You win some, you lose some.
So I went to Ginnie today to do some experimentation in the gallery. The plan was to swim to the eye, dump deco bottle to test new clips, then head to the end of the gallery, and test how well my Big Blue video light lights up the gallery.
Well things didn't go as plan. I head toward the eye but then it seemed like every cave diver was exiting the eye. So I stopped around 20 feet out of the way for a few minutes waiting for three separate teams to exit, grab/check their deco bottles, and head out. Once I actually got into the Eye the new clips worked pretty well, but it was still pretty hard to reach my waist D-ring as my tanks don't seem to move as much as they did in the past. So I think with the new shorter bolt snaps I found, and moving my D-ring just a tad forward I will finally get this figured out.
After dumping my deco bottle, I moved down the chute, and into the gallery. I had a couple of small struggles, but overall I am moving through the gallery much better. Once I make it to the lips, I switch regs and drop down below the lips to float where I want to place my video light. That went off without a hitch and I clawed my way back to the lips. Once there I noticed a valve knob laying in the rocks, I looked for a spring and the nut, but I didn't see it, so into the pocket it went. I finally pull my camera out, scretch the arms out, turn on the onboard lights, and then go to turn on the GoPro... nothing. Not a sound, and I tested it on the surface inside the housing to make sure it was working. After a couple of minute I give up on the camera, and put it away and go to pick up the light.
After making a slow trip to the eye, I grab my deco bottle, and do a safety stop since I have nothing better to do, and pulled the camera out to fiddle with it more, but it just wasn't having it. After some time I figure it has been a long time since I've entered the ear. I hook my camera to the mainline in the eye, and proceed out and onto the ear. It was pretty tannic at the ear, you can tell where it is, but the line is pretty much at the ear. After dropping down I worked my way into the ear following the path that Chris showed me that lands you on a ledge where you can rest and look down.
I discussed this on the phone with
@tmassey the other day, but it really isn't that bad going into the ear. Yes the flow is extreme, but it is over really quickly. Where as the flow is lower in the eye, but you are pulling for a much longer period. So I think it is a mixed bag. I traversed over to the eye, grabbed my camera, and did another safety stop playing with the large air bubble left over by the surprising large crowd today, and watching people through the hole in the rock.
After getting out, I got to say that the river is up at least a couple of inches, I couldn't touch the bottom where you hang your tanks. The water around the eye had a touch of green to it. I did the usual routine, fills, dinner, and a three and a half hour drive home thanks to hitting Tampa at rush hour. And what do I hear as I put my car in park in my driveway? My damn GoPro turning off.
Well I suppose it is better than working, and I have another part to add to my "Scuba parts found at Ginnie" collection.
