mkiiisupra89
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First, some background.
About 2 years ago, not long after completing tech diving training and about the time I did my full cave class, I had what seemed like a crazy idea. I wanted to swim across lack Travis, from Windy Point park straight across, on the bottom. This would be roughly a mile swim, and would involve considerable deco. My goal, besides being able to say I had done it, was to practice installing line, dealing with complex dive plans and just to have a mission when I go to Travis.
About a year ago, Carl (Phreatic Fanatic) and I finally laid the first 500 feet of line, starting at the edge of the old river bed heading straight out. The line was tied off to a log (I think, vis was pretty horid that day) and headed straight across as well as I could navigate on the scooter while managing the compass, the reel and Carl in tow behind me. As we went, we stopped to put in mud stakes at as close to regular intervals as possible. The first stake is a long way from the bank in any case and if I remember right, there are 5 stakes on 500' of line.
That is where the project stalled. My job and Carl's teaching restricted our dive time together.
However FIXXERVI6 found the line a few weeks ago and posted about it and somehow it got back to me. It seems there is some interest in this project! I'm starting this thread to "organize" the project. However, I want to be clear, I don't own the lake, and short of asking everyone not to destroy work that has been done, it is a free country. However, those that would like to try planning this like a "real" project, please post here. I want the experience doing it for my dive resume!
Goals and Planning
Primary Goal:
Cross Travis from Windy Point straight across on the bottom (1 mile traverse) as a simulated hard overhead (obviously deco will make it a soft overhead at least).
Secondary Goals:
Lay line around the river bottom to make diving it more plausible/interesting (I love it just the way it is to be honest).
Survey the line on the bottom (talk about a great narcosis drill!).
My basic plan is as follows:
1) Traverse line will begin at the edge of the old river bed (possibly farther up, but I have concerns about open water divers pulling it out by mistake in that case - a short jump between the shallow line and the deep line would prevent that though) and head due west.
2) 4' or 6' Mud stakes will be used to secure the line on the soft bottom at 50' intervals. (the original section is done with 3 and 4 foot stakes, which are both on the short side for the soft bottom).
3) Initial line instillation will focus on laying the line on the correct course, with fewer stakes.
4) Later teams can install additional/longer stakes as required to secure the line.
Things we need overall:
1) 1 to 1.5 miles of #18/#24 braided nylon line.
2) 1" PVC x 8' - 50 sticks.
3) A chase boat
4) Deep team for line install
5) Shallow safety divers for traverse.
6) O2 on chase boat
7) Extra bottles/regs
Want to be involved?
At this point the only requirement to be involved is a desire to help! Please post if you are interested. Eventually, I'll collect everyones email to get details of experience, certification, interest, etc. At that point we (as a group) will decide what requirements will be enforced for give roles in the project.
Things I can tell everyone for sure:
0) No one will be asked to do anything the are not 100% comfortable with.
1) You must be certified to the depth/deco profile you will be diving. We will not dive outside of our certifications or equipment.
2) I suspect that I will want all the safety divers to be at least Rescue Diver (or whatever a given agency calls it - SSI is Stress & Rescue for example). For those not at that level yet, it is a great certification and anyone diving seriously should have it. If there are a number of people that need it, we can look at an organized class for the project.
3) All diving will be in 2+ member teams. Some of us (tech/cave divers in particular) dive alone often, but for this project I we will work in teams. Anyone diving with us will need to observe that. All our line installation and survey procedures will be designed around a 2 person teams.
About 2 years ago, not long after completing tech diving training and about the time I did my full cave class, I had what seemed like a crazy idea. I wanted to swim across lack Travis, from Windy Point park straight across, on the bottom. This would be roughly a mile swim, and would involve considerable deco. My goal, besides being able to say I had done it, was to practice installing line, dealing with complex dive plans and just to have a mission when I go to Travis.
About a year ago, Carl (Phreatic Fanatic) and I finally laid the first 500 feet of line, starting at the edge of the old river bed heading straight out. The line was tied off to a log (I think, vis was pretty horid that day) and headed straight across as well as I could navigate on the scooter while managing the compass, the reel and Carl in tow behind me. As we went, we stopped to put in mud stakes at as close to regular intervals as possible. The first stake is a long way from the bank in any case and if I remember right, there are 5 stakes on 500' of line.
That is where the project stalled. My job and Carl's teaching restricted our dive time together.
However FIXXERVI6 found the line a few weeks ago and posted about it and somehow it got back to me. It seems there is some interest in this project! I'm starting this thread to "organize" the project. However, I want to be clear, I don't own the lake, and short of asking everyone not to destroy work that has been done, it is a free country. However, those that would like to try planning this like a "real" project, please post here. I want the experience doing it for my dive resume!
Goals and Planning
Primary Goal:
Cross Travis from Windy Point straight across on the bottom (1 mile traverse) as a simulated hard overhead (obviously deco will make it a soft overhead at least).
Secondary Goals:
Lay line around the river bottom to make diving it more plausible/interesting (I love it just the way it is to be honest).
Survey the line on the bottom (talk about a great narcosis drill!).
My basic plan is as follows:
1) Traverse line will begin at the edge of the old river bed (possibly farther up, but I have concerns about open water divers pulling it out by mistake in that case - a short jump between the shallow line and the deep line would prevent that though) and head due west.
2) 4' or 6' Mud stakes will be used to secure the line on the soft bottom at 50' intervals. (the original section is done with 3 and 4 foot stakes, which are both on the short side for the soft bottom).
3) Initial line instillation will focus on laying the line on the correct course, with fewer stakes.
4) Later teams can install additional/longer stakes as required to secure the line.
Things we need overall:
1) 1 to 1.5 miles of #18/#24 braided nylon line.
2) 1" PVC x 8' - 50 sticks.
3) A chase boat
4) Deep team for line install
5) Shallow safety divers for traverse.
6) O2 on chase boat
7) Extra bottles/regs
Want to be involved?
At this point the only requirement to be involved is a desire to help! Please post if you are interested. Eventually, I'll collect everyones email to get details of experience, certification, interest, etc. At that point we (as a group) will decide what requirements will be enforced for give roles in the project.
Things I can tell everyone for sure:
0) No one will be asked to do anything the are not 100% comfortable with.
1) You must be certified to the depth/deco profile you will be diving. We will not dive outside of our certifications or equipment.
2) I suspect that I will want all the safety divers to be at least Rescue Diver (or whatever a given agency calls it - SSI is Stress & Rescue for example). For those not at that level yet, it is a great certification and anyone diving seriously should have it. If there are a number of people that need it, we can look at an organized class for the project.
3) All diving will be in 2+ member teams. Some of us (tech/cave divers in particular) dive alone often, but for this project I we will work in teams. Anyone diving with us will need to observe that. All our line installation and survey procedures will be designed around a 2 person teams.
