Hopping my way to full cave...

[Ulfhedinn]

Is it suppose to hit your area on the weekend? How does the weather effect the springs? Does it stirrup the water or just cause general havoc?

 

[Manatee Diver]

Is it suppose to hit your area on the weekend? How does the weather effect the springs? Does it stirrup the water or just cause general havoc?

The springs are a balancing act. I'm probably using the wrong terms because this isn't a field of science that I have much knowledge of. When the weight of the water above the spring is less than the weight of the water coming out of the aquifer is sends water out as a spring. But during a flood when the river rises too much the weight of the water above the water above the spring is higher than the weight of the water coming out of the aquifer than is siphons into the spring. During the siphon phase the cave isn't safe to dive, as not only is the siphon rate unpredictable, but the water being tannic river water the vis is inches.

Once the flood subsides then it starts springing again, but the vis is terrible for some period because all the silt it coats the cave with. I remember going into Peacock just after it reopened last year. Not only was the vis really bad, and I mean scary bad, but everything had a coating of silt including the mainline.

 

[Manatee Diver]

@Ulfhedinn I should mention this won't have as much of an effect on Blue Grotto, where most of your Fundies class will most likely be held. The only time I've heard it being closed was due to an algae bloom, and even then it was just closed to basic OW and OW classes.

 

[Manatee Diver]

As far as where it is going to hit. The models all say somewhere in the pan handle.

Current Storm Information - Tropical Tidbits

So the questions are, where exactly is it going to make landfall? How much local rain are we going to get? And how much rain is it going to drop up river like in Georgia?

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

The caves in the North Central Florida area become flooded by the Withlacooche, Santa Fe and Suwanee Rivers when they rise - exactly like @Manatee Diver stated.

Those rivers rise with rainfall in South Georgia.

As you can see from the graphic, this TS is forecast to cross South Georgia and will likely dump a LOT of rain, causing there rivers to flood even more than they are now.

The Santa Fe River is at or above flood stage now in several locations. You can see the river levels at this website. Real-Time River Levels

 

[jlcnuke]

To put things in perspective, the river height measured closest to Peacock springs is normally around 18-19 feet as measured, and is currently measured around 33 feet. That's 14 feet of river pushing water down into the cave system... it'll take some time for that to settle down and clear out. Very few cave systems seem to be clear at the moment down in cave country. I'm hoping Ginnie will not be TOO bad to deal with this weekend as not much else is going to be open for cave diving (especially backmounted like I do).

 

[Manatee Diver]

Even if you were sidemount Chris, when I mentioned Jug in passing, made it clear that it was a full cave only site due to the restrictions and high flow.

I'm going to see Grouper this weekend while diving stingy eye water.

Then I have to make a choice, go to Lake Denton and play with my scooter or head up and dive Ginnie.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Well a bit of an update, last week I went to Ginnie with a friend and got my butt handed to me. It has been 10 months since the last time I actually did a cave dive at Ginnie.

Today I decided I got go and practice going down the gallery, I spent an hour going back and forth from the eye to the lips, going slow to look for the good hand holds and a good path down the gallery. Felt a lot better, but still a lot of work.

 

[rddvet]

Well a bit of an update, last week I went to Ginnie with a friend and got my butt handed to me. It has been 10 months since the last time I actually did a cave dive at Ginnie.

Today I decided I got go and practice going down the gallery, I spent an hour going back and forth from the eye to the lips, going slow to look for the good hand holds and a good path down the gallery. Felt a lot better, but still a lot of work.

Ginnie frustrated me at first, but with time it will come. When you get to the sign in the gallery to drop your O2, immediately get to the ceiling. Most people I know prefer then going along the ceiling on the right side. I personally prefer to go straight to the ceiling on the left side, then there's a large gap in the rocks where there's an entrance to the catacombs below you (by that big ass rock on the floor). At that gap, I then jump over to the right side. My reasoning is in the first part of the gallery I know all of the handholds on the left, plus my wife usually goes right so it gives us some room away from each other. Once I jump over to the right, I get as high as I can and make sure I hug the wall following its contours. When you stay up high and along the walls you will find several areas where the eddies in the flow will actually pull you into the cave instead of pushing you out. Once you get to the end of the gallery and are at the lips, before you turn right to go through the lips stop and take a breather and collect yourself. You will see going into the lips there's a bit of a step up (or multiple ledges). I prefer to drop so that I'm lower than the actual lips, which allows those "steps" to protect you from the flow. Then take the next "step" up staying low to stay out of the flow. Next you're actually in the lips. I prefer to stay to the left because there's that big rock jutting out of the wall. Stay as close as you can to that and it will push the flow around you so you're out of the majority of it. Going through that area, just go slow and look for handholds.
Where it gets really tricky is pushing doubles or a rebreather with 2 stages and a scooter through the lips. It's easy to get pushed back because you're profile's so big and eventhough you can use the scooter to not have to pull and glide, you also don't want to go too fast or you'll whack your head.

 

[tmassey]

Wow, thanks @rddvet: I’ve never seen such a comprehensive description of how to get through that area. That’s awesome.

My goal for the next time I’m able to get into a cave is to go as absolutely slow as I can and try to figure out how to be as smooth as possible. I love the idea of @Manatee Diver just going back-and-forth through there. I want to do an hour long 300 foot cave dive and just work on getting better... next I’ll have to see about finding a buddy who will be patient enough while I do it.