*** is wrong with vis at BH this weekend?

[robint]

well, with that floating platform issue (it was like that when we were there last month) and the vis issue, I think we can assume that something did shift.

When we were there in Sept, vis was great, some of the clearest I have seen it in over 5 years (back before the stupid dredging started). The vis now is milky and like Divedoggie says, all your gear gets coated in white film. We have never had this and we have been diving at BH over 7 years! I have been to BH when the vis sucked, but it was not this kind of "white out" conditions. There is bad vis and there is milk.

We are off this weekend to Palau so we can't report on any changes this month, but I am sure we will be over in late Dec sometime. I will be sure to take pics and video. I hate to think that all this dredging is causing the problems, but my gut feeling is that it is. :11:

robint

 

[amascuba]

Did a dive at the Blue Hole and Perch Lake yesterday. The 'floating' platform is now on stable ground, but with people hanging off it we'll see long it stays that way. For a Wednesday dive I expected the place to be crystal clear and while the visibility wasn't horrible (50+feet), there was still quiet a bit of particulate in the water. One thing that I found interesting was that on the NE side of the hole there was a huge silt plume rising from the floor towards the surface, but I didn't see/feel any noticeable flow coming from a vent near the plume. It would have made a cool shot if I had a camera. I didn't notice any milky like visibility like I did right during the dredging or in August. I also took a water sample near the grate and brought it home with me. I'll get a PH from it. Didn't notice the remaining piranha swimming around. He maybe gone or maybe in hiding. On the bright side the crawdad population is making a come back. Baby 'dads were EVERYWHERE! Oh yeah, One thing that I noticed on the bottom was a trail of rock flakes along the bottom, like little pieces of rock have been breaking away from the over hangs and falling to the ground. I was swimming along the bottom and noticed flakes falling down and the more that I looked the more that I noticed the little piles. It's probably erosion from bubbles, but I thought it was interesting. One reason for the decreased visibility or even more easily disturbed visibility is that it looks like the Army Corp. of Engineers opened more vents along the base of the walls (by dredging) and more then a few of them have flow coming out. The flow could be disturbing silt along the floor and walls. They took out quiet a bit of material when they dredged. There were huge rock and silt piles at the BH when they were dredging. Who knows.

Perch Lake it effin cold! 42 degrees by the car. Brrrrr...., but the visibility rocked! I only was able to stand 27 minutes before I had to get out.

 

[ddavies]

I liked the dive graph. What computer/software were you using?

 

[amascuba]

I liked the dive graph. What computer/software were you using?

It's the Aladin Tec 2G with the SmartTrak software.

 

[Capnsnott]

I wonder if anyone down there is monitoring the water quality..... I could see the new vents adding silt. Since the rock isn't limestone, it could have some nasty stuff disolved in it. I know the floor was sinking, there were cracks and voids opening up in under the walls in some of the back corners. The HID light I have would shine back almost 50' in some places. When the floor sinks about 3 or 4 more feet, you could get into them. You have to hang upside down and pull yourself in close to see back in. Try it the next time you guys are down there.

I want to dive the hole this winter, but unless my gear gets brought back up here from FL, I'm stuck for now.


When you were at Pearch, did you go down to the vent hole in the center and see if anything was coming in? Every time I have been there, I couldn't find any inflow. So, I wonder where the sulfer came from......

 

[RonFrank]

I want to dive the hole this winter, but unless my gear gets brought back up here from FL, I'm stuck for now.


When you were at Pearch, did you go down to the vent hole in the center and see if anything was coming in? Every time I have been there, I couldn't find any inflow. So, I wonder where the sulfer came from......

If you have exposure protection, I have almost a complete set of duplicate gear. I'm sure between us, we could hook you up, and most definite if you can get Kevin down there on a Saturday!

Perch has an outflow, and inflow. I have zero clue where it is, but if it did not if would be frozen.

What the heck is your gear doing in FL?

 

[ABQdiver]

If you have exposure protection, I have almost a complete set of duplicate gear. I'm sure between us, we could hook you up, and most definite if you can get Kevin down there on a Saturday!

Perch has an outflow, and inflow. I have zero clue where it is, but if it did not if would be frozen.

What the heck is your gear doing in FL?

No problem with that! I could hook you up with a drysuit, BP&W and most of the other small stuff as well. (guess I need to look at my scuba expenditures), just give me a heads up.

 

[amascuba]

I wonder if anyone down there is monitoring the water quality..... I could see the new vents adding silt. Since the rock isn't limestone, it could have some nasty stuff disolved in it. I know the floor was sinking, there were cracks and voids opening up in under the walls in some of the back corners. The HID light I have would shine back almost 50' in some places. When the floor sinks about 3 or 4 more feet, you could get into them. You have to hang upside down and pull yourself in close to see back in. Try it the next time you guys are down there.

I want to dive the hole this winter, but unless my gear gets brought back up here from FL, I'm stuck for now.


When you were at Pearch, did you go down to the vent hole in the center and see if anything was coming in? Every time I have been there, I couldn't find any inflow. So, I wonder where the sulfer came from......

I don't know if the floor is sinking or if what you are thinking of is an affect of the dredging that the Army Corp of Engineers have done over the last two years (June 06 and 07). There was a noticeable difference after they left this year. The slope that started at about 55' on the NE side of the hole is closer to 60' now. They had huge piles of rock in the parking lot when they were here last June. If the floor is sinking, it's only being helped by the dredging.

Are the vent holes where the porous looking rock come out of the silt? What kind of rock is that? I took a piece of it. I can take a picture and post it if you want. I'm trying to get into a geology class this spring. I have to go talk to my student adviser tomorrow because apparently I haven't been green lighted for the spring semester.

 

[Divedoggie]

Who dove at BH over the weekend? Any update on water quality? Has the floor dropped to 300ft?