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It is with real sadness that I must inform you that a one-car accident near his home took the life of Tallahassee cave diver Kris Mann on Friday night, June 15. Kris was a Vietnam veteran, a pool builder, a loving family man, and a well-liked member of Florida's cave diving community. Kris discovered the world of cave diving when a vast cave system was discovered on his property, north of Tallahassee, in November of 1990. Concerns about pollution of the areas aquifers had been raised by the proposed placement of a gasoline pipeline and 6.5 million gallon storage tank farm near Kris' property. An opponent of the tank farm, Kris gave permission to cave divers to explore Bird Sink, the enourmous siphon immediately adjacent to his house, in the interest of demonstrating its function in re-charging the aquifers and its vulnerability to gasoline spills from the proposed tank farm. Kris hosted the group of over 20 explorers in his home, becoming a good friend and an eager student of cave diving and the research it fosters. The ensuing Bird Sink Probe collected specimens of troglobitic crayfish, videotaped the cave and the man-made materials that get swept into the huge swallow hole, and mapped over 4,000 feet of downstream bore-hole tunnel, averaging 50 feet in diameter, and maintaining an average depth of 150 feet. Armed with this evidence, and information about the network of swallow holes nearby, citizens groups were able to demonstrate that the area is one of Florida's most significant re-charge systems, and prevented the pipeline and tank farm construction after a four year legal battle with a consortium of major petroleum companies. This victory for the aquifers would not have been possible without Kris' cooperation and enthusiastic support. Over the years since the discoveries at Bird Sink, Kris became a certified cave diver and participated in many gatherings of the National Association for Cave Diving and the Cave Diving Section of the National Speleological Society. As well as many cave dives with a wide assortment of good friends, a great source of pride and pleasure was the opportunity to host Sheck Exley and guide him on a tour of Bird Sink Cave. Recently, Kris was involved in the exploration, with Frank Richardson, of a newly discovered cave system not far from the Natural Bridge Springs area south of Tallahassee. Kris' tremendous humor, warmth, vitality, generosity, and deeply caring nature will be sorely missed. Christopher A. Brown Sci-Graphica PR and DOCENT FILMS The Technical Diving Video Library (TDVL) at http://www.neuro.fsu.edu/dave/docent.htm (N.Am. & Canada): 1-800-373-7222 Outside US:904-942-7222 Fax:904-942-1240 Life is short -- this is not a rehearsal.
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