A Question that Really Happened

[MikeFerrara]

I would be too paranoid that someone from the other group would lock the gate behind me and my group in retaliation or as a sick joke.


How about just locking the gate behind you, or are the gates plated, only able to be unlocked from one side?

Things may have changed but when I was there the lock that was used couldn't be locked without the key and we kept the key with us. the few times that there were other teams in the cave, we talk ahead of time and the team that's the furthest in always has the key...an exiting team will hand the key off to an entering team. There is only one line so two teams aren't going to pass eachother without knowing. you don't want the gate locked while you're inside...what if you lose the key?

During the week when there weren't many divers around, we just left the gate unlocked and the key was stashed in our room so no one could lock it.

The biggest problem we had was OW divers messing with our decompression tanks. I would caution anyone who dives the cave to give this some thought and take measures to prevent tampering.

 

[Scuba-Jay]

I just shot the folks at Vortex an invite! (=

dive@vortexspring.com
Subject: discussing your diving location on scubaboard.com

Hi there,
Just thought you might be interested in checking out this thread on scubaboard.com. There is a discussion relating to Open Water divers having theoretical access to your cave, and I was wondering if you'd like to add your thoughts. Thanks and hope to see you on the board!

Jordan

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=174073

 

[ianr33]

My first ever cave dive was at Vortex.
I was exiting the cave,carefully winding in the line we had placed when a group of divers dropped like stones and started thrashing around on the tie off.Now,I understand that new divers may not have perfect trim and bouyancy,but they might at least have enough skill to stand still on the bottom.
I was wondering what to do about this when my instructor body checked the dancing diver, pushed him off to the side and motioned to me to carry on. Probably an every day peril of being a cave instructor.

IMHO Vortex is an overpriced zoo. The rubber pipe that leads to the grate is ridiculous. Look at this photo on the website http://www.vortexspring.com/flash/history/004.jpg
To me that says the management have no problem with open water divers being in the cave

 

[Jeff Toorish]

Jay has appropriately invited the folks from Vortex to visit ScubaBoard to comment so maybe it would be best to avoid criticizing their facility. For some divers, it may be the best location available to them.

Just a thought.

Jeff

 

[ianr33]

Jay has appropriately invited the folks from Vortex to visit ScubaBoard to comment so maybe it would be best to avoid criticizing their facility. For some divers, it may be the best location available to them.

Just a thought.

Jeff

Yeah I hear you. That could have been worded more diplomatically.

I do think that the rubber pipe that runs from open water way beyond the cavern zone and into the cave is a bad idea. It must be a great temptation to an Open Water diver to follow it to places that they absolutely should not be in.
Removing that pipe would also remove a lot of problems IMHO

 

[MikeFerrara]

Yeah I hear you. That could have been worded more diplomatically.

I do think that the rubber pipe that runs from open water way beyond the cavern zone and into the cave is a bad idea. It must be a great temptation to an Open Water diver to follow it to places that they absolutely should not be in.
Removing that pipe would also remove a lot of problems IMHO

This has all been discussed to death all over the net and at Vortex too. I'm pretty sure that the owners are more than aware that there are those who don't think the lights and stuff are a good idea. Obviously they disagree and it's their place. If it's dark, fewer divers go in but you have to worry about the ones who go in with one light and can't get out when it fails. If you light it up, more of them go in but they all have enough light to get back out. They have apparantly done what they are most comfortable with.

 

[Cacia]

I really don't care the outcome of those other divers as long as it didnt direclty affect me

I can relate, but if some kid is there, I will do my best to direct them out of the area, sternly. I am not cave trained, so I could not be there anyway. But, we face very similiar issues here on all three of our wrecks at aproximately the same depth.

Of primary concern is that you penetrate without a line and an unknown group enters behind you and silts it out. The thread is great, because these issues are somewhat more universal that just at this particular spring.

 

[limeyx]

Whatever you do DO NOT unlock that gate - liability probably starts there...

agreed (for once !) Abort the dive, and make sure the "key guardians" are aware what is going on down there.

EDIT: And this for me is a bit less of "liability" than it is -- what if I am coming out of the cave in a "hurry" -- some emergency happened. Am I going to run into a huge cloud of silt or people laying all kinds of line in all kinds of crazy places.

it would be a question of personal safety, and why risk your life?

if this is a site where more often than not people who are not cave trained are present at the entrance, I would probably consider other sites to dive at.

 

[chickdiver]

Hey Tom,

Just drive the extra 45 minutes to Marianna- no problems there .

 

[Dive-aholic]

I can't give actual distances. The funny thing is, that last time I dived it, was a couple of years ago when I was helping some friends who were doing a survey for the owners but I haven't gotten a copy of the new map. All the maps on the net that I've found are the old one. If you get to vortex, ask to see the new map. It's nice and the cave was even radio mapped to the surface. The survey team was Jason Gulley, Steve Keene and Sue Sharples. My wife and I were grunts mixing gas and doing setup and cleanup dives.

You can go far enough to make a little dive of it anyway. Just past the gate there is a low area but I've fit through in doubles and carrying a whole bunch of stage bottles. After that, it opens up into a nice sized tunnel that you could just about drive a car through. Then there is a vertical fissure (as I call it). It's tall but you can reach across it from side to side...IMO, the prettiest part of the cave. At the end of the fissure, there is a little restriction down on the floor but it's still more than big enough to get through wearing doubles. Again, I've been through it with doubles and stages. After that its low and wide. It's easiest to avoid bumping and banging if you get off the line a little and do some zigging and zagging to pick the spots with more clearance but it's easy enough to get through in doubles. I haven't been all the way back to the next restriction because I always had too much tank hauling to do but someplace back there it really does become sidemount and even then you have to pick your rout from what I've been told and have seen on video. It gets real small and high flow. LOL, I have some good video that shows how the survey divers were getting stages through. The cave doesn't go much past the last restriction that anyone has found.

I think it's worth doing if you are going to be there anyway.

Thanks for the info, Mike. I think I'll check it out while we're there.

How about just locking the gate behind you, or are the gates plated, only able to be unlocked from one side? Iguess somene could still come and retaliate with one of their own locks on top of the one you have a key for.

You never lock the gate behind you. In an emergency, you need to be able to get out quick. Fumbling with a lock would not be ideal.

Of primary concern is that you penetrate without a line and an unknown group enters behind you and silts it out. The thread is great, because these issues are somewhat more universal that just at this particular spring.

That's why you never penetrate without a guideline. You never know when a silt out can occur...even in high flow systems.