Jackson Blue Trip Attempt Two

[Manatee Diver]

So last year I asked for recommendations for JB but that trip fell through. So I am trying again this year in a couple of weeks, this trip is pretty much a go short of an emergency.

This time I will have a bit longer for diving, planning for six diving days. I've been watching a ton of videos to get a feel for the cave.

My diving style, I will be diving widemount with my LP108s and an AL80 stage, along with the usual deco bottle. I will be bringing my XJ and due to my one leg I don't like to swim against the flow unless I can pull and glide. Being I don't have a back up scooter and my preference for solo diving, I try to keep my max scooter distance around 2,000ft. I also don't really do small stuff, I am afraid of ending up like Winnie the Pooh.

I have two guided prior dives at JB so I'm not a completely new to the cave, which included bring towed to King's Canyon, a place I enjoyed a lot. I don't mind visiting the same place twice, if fact I prefer it as the first dive I am often focused on navigation and it is often the second, third, and fourth dives when I can truly take in a place in the dive.

I've hit Hole in the Wall and Twin last trip. I enjoyed them, but I'm not sure I want to spend $100 renting a boat and I have zero experience scootering in a low flow system. Also while I'm not a neophyte driving a boat, I'm not sure I want to deal with docking one myself at the docks.

Tentative plan

D1: Slow scooter to 2,500ft mostly to learn navigation.

D2: Slow scooter to find the King's Canyon jumps, on the way back his some close to the exit things like maybe the White Dome Room and Horseshoe Circuit.

D3: King's Canyon First dive

D4: King's Canyon Second dive

Days five and six are up in the air, not entirely sure what to do looking at the new work in progress map someone sent me. Lost student tunnel? Queen's bypass?

 

[passedoutwookie]

There are some newer arrows marking some of the major jumps that will make it easier to navigate than last time you were there. Queen’s is definitely much easier to find. Queen’s is nice, but quite a bit smaller than king’s.

You can jump right at the bottom of the chimney into the siphon tunnel. It’s short, but a pretty part of the cave to explore. You can also jump left off of that line onto parallel line.

Lost student tunnel can be a bit of a squeeze.

If you make it back to around 2500’, you can jump right into the middle grounds area. That is also beautiful part of the cave and feels totally different than the rest of the cave leading up to it.

JB is a wonderful cave. You can definitely spend a week exploring there and not get bored. I wouldn’t sleep on Hole in the Wall though. It is also a really fantastic cave.

 

[Manatee Diver]

Lost student tunnel can be a bit of a squeeze.

Yeah I watched some videos of it since my post, I just don't really see anything that exciting to deal with going through that sideways section.

If you make it back to around 2500’, you can jump right into the middle grounds area. That is also beautiful part of the cave and feels totally different than the rest of the cave leading up to it.

I just watched some video, looks pretty cool but I bit too far of a swim back until I get a tow scooter. I'll have to save that on a future trip.

JB is a wonderful cave. You can definitely spend a week exploring there and not get bored.

Looking at the maps and videos I could probably get hundreds of dives at JB and not be unsatisfied. Heck I have almost two hundred dives at Ginnie and I still enjoy every single dive looking for new things and places. But I am one of those that wants to do the same dive three or four times so I can drink in all the details.

 

[narcedoutscuba]

Lost Student tunnel is not bad and the flow is down tremendously right now

Here’s a short video of the full lost student circuit