Awright, y'all, I've cleaned this thing up 'cause there's some worthwhile points in what's left.
But please, no more flames...
Thanks in advance.
Rick
But please, no more flames...
Thanks in advance.
Rick
Voodoo Gas In The Vortex! :)
- Thread starter Fish_Whisperer
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fairybasslet
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Fish_Whisperer:
:lol: :lol: I'm sure the mods feel differently.
OP
Fish_Whisperer
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Thank you, Rick. (Nice meeting you and Tom at Vortex, by the way!)
Lots of OW divers have died in that cave. As I recall one incident took 8 or so all at the same time.
I know an instructor who went in there with a student. Niether was cave trained or equiped. Back near the grate the student had a problem with his reg and wasn't getting air. The instructor, knowing that he didn't have enough to get them both out ran for it leaving the student on his own. Fortunately the student somehow got his reg working again and made it out too.
I have mixed feelings about the permenant lights that have been installed. I don't know if it's better to provide light for the ones who insist on going in or to try to put them off by making it look like a cave again. It's a nice little cave but all the hardware they have hung in there is just plain ugly.
the owners and the folks who run the place are nice people and I don't think they want any one hurt. The aren't going to keep OW divers out of the spring so I don't know what the best answer is beyond good judgment on the part of divers and instructors. Fat chance of that huh?
Beyond the grate it's kind of a neat cave but unless you're pretty determined and diving side mounts you can't really get very far...don't remember the exact numbers. before the grate there is at least one side tunel that I remember so it may not be the no-brainer that it appears especially if the lights were to go out.
I know an instructor who went in there with a student. Niether was cave trained or equiped. Back near the grate the student had a problem with his reg and wasn't getting air. The instructor, knowing that he didn't have enough to get them both out ran for it leaving the student on his own. Fortunately the student somehow got his reg working again and made it out too.
I have mixed feelings about the permenant lights that have been installed. I don't know if it's better to provide light for the ones who insist on going in or to try to put them off by making it look like a cave again. It's a nice little cave but all the hardware they have hung in there is just plain ugly.
the owners and the folks who run the place are nice people and I don't think they want any one hurt. The aren't going to keep OW divers out of the spring so I don't know what the best answer is beyond good judgment on the part of divers and instructors. Fat chance of that huh?
Beyond the grate it's kind of a neat cave but unless you're pretty determined and diving side mounts you can't really get very far...don't remember the exact numbers. before the grate there is at least one side tunel that I remember so it may not be the no-brainer that it appears especially if the lights were to go out.
I would be interested in Uncle Ricky's opinion of the dangers of diving the accessible parts of Vortex. He is an instructor and knows the area.
Rick Murchison:
I wish I could come.
Wayward Son
Contributor
TheRedHead:
ditto
PerroneFord
Contributor
I talked this summer to a diver who'd done hte entire cave a Vortex. He said it was nice, but fairly unremarkable. This coming from someone who studies cave biology for a living and has been in caves all over the world.
I think many people feel the allure of the caves. I know I did. I did the ballroom at Ginnie LONG before I should have been in there. I've done the cavern at Morrison on several occasions. It's certainly a risk. However, I am not going in wide-eyed these days. I've run reels on land and in the water, I am carrying lights, and am carrying spools for lost line work should I need to. I have the skill to not silt. I am carrying 2 hours of gas on my back, and I can follow a line blind and stay off the bottom.
Am I a cave diver? HECK no. I am still building up to cavern. The thing that scares me is the people who are not from around an area with caves, don't get to dive with cavers and really don't know what it's all about. They have no idea what rule of thirds is, or how much gas you can really burn through at 100+ feet if something bad should happen. A high performance reg free flow at that depth could doom a diver on a single tank. Especially since they proably wont be on a long hose so their buddy could donate them gas and they can exit.
I guess I've read about enough cave depths to have true respect for the environment. And I did dry caves many years ago, so I have some appreciation from that perspective.
I think many people feel the allure of the caves. I know I did. I did the ballroom at Ginnie LONG before I should have been in there. I've done the cavern at Morrison on several occasions. It's certainly a risk. However, I am not going in wide-eyed these days. I've run reels on land and in the water, I am carrying lights, and am carrying spools for lost line work should I need to. I have the skill to not silt. I am carrying 2 hours of gas on my back, and I can follow a line blind and stay off the bottom.
Am I a cave diver? HECK no. I am still building up to cavern. The thing that scares me is the people who are not from around an area with caves, don't get to dive with cavers and really don't know what it's all about. They have no idea what rule of thirds is, or how much gas you can really burn through at 100+ feet if something bad should happen. A high performance reg free flow at that depth could doom a diver on a single tank. Especially since they proably wont be on a long hose so their buddy could donate them gas and they can exit.
I guess I've read about enough cave depths to have true respect for the environment. And I did dry caves many years ago, so I have some appreciation from that perspective.
TheRedHead:
Since he's also a cave diver, Id like to hear his opinion too.
A more interesting question would be, does he take students of OW classes who aren't cavern or cave trained in there and if not, why not?
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