*** is wrong with vis at BH this weekend?
- Thread starter robint
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no tears, buoy holding, or popping up from our students!! Vis was pretty crappy, especially as the day went on, but overall, fun weekend, quite a few new, happy, safe, certified divers.
RonFrank
Contributor
Glad to hear that, but sad that others witnessed problems for some.
I have to admit, I've observed some scary maneuvers on the part of both OW students, and some advanced as well during the past two trips I've done in Santa Rosa. I'm not going to go into details, but it was encouraging during dinner to discuss some of the problems with students, and to see them seriously acknowledging the issues, and discussing things they could do differently to correct the problems.
That is valuable, and shows me that while some divers don't care, and take their mistakes lightly many if not all involved in the classes I met were very seriously about the learning process and becoming better divers. Below average initial skills with an exceptional attitude maybe better than above average skills with a poor attitude.
Capnsnott
Contributor
Hey, just got back in town and had to toss something in here.
From my understanding, there is a possibility that the lower chambers are beginning to cave in. About a year or so ago, one of the chambers must have collapsed, there was a silt out for about two weeks. An Army Corp engineer had been contacted by the city and heproposed this hypothisys. Based on the seds coming in from below, it was a large piece. I didn't see it mentioned, but did anyone know how long the crap vis has been going on?
Asta
Gregoreo the traveler......
From my understanding, there is a possibility that the lower chambers are beginning to cave in. About a year or so ago, one of the chambers must have collapsed, there was a silt out for about two weeks. An Army Corp engineer had been contacted by the city and heproposed this hypothisys. Based on the seds coming in from below, it was a large piece. I didn't see it mentioned, but did anyone know how long the crap vis has been going on?
Asta
Gregoreo the traveler......
'Crap vis' has been going on since around August. I've noticed the last few times that I've gone out that it hasn't been the best and is unusually bad on the weekends when it's full.
I was down there last weekend and call me crazy, but I really think there has been another cave in. Things just seem "different" if you will. Nothing tangible per say, but the vis doesn't match the activity in the hole.
Another interesting factoid is that one of the platforms is now "floating". The rope length hasn't changed and the buoys haven't changed but the cement block that used to anchor the orange platform is now free willy, suggesting that the floor may have dropped a foot or two.....:11:
just my 0.2
PF
The bottom contour has changed considerably with the dredging that has taken place. The floating platform needs to be moved back over to a higher portion of the slope. The slope used to start at around 54' on the northeast side of the hole and it's down closer to the 60' mark now. Where the platform is floating is on the north side where the bottom sinks down to around 70 - 74'. I moved the platform so that it was resting on solid ground once right after the dredging. I'm not sure if somebody moved it back or if it slid off the slope due to 'wear and tear' from divers on the platform.
Did anyone else notice that the water PH is strange as well? Not that I had a litmus strip, but everyone in our group was complaining about cracking cuticles, rash, super dry skin, etc. My drysuit flooded on a dive and when the undergarment dried, it had white chalky looking deposits on it. (No jokes! It was from the water!)
Also, my dog played in the outflow stream, and later, when her fur was dry, it was all brittle and super dry. She has experience at the ocean in salt water, and she knows not to drink it. I was suprised to see that she refused to drink the Blue Hole water, even when I encouraged her to.
One of her eyes got a little infected. She received the colloidal oatmeal shampooing, anti-bacterial eye treatment, and a super good brushing, when we got back home. All gear received a thorough rinsing as well!
Cave ins could cause a release of carbonic acid. It would be interesting to bring a pool water tester down and check out the PH.
You have to wonder if the work that the ACOE is doing has caused recent problems, or if the lower chamber cave-ins are occuring naturally.
The viz at Perch ws much better than the viz at BH.
I'd be interested to know what you NM folks know, and what you find out.
Also, my dog played in the outflow stream, and later, when her fur was dry, it was all brittle and super dry. She has experience at the ocean in salt water, and she knows not to drink it. I was suprised to see that she refused to drink the Blue Hole water, even when I encouraged her to.
One of her eyes got a little infected. She received the colloidal oatmeal shampooing, anti-bacterial eye treatment, and a super good brushing, when we got back home. All gear received a thorough rinsing as well!
Cave ins could cause a release of carbonic acid. It would be interesting to bring a pool water tester down and check out the PH.
You have to wonder if the work that the ACOE is doing has caused recent problems, or if the lower chamber cave-ins are occuring naturally.
The viz at Perch ws much better than the viz at BH.
I'd be interested to know what you NM folks know, and what you find out.
It would be hard to estimate whether or not the floor has dropped. The depth at the grate is still the same. I stuck my arm down to 86 feet. In the past, I have gotten to 89 feet.
There is so much debris down there now, the average depth at the bottom is probably 70 feet, where as I think it used to be closer to 80.
Either the dredging has a long way to go, or the work they have done is work they should have left undone.
There is so much debris down there now, the average depth at the bottom is probably 70 feet, where as I think it used to be closer to 80.
Either the dredging has a long way to go, or the work they have done is work they should have left undone.
Tjack
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Hey Divedoggie, I did notice the Ph was harsh back in October and it left a white residue on my gear. I don't recall this from other trips to the Hole which I used to consider a great rinse for residual salt on my stuff. This could be a result of increased geothermal activity stirring up the deep salts? At Perch lake back in September there was a strong sulfer smell below the thermocline. This was absent in October, my theory is that varying geothermal activity is causing the changes in the water chemistry. I have not seen the milky visibillity though, is it still present?
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