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In this weekend's Wakulla dives we had intended to check the last =
remaining small lead at 14,265 feet which we assumed would hit Shotgun =
Sink or loop back somehow, and ended up actually finding the correct way =
on in Wakulla Springs Cave. We ran a reverse dive plan where JJ and I =
went first after being set up to 4500 with drive bottles and scooters, =
intending to pull everything back from the end for Ted Cole and John =
Rose to then pull back to 3500, but we ended up only pulling the dead =
drives and the bad safeties, leaving the cave set up for more =
exploration. We had intended to move exploration to the clear water side =
in M Tunnel, which we will also set up , but the main cave still goes.
=20
Trout , Hunsucker and Herve ran two scooters and two drives each for me =
and JJ to 4500, where we ran with three scooters and one drive. =
Switching there, we continued on with four scooters and two drives each. =
My RB was getting such good mileage that I left a full bottle there, =
ready to go next time. It only used 11 cubic feet to get there. The =
entire dive took 140 cu feet, the deco about another 140. ( Six hour =
bottom time, eight hour deco).
=20
JJ and I ran form 4500 to 14,000 with four scooters each initially, and =
then dropped one at 9,000 and one at 14,000. Of the remaining scooters, =
one had "Mini Mee" attached. Mini is a ten inch long device that snaps =
onto the end of our scooters with a special nose cone that holds two HID =
lights and one digital camera pointing out the nose lens. When we hit =
the end at 14.265, I took Mini Mee and gave JJ my scooter. I looked at =
the old end and there was a Halcyon patch hanging from the end of the =
line, which was blowing strongly in the "breeze" of this whipping =
siphon. The tunnel was extremely small, and I remembered pulling on the =
rock floor to get out last time due to the heavy flow. The vis was nasty =
and smoky.=20
=20
JJ tied in and took off into the no floor, no walls, no ceiling room =
that suddenly appeared out of this little tunnel. We had hit the Mother =
Lode of cave - bigger than the beginning of Wakulla - in the 120 by 60 =
range. JJ followed one wall, and at first we thought we were just in a =
giant room, but the line stayed straight, and he tied off after several =
hundred feet on one shot, and then swerved to the other wall to be sure =
it was there, and then back. All the while I was close on him with Mini =
Mee running the video which produced some great shots.
=20
The depth came up to the 220-250 range and the vis got a tad better. The =
tunnel was indeed massive, but it had rooms in it as well with huge =
breakdown piles, but never any evidence of a surface connection. =
Apparently the sinks above this cave, like Cherokee and Shotgun, have =
their own cave at a shallower depth, like 100 to 150, but have been =
helped to form by the giant domes underneath in Wakulla cave.
=20
I kept wondering how this all could be and suddenly JJ was sitting on =
an empty spool - 1800 feet of line paid out. He had noplace to tie off =
and pulled it to the wall. He got a pendant and tied in , leaving the =
empty reel hanging and asked me "what do you want to do ?" in part sign =
language, part yelling through his regulator. I handed him the next =
reel. We both had to stop for a good laugh. What else would we do? Who =
else is going to be three miles into a cave with a video camera?
=20
We added a few hundred more feet and then I called it based on the fact =
that our run time as 182 minutes at that point and would have a drive to =
the door equaling the trip from Ocala to Tallahassee if nothing went =
wrong and now we needed those empty drive bottles out of the cave as =
well ( a big slowing factor in our speed out ) to refill for the next =
push, and we were sure the cave went. There was flow, and the direction =
was consistently southwest towards Leon Sinks - everything we had ever =
hoped for in this exploration, and now in my mind I could see the map =
unfolding clearly as we edged closer into the path of the southeast =
running Leon System.=20
=20
JJ took over the operation of Mini Mee and I surveyed out. At one point =
I had to stop and hold the line to laugh my ass off as JJ was scootering =
out in front of me and then getting side shots and head on shots while I =
was surveying 16,600 feet into the cave, like we were at Ginnie Springs =
or something - only JJ.
=20
Everything went well on the way out and we even found three more good =
leads inside of 13,000 feet . One way back that may be another spring =
system, one monster going west, and another going east. Suddenly the =
whole picture had changed. JJ and I figured something big would happen =
on this dive, but were not sure what . I was pessimistic that we would =
hit a sink and not be able to get over it, but we hoped for the best and =
got it. After all, we did take a mile of line with us.=20
=20
We intersected Ted and John in K Tunnel about a mile form the entrance. =
They picked off the rest of the gear and then we ran a cleanup crew to =
3500 and one to 4500 the next day. Our next visit there we will set up =
the Mountain side and M Tunnel and run independent dives in O for dual =
exploration as we have determined that the oc setup to 4500 is adequate =
for al distances now, and that frees up the other rb teams to explore =
and get more done. M will be a big video opportunity since this tunnel =
is as big as A tunnel and as clear as B tunnel.
=20
Great dive, huge team performance. We started at 6:00 am and were out =
that night.
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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2> In this =
weekend's=20
Wakulla dives we had intended to check the last remaining small lead at =
14,265=20
feet which we assumed would hit Shotgun Sink or loop back somehow, and =
ended up=20
actually finding the correct way on in Wakulla Springs Cave. We ran a =
reverse=20
dive plan where JJ and I went first after being set up to 4500 with =
drive=20
bottles and scooters, intending to pull everything back from the end for =
Ted=20
Cole and John Rose to then pull back to 3500, but we ended up only =
pulling the=20
dead drives and the bad safeties, leaving the cave set up for more =
exploration.=20
We had intended to move exploration to the clear water side in M Tunnel, =
which=20
we will also set up , but the main cave still goes.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Trout , Hunsucker and Herve ran two =
scooters and=20
two drives each for me and JJ to 4500, where we ran with three scooters =
and one=20
drive. Switching there, we continued on with four scooters and two =
drives each.=20
My RB was getting such good mileage that I left a full bottle there, =
ready to go=20
next time. It only used 11 cubic feet to get there. The entire =
dive took=20
140 cu feet, the deco about another 140. ( Six hour bottom time, eight =
hour=20
deco).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>JJ and I ran form 4500 to 14,000 with four scooters =
each=20
initially, and then dropped one at 9,000 and one at 14,000. Of the =
remaining=20
scooters, one had "Mini Mee" attached. Mini is a ten inch long =
device=20
that snaps onto the end of our scooters with a special nose cone that =
holds two=20
HID lights and one digital camera pointing out the nose lens. When we =
hit the=20
end at 14.265, I took Mini Mee and gave JJ my scooter. I looked at the =
old end=20
and there was a Halcyon patch hanging from the end of the line, which =
was=20
blowing strongly in the "breeze" of this whipping siphon. The =
tunnel=20
was extremely small, and I remembered pulling on the rock floor to get =
out last=20
time due to the heavy flow. The vis was nasty and smoky. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>JJ tied in and took off into the no floor, no walls, =
no=20
ceiling room that suddenly appeared out of this little tunnel. We had =
hit the=20
Mother Lode of cave - bigger than the beginning of Wakulla - in the 120 =
by 60=20
range. JJ followed one wall, and at first we thought we were just in a =
giant=20
room, but the line stayed straight, and he tied off after several =
hundred=20
feet on one shot, and then swerved to the other wall to be sure it was =
there,=20
and then back. All the while I was close on him with Mini Mee running =
the video=20
which produced some great shots.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>The depth came up to the 220-250 range and the vis =
got a tad=20
better. The tunnel was indeed massive, but it had rooms in it as well =
with huge=20
breakdown piles, but never any evidence of a surface connection. =
Apparently the=20
sinks above this cave, like Cherokee and Shotgun, have their own cave at =
a=20
shallower depth, like 100 to 150, but have been helped to form by the =
giant=20
domes underneath in Wakulla cave.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>I kept wondering how this all =
could be and=20
suddenly JJ was sitting on an empty spool - 1800 feet of line paid out. =
He had=20
noplace to tie off and pulled it to the wall. He got a pendant and tied =
in ,=20
leaving the empty reel hanging and asked me "what do you want to do =
?"=20
in part sign language, part yelling through his regulator. I handed him =
the next=20
reel. We both had to stop for a good laugh. What else would we do? Who =
else is=20
going to be three miles into a cave with a video camera?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>We added a few hundred more feet and then I called =
it based on=20
the fact that our run time as 182 minutes at that point and would have a =
drive=20
to the door equaling the trip from Ocala to Tallahassee if nothing went =
wrong=20
and now we needed those empty drive bottles out of the cave as well ( a =
big=20
slowing factor in our speed out ) to refill for the next push, and we =
were sure=20
the cave went. There was flow, and the direction was consistently =
southwest=20
towards Leon Sinks - everything we had ever hoped for in this =
exploration, and=20
now in my mind I could see the map unfolding clearly as we edged closer =
into the=20
path of the southeast running Leon System. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>JJ took over the operation of Mini Mee and I =
surveyed out. At=20
one point I had to stop and hold the line to laugh my ass off as JJ was=20
scootering out in front of me and then getting side shots and head on =
shots=20
while I was surveying 16,600 feet into the cave, like we were at Ginnie =
Springs=20
or something - only JJ.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Everything went well on the way out and we even =
found three=20
more good leads inside of 13,000 feet . One way back that may be another =
spring=20
system, one monster going west, and another going east. Suddenly the =
whole=20
picture had changed. JJ and I figured something big would happen on this =
dive,=20
but were not sure what . I was pessimistic that we would hit a sink and =
not be=20
able to get over it, but we hoped for the best and got it. After all, we =
did=20
take a mile of line with us. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>We intersected Ted and John in K Tunnel about a mile =
form the=20
entrance. They picked off the rest of the gear and then we ran a cleanup =
crew to=20
3500 and one to 4500 the next day. Our next visit there we will set up =
the=20
Mountain side and M Tunnel and run independent dives in O for dual =
exploration=20
as we have determined that the oc setup to 4500 is adequate for al =
distances=20
now, and that frees up the other rb teams to explore and get more done. =
M will=20
be a big video opportunity since this tunnel is as big as A tunnel and =
as clear=20
as B tunnel.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><FONT color=3D#000000>Great </FONT>dive, huge
team =
performance.=20
We started at 6:00 am and were out that =
night.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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