FIXXERVI6
Contributor
First dive was in Little River, the locals were saying the flow was down so we hit straight for it with a stage. There was plenty of flow in there, first cave dive on my X1, love that machine. Visibility was a little hazey but still awsome.
Next day we hit for Madison Blue with the intent of going to Rocky Horror, we were told the day before that they had just re opened the cave for diving. We show up and the park was empty, ranger told us some divers went in an visibility was 6 feet so they are shutting down diving again - great. Since we were on the road and it was raining we hit for Ginnie Springs. Did a dive up Hill 400 past the bats to the Hiller Tunnel, usual Ginnie flow and typical awsome ginnie vis. 105 minute dive 96.1 feet max depth, everyone at the park that day was on Rebreather other than ourselves.
Next day we decided we were going to double stage Little River and broke it up into two dives the first being a setup dive, we would drop our contigency deco gas and stage on the first dive then check out Harper tunnel then later return to perform the stage dive. Got to the dive site early, started to suit up and gear up, then I realized we forgot our light batteries, had to run all the way back to the outpost to get them. This changed our plans a bit as it cut into our time so we just did a ditch and run dive, dropped the bottles and got out of there. On the way back to the outpost I stayed in my drysuit and road in the back of the truck breaking down our rigs so we could get them filled and get right back to the dive site. got it all going and kicked off the dive, I picked up the second stage 300 psi early, and dropped my second stage 250 psi early, made it to the well casing with gas to spare. floated around it a bit, looked at the line continuing into the cave then turned the dive, I hit 3rds on my back gas only after I made it back and picked up the stage so had TONS of gas to spare (better too much then not enough) After the dive I told Kurt that I was tempted to ask him to continue on since we had so much gas, he said the same, but we both agreed well casing was the dive so that was the plan and we turned.
That evening we met Elisha at Dive outpost and we started talking about Manatee, she offered to be a "guide" and the plan was set, next day we meet up at the park and discussed the dive plan. We went in at catfish and started up stream, vis was low, 30 feet probably, flow was moving good, bits of plant matter were flying by me as I humped into the flow. Cave is big, there were spots were my 35 watt HID would not reach anything all I had for reference was a line, most of the time I was near the bottom or a wall. As we approached what I believe was the sewer tunnel flow picked up big time, went to the floor pulling my way over the small hump there, I had to grab onto the really big rocks because when I grabbed anything else it just started to go backwards with me. Past the sewer tunnel (I think thats what it was) vis opened up a little bit and we continued on. At some point some scooter divers went zipping by, I wondered if I flipped them off if they would see, Kurt was thumbing for a ride but they didn't seam like they were going to pick up hitch hikers. On the way back out stopped and looked up some sink, not sure what it was, all I know is there was a big hole with light coming in it
Got back to catfish, picked up our o2, and drifted out to exit the last sink. Flow was UP, dumped all drysuit and wing and I watched as Kurt got shot out like a cannon, I looked up and saw him blasting out and he caught a tree, good thing and good catch! then the tree started move (not a little tree). So I thought allll hell this is going to be a ride so I tried to dump more air, started out the hole and boom I was off. Tried to get turned around so I could grab rocks to slow my exit and tried to work my way to the side just in case I had to attempt a "tree catch". Didn't work out as I had planned, I was grabbing onto very large rocks and they would just roll with me, so I tried even harder to got to the side hoping I would hit the underside of the tree to slow me. At some point my light head caught in the "Y" of a branch and I was holding onto my good man handle just "flappin" in the breeze, my regulator was free flowing, I pulled up to get my light free then turned to check my "flight path" and my mask started to lift off my face, I managed to turn and get some tree friction until I was free of the flow, what a ride!
We decided to blow off the second dive and head to Cow Springs, flow was down pretty good so we did a stage and pocked around a bit, good dive, really clear water!
Next day Kurt took Elisha's side mount rig and I took James and we went to peacock to play around some, I got James's rig put together (James is a Dive Outpost tank monkey) and slapped his E8 130's on and swam around the basin a bit, then dropped into the cavern. I was not comfortable at all in the rig so I decided I had no buisness being in there and surfaced, the valve knob on the left tank left a nice bruise in my left armpit so I'm pretty sure something wasn't right I think the rig was too small for me, I'll have to try it again with a larger setup.
Went back to little river and did a back gas dive to the Harper Tunnel, It had been raining and flow was way down, I was leading, then Elisha then Kurt. NICE! I like that tunnel, tight, twisty, its one of those types of dives where you have to turn, drop, move forward then rotate and raise then turn blah blah all while avoiding silt and clay. Got to the "turn around room" and I went to the hole near the floor and was trying to figure out if it was back mountable, I was going to go for it when Elisha turned the dive, later I learned that is the turn around room for a reason! side mount only past that hole and its small. On the way back out Elisha put in a jump that went up, I don't know the name of the line but I went in and checked it out after her and kurt, good dive.
That night James and I hit for Cow, I had to go pet the cow. Kurt was on the early driving shift so he went to bed. Took a stage in and hit for it, James was in side mount and it felt like I was chasing a jack rabit, flow was coming back up in there as well. Got up and pet the cow, and left a cookie for Kurt to retrieve on the next run. Had some gas to spare so checked out a jump by not my fault, god I love this cave.
Next day we hit for Madison Blue with the intent of going to Rocky Horror, we were told the day before that they had just re opened the cave for diving. We show up and the park was empty, ranger told us some divers went in an visibility was 6 feet so they are shutting down diving again - great. Since we were on the road and it was raining we hit for Ginnie Springs. Did a dive up Hill 400 past the bats to the Hiller Tunnel, usual Ginnie flow and typical awsome ginnie vis. 105 minute dive 96.1 feet max depth, everyone at the park that day was on Rebreather other than ourselves.
Next day we decided we were going to double stage Little River and broke it up into two dives the first being a setup dive, we would drop our contigency deco gas and stage on the first dive then check out Harper tunnel then later return to perform the stage dive. Got to the dive site early, started to suit up and gear up, then I realized we forgot our light batteries, had to run all the way back to the outpost to get them. This changed our plans a bit as it cut into our time so we just did a ditch and run dive, dropped the bottles and got out of there. On the way back to the outpost I stayed in my drysuit and road in the back of the truck breaking down our rigs so we could get them filled and get right back to the dive site. got it all going and kicked off the dive, I picked up the second stage 300 psi early, and dropped my second stage 250 psi early, made it to the well casing with gas to spare. floated around it a bit, looked at the line continuing into the cave then turned the dive, I hit 3rds on my back gas only after I made it back and picked up the stage so had TONS of gas to spare (better too much then not enough) After the dive I told Kurt that I was tempted to ask him to continue on since we had so much gas, he said the same, but we both agreed well casing was the dive so that was the plan and we turned.
That evening we met Elisha at Dive outpost and we started talking about Manatee, she offered to be a "guide" and the plan was set, next day we meet up at the park and discussed the dive plan. We went in at catfish and started up stream, vis was low, 30 feet probably, flow was moving good, bits of plant matter were flying by me as I humped into the flow. Cave is big, there were spots were my 35 watt HID would not reach anything all I had for reference was a line, most of the time I was near the bottom or a wall. As we approached what I believe was the sewer tunnel flow picked up big time, went to the floor pulling my way over the small hump there, I had to grab onto the really big rocks because when I grabbed anything else it just started to go backwards with me. Past the sewer tunnel (I think thats what it was) vis opened up a little bit and we continued on. At some point some scooter divers went zipping by, I wondered if I flipped them off if they would see, Kurt was thumbing for a ride but they didn't seam like they were going to pick up hitch hikers. On the way back out stopped and looked up some sink, not sure what it was, all I know is there was a big hole with light coming in it
Got back to catfish, picked up our o2, and drifted out to exit the last sink. Flow was UP, dumped all drysuit and wing and I watched as Kurt got shot out like a cannon, I looked up and saw him blasting out and he caught a tree, good thing and good catch! then the tree started move (not a little tree). So I thought allll hell this is going to be a ride so I tried to dump more air, started out the hole and boom I was off. Tried to get turned around so I could grab rocks to slow my exit and tried to work my way to the side just in case I had to attempt a "tree catch". Didn't work out as I had planned, I was grabbing onto very large rocks and they would just roll with me, so I tried even harder to got to the side hoping I would hit the underside of the tree to slow me. At some point my light head caught in the "Y" of a branch and I was holding onto my good man handle just "flappin" in the breeze, my regulator was free flowing, I pulled up to get my light free then turned to check my "flight path" and my mask started to lift off my face, I managed to turn and get some tree friction until I was free of the flow, what a ride!We decided to blow off the second dive and head to Cow Springs, flow was down pretty good so we did a stage and pocked around a bit, good dive, really clear water!
Next day Kurt took Elisha's side mount rig and I took James and we went to peacock to play around some, I got James's rig put together (James is a Dive Outpost tank monkey) and slapped his E8 130's on and swam around the basin a bit, then dropped into the cavern. I was not comfortable at all in the rig so I decided I had no buisness being in there and surfaced, the valve knob on the left tank left a nice bruise in my left armpit so I'm pretty sure something wasn't right
I think the rig was too small for me, I'll have to try it again with a larger setup.Went back to little river and did a back gas dive to the Harper Tunnel, It had been raining and flow was way down, I was leading, then Elisha then Kurt. NICE! I like that tunnel, tight, twisty, its one of those types of dives where you have to turn, drop, move forward then rotate and raise then turn blah blah all while avoiding silt and clay. Got to the "turn around room" and I went to the hole near the floor and was trying to figure out if it was back mountable, I was going to go for it when Elisha turned the dive, later I learned that is the turn around room for a reason! side mount only past that hole and its small. On the way back out Elisha put in a jump that went up, I don't know the name of the line but I went in and checked it out after her and kurt, good dive.
That night James and I hit for Cow, I had to go pet the cow. Kurt was on the early driving shift so he went to bed. Took a stage in and hit for it, James was in side mount and it felt like I was chasing a jack rabit, flow was coming back up in there as well. Got up and pet the cow, and left a cookie for Kurt to retrieve on the next run. Had some gas to spare so checked out a jump by not my fault, god I love this cave.
