Hopping my way to full cave...

[Manatee Diver]

If you like the dive rite reels better than the divesoft, then a better choice would be a halcyon. I find the dive rites to be of significantly less quality.
Get someone to show you the keyhole bypass and it will probably make your life easier so you don't have to fight the flow as much

I‘ve been down the Key Hole bypass once. But my instructor made a point of showing me it (though we didn’t go down it due to him being in BM), as he wanted me to know about it for busy weekends. He also showed me that route to the left when exiting the Key Hole when you encounter someone coming into the first restriction while you are exiting.

two small loops of thin bungee. One in the split on the very back of the mask strap and one slightly larger on the left or right side. You can clip a backup light to the small one in the back and slide it over the front. Holds it on the strap quite well. Use a push button one not a twisty. I use an @OrcaTorch D530V or D530 which work really well. I prefer the video spread for this application personally but it's personal preference.

Do you have a picture by chance? I am having a hard time picturing that.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Next time I will bring a hook and some line. I’ll find him and fry his arse up in the parking lot.

Topped with blind cave crawfish etouffee.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Topped with blind cave crawfish etouffee.

I know they are endangered, but part of me wonders if they turn red when you boil them. Not that I would ever find out personally.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I know they are endangered, but part of me wonders if they turn red when you boil them. Not that I would ever find out personally.

I can't "Like" that, but yeah. Same sort of deviant thought when I see a goliath grouper in the ocean.

 

[Manatee Diver]

So yesterday I figured I would work on stage diving. Entering the cave, swimming to turn pressure, drop, pick up, switch etc. So that is what I did, I made it to the Park Bench and hit turn pressure, which gives me an idea about how far I can do with it. After I hit turn pressure, I turned around and exited through the keyhole, and before the lips I dumped my stage. I decided to go through the Keyhole bypass again since @rddvet mentioned it. A bit tighter than I remember, but it wasn't bad.

Once I got to the end of the Keyhole bypass, there was a rather poorly run line from the main line stretching into to a tunnel to the left of me. I think that is the lightning spring tunnel, but I'm not sure. The quality of the line run didn't look like anything a no mount diver exploring Bunnyland would do. Anyways I exited via the mainline then cleaned up my reel and cookie.

I looked at my gas and I had plenty, including half a stage. So I decided to try that little bypass that my instructor pointed out during my full cave course. I first examined the exit side for a bit to figure out how it would work out and what to look for. Once I saw that I went through the first section of the Keyhole, and dropped down looking at that section. Recognizing the same rocks, I slowly made my way through the section, and out to where my stage bottle was (which was a great reference as it was easier to see than the line).

After that I had been in the cave for about 50 minutes so I figured that I would turn things. I picked up my stage, and did a gas switch. Once again slowly working my way through the gallery, and exiting through the eye. I picked up my deco bottle, and back myself into one of the alcoves to do deco, while I was doing this both my computers cleared deco. I figure since I had time I would use my stage and clear our my nitrogen loading down from 80% to 60% before heading to the stairs... 20 minutes later it finally dips below 60%. Yeah not doing that again. But that makes me question the safety stop, how much nitrogen are you really blowing off in 3 minutes?

On exit I found that breathing my stage down to 700psi made the swim back rather untenable, as I would really feet floaty. But somehow I made it to the stairs along the way finding a random cookie by the stairs. Taking my stage off now at 500psi, I was able to float it there, which entertained me for some reason. Though at this point I needed to pee, and I didn't hook up the plumbing as I was just intending to do a short dive, which ended up being 90 minutes long. So I quickly got my gear out of the water, and in the process I found a half a pigtail of line markers.

After a rather quick, for me at least, process of getting out of my drysuit I relived myself and quickly got my gear into my car as it was a rather warm day and the skeeters were out. While packing up my gear, I noticed that today was yard sale day at Ginnie, as I also found a mask hanging on one of the tank benches. I found the owner of the pigtail at CCDS. And found the owner of the mask on Facebook.

 

[Johnoly]

.....my stage off now at 500psi, I was able to float it there,

Like a Macy's day parade float stage, cause my stages sink like a rock!! Nice adventure write up!!

 

[Marie13]

@Manatee Diver

What, no killer catfish this time?

 

[Manatee Diver]

@Manatee Diver

What, no killer catfish this time?

No, they stick of the CATacombs.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Been a couple of weeks. I had to stay home a week due but I got to show @tmassey the Catacombs, and @Marie13 the mainline of Peacock. We almost made the Bone Ledge, which was unfortunate as I wanted to show her that. For me the weirdest thing was being the most experienced cave dive in the group. I typically dive with people at my level or way above my level, so leading people as the experienced cave diver was unusual.

Today on my drive up to Ginnie, I was doing some math about stages. So to get to the Park Bench, I use about 600psi for my backgas. While with a stage doing half plus 2, I can also make it to the Park Bench. When using the stage I have to reduce my available penetration gas by 200psi, so that means that a stage gains me approximately 400psi of penetration over going with backgas alone.

We discussed a plan to go to July Springs via a little hole called Manhole. One of the many tunnels in the swiss cheese that is the area between July and the the Bypasses. So we entered through the Ear, dumped deco bottles, and then went down to the Gallery, past the lips and through the Keyhole. Watching him swim through gave me some ideas of how to more efficiently move through those areas. I am going to have to give those a try next time I am at Ginnie. I also forgot my hood, so I did the dive without. It wasn't horrible as I wear thicker undergarments so I was never really cold, but the sensation of moving through the flow is different, it feels much faster despite the fact that I know that it is just the normal flow. But hearing it move past my ears like that just makes it seem faster.

Just after Park Bench we dumped stage bottles as planned, and ran a line through the tunnel to July Springs. This was my first time off the mainline into an unmapped area. It was quite interesting, it wasn't the fairly straight route that most tunnels I've been in take, but up and down, moving around. I quite enjoyed it. July Spring was also cool, as most of the rocks are black due to being a low traffic area. The siphon flow was a bit of a trip. We stopped before it got too tight, and swam back, now fighting the flow. Reeled up through the tunnel, that was a bit more difficult, as I wanted to light things up for him, but the tunnel was quite small. So just tried to stay as close as possible. The rest of the dive was uneventful, on the swim back as I was again fighting my drysuit, I realized that I have a bit of a love hate relationship with it. I like not being cold, but I am still not quite as stable as I would like to be, which I hate.

Finally I had another example of how being recognizable means you get remembered. Earlier on in this thread I mentioned how Reggie had me swim over a Cave 1 class that was messing around in the Ear taking forever to untie their reel. Well one of the students from that class, now a Cave 2 diver, was at the stairs after we finished. And he remembered me two years later.

Anyways I am done diving for the year... I look forward to next week and the start of a new diving year.

 

[tbone1004]

sad I missed you, I'm in town this week staying with @The Chairman
have run into a few familiar faces on this trip, and hopefully will find some more!