Unfortunately, diving in the silo is not as easy as simply showing up. If not part of a scheduled class, recreational divers must pay a “usage fee” with a minimum number of divers needed to secure a reservation. However, if you’re in Abilene with a dozen of your diving buddies, this might be a great way to spend an afternoon – in a way that virtually no one else has ever spent! For a trip report, check out Texas Diver.
[Thanks, Drew!]
