Thom & Cobber,

While I acknowledge the sea-trials of boat diving, I'm having trouble
feeling "manly appreciation" for ocean OR lake divers.  Try driving to the
middle of nowhere on dirt roads, throwing a canoe in a mud choked stream,
and then proceeding to fill it with 104's, stages, and deco bottles.   Hope
rednecks don't strip truck.  Paddle and/or drag (mostly drag(through
thigh-deep mud)) said canoe for 2 hours upstream to spring run.  Drag canoe
up log-jammed spring run.  Arrive at spring basin (using the term loosely).
Finally get to paddle (100 ft).  Watch very carefully for "floating logs
that move".  Don drysuits while being eaten alive by west nile carrying
mosquitos and downing malaria medication.   Don condom cath in record time
to avoid having a "skeeter on yer peter".   Don bottles and fins while
standing in knee deep muck.  (Fins slide on easier though)  Grope around in
4' vis for cave entrance.  Find colder water and 10' vis.  Yahoo.  Tie into
main line laid circa 1975.  Swim for-frigging-ever.  Wonder why floor is
covered with thousands of square feet of orange marshmallow fluff looking
stuff. Swear to boost FHe for next dive to see if this is a hallucination.
Contemplate updating tetanus booster as soon as dive is over.   Find going
tunnel, dump reel.  Vis had increased to 40 ft on way in.  Vis is now zero
on the way out due to ceiling perc because we are the first idiots to bother
coming here since the dawn of time.  Survey by Braille.  Deco out in 4' vis
basin.  Get bumped by 4' long catfish, have heart attack thinking it is an
alligator.  Wait 1/2 hour for bubbles to dissipate.  Load canoe, weakened by
blood loss.  (Damn mosquitos were waiting for us)  Drag/paddle back.  Fight
off rednecks at truck who insist dive partner has "a real perrty mouth".
Begin preparations for dive 2 and hope Tally clears soon, as the banjo music
fades in the distance.
    The above events are a true (mostly) account (exaggeration) of a typical
(as far as you know) dive in Xxxxxx county, XX (can't tell).  The names of
the rednecks have been changed to protect the inbred.

Keeping it light,
Duane  ;-)



..

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