General Vortex Incident Discussion

[ucfdiver]

This is a question directed to Kevin, Mat or anyone else in on the recovery effort of late.
I am going to term this in medical parlance since the analogy seems to fit...are there a significant number of veins or capillaries (offshoots) from the main Artery of the cave of Vortex? Were you able to explore every one? I have looked at rudimentary mapping of the cave system but wondered what it was really like in there.

Do you really think they ignored offshoots?

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

This is a question directed to Kevin, Mat or anyone else in on the recovery effort of late.
I am going to term this in medical parlance since the analogy seems to fit...are there a significant number of veins or capillaries (offshoots) from the main Artery of the cave of Vortex? Were you able to explore every one? I have looked at rudimentary mapping of the cave system but wondered what it was really like in there.

I like how you put that. However contrary to police statements, vortex is about the least complex system. Picture a tree, with one branch and a few knot holes. That's about it. The passage down to the T isn't overly big but not small either. Got 2 places that are low and tight that most won't call a restriction. Then you have some real tight areas. The floor is sand or sand and clay mix, depending on where you are. In what's called the piano room where its supposedly safe you have sand and big clay banks that can silt out viz very quick. Compared to others, not a pretty cave at all, but does have a couple of neat features.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

As far as exploring every one. I think that has been more than covered. At day 15,I went with Edd Sorenson. We spent 2 hours in 800 ft of cave poking our hands in every hole they would fit. If it looked like a person would fit, we tied on a line and Edd went in. Most of that went 6 ft or less before hitting a wall.We even got access to the part of cave that was grated off. No signs anywhere in this place of anything out of the ordinary.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

This is a question directed to Kevin, Mat or anyone else in on the recovery effort of late.
I am going to term this in medical parlance since the analogy seems to fit...are there a significant number of veins or capillaries (offshoots) from the main Artery of the cave of Vortex? Were you able to explore every one? I have looked at rudimentary mapping of the cave system but wondered what it was really like in there.

There are a few short offshoots. Myself and Wayne looked at most of them on the original weekend, Edd and Kevin took care of the rest a couple weeks later(including one behind a permanant grate).

 

[LiteHedded]

There are a few short offshoots. Myself and Wayne looked at most of them on the original weekend, Edd and Kevin took care of the rest a couple weeks later(including one behind a permanant grate).

i didn't know there were other grates in there. why is this passage grated off?

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

i didn't know there were other grates in there. why is this passage grated off?

Because another superstar didn't return. That time they deemed it too tight and dangerous. Its very much swimmable backmount, not sure if its changed but that's why the grated it off.

 

[Hetland]

i didn't know there were other grates in there. why is this passage grated off?

iirc, an ow diver killed himself there years ago. Supposed to be a short clay-filled death-trap.

 

[LiteHedded]

strange place...

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

strange place...

Yep!!!

 

[Dive-aholic]

I'm just amazed a cave instructor would post derogatory comments towards a research organization who consistently does a community service for our state and refuse to give any supporting evidence. But then again, we had the "Instructor encouraging trespassing" thread on cdf that was the same way.

If I wanted to provide supporting evidence I would do so to the state. I don't know why you, AJ and Brian feel you need to be included in everything that happens in the cave community, but you don't. There are a lot of things that happen that no one is going to call you to tell you about. No one in the cave community is any more special than anyone else. While there may be some group niches here and there, they are actually pretty uncommon. I'm not going to out anyone in a public forum because I don't think it's a big deal. So what if they smoke?? Personally, I don't smoke (although I used to back in the 90s). But it's a personal choice. I know divers who smoke, including cave divers. Big deal! It's a vice they have to contend with. It may increase their air consumption a little, but other than that there's not much of an effect on their diving. I don't feel that it's an issue that DIR and WKPP divers are smokers. It's the organizations that feel it's an issue. They can police their own. I'm not here to do it for them. And as far as my thread on CDF, it accomplished what I was hoping for. The instructor contacted me and we had a discussion about it, as well as some other issues. Again, none of your business who it was.

I've wasted enough bandwith addressing this...