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This weekend the WKPP finally did the dive that everyone has
always talked about doing to find the source of the bad water that blacks
out Cheryl and the rest of Leon Sinks down to Wakulla. With Cheryl black,
and the connecting Sullivan 8700 feet away clear, we went down the
drain at Sullivan with enough gas (tripple stage) to make it to the
Black Abyss (7700 feet at 240') and back.
Brent Scarabin, Casey McKinlay, and I went in on all three stages
with a deco set up by Jim Wei and Keith Sudermann. Towing one extra nicad
scooter, we went wide open with the current, planning to turn at the bad
water and then hit one of three side tunnels we had marked on a previous
checkout dive. At 4800 feet downstream we hit the bad water:
it was pouring out of the Bitter End, the tunnel that we believe connects
to Big Dismal - cold and black.
At this point we had only used the stages, so we were in good
shape to explore, but we picked the wrong tunnel, passing up a beautiful
clear , white-walled infeeder at 4200 downstream and opted for what looked
like powercave at 3500 feet which turned out to be nothing. We hit another
lead at 2000 feet, but it was a syhon, which really threw us off. At this
point the bottom time was getting ridiculous, so we exited. 80 min bt,
210 deco on four switches.
We know that Big D is tannic from our dives last weekend. What we
do not know is whether or not Fisher Creeek dumps into the Big D Tunnel.
We know now that it does not dump into the Cheryl Tunnel, and we know that
it goes underground dead between the two tunnels. I have been 7500 feet
up the Big D tunnel, well north of the Fisher Sink, and have seen no
incoming evidence, but it could have been dry when I did that.
We do know that at least a good deal of bad eater must be coming
from Big D, but we do not know if or where Fisher comes in. The next time it
gets remotely clear, we will go in from the Suliivan side, go into the
Bitter End until or if we find it, and then go out through Cheryl, since
it is easier to deco at Cheryl, and not as stressful as trying to go
back into a howling syphon. Once Big D colears, we will do a full-blown
exploration, now that we have the equipment in place there.
Today we went upstream for some fun dives, but that place is
nothing but work until you get to the big rooms, and then it is blue and
clear like Mexico. The Maxiblow is slamming the cave for 3500 feet downstream
of it. I got out there with Bill Mee and Steve Ditner (we went in at 7:00 am
in the dark), and was sick of it after 30 minutes. Casey , Brent and Wayne
Head were coming in behind us, so we left the last three upsream rooms untouched
for them to look at - the cave mists like Mexico shen you go through it.
Good profile: 70 to 100 on 32% with a three minute safety stop for deco. - G
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