Trip Report May 21-22, 2005
As submitted by: Chuck Noe
On Friday, May 20 Goodenoughers Chuck Noe, Rick Aurich, Mike Gault, Gregg Tatum, and Kyle Gage departed Austin and Houston in two groups. Mike had recently acquired a new 30’ pontoon boat that he, Gregg, and Kyle would trailer to Del Rio from Austin for its inaugural dive trip. Chuck and Rick traveled from Houston with only a vanload of gear. This initial trip of 2005 was planned with the objectives of inspecting the mooring system and lines/hardware in the cave, and to make any necessary repairs. Additionally, we were to meet scientist Ray Kamps, a doctoral candidate from Texas State University who is conducting permitted research on Goodenough Springs. We had agreed to deploy data-gathering instruments for Ray in the cave system as a secondary goal to our group’s tasks.
Launching and loading Mike’s new boat proved to be a time-consuming task in itself, but a very worthwhile endeavor nonetheless. Once loaded and underway, the loaded vessel was able to maintain a speed approximately 50% greater than that possible in the Swamp Yacht (our previous primary dive vessel). We launched the boat at the Diablo East facility, which made the surface run considerably longer (in distance). But avoiding the drive down Box Canyon Road made any extra transit time worth it.
I rode to the dive site with Ray in the state-owned center console boat. Having a 150 HP engine, we were able to speed ahead of Mike and the gang to do a couple of preliminary tasks. First off we stopped at buoy #1 near the dam to check the water clarity (or turbidity for you pessimists). We used a Secchi Disk (a standard scientific instrument) to note the visibility in the vertical water column. I was amazed to find that the disk was visible to over 11.5 meters (about 38 feet). Ray indicated that at this time Amistad was the clearest lake in the state of Texas. This proved to be somewhat true at GE as well. Before heading to the buoy at GE we made one more stop at buoy 19 (the nearest buoy to GE) where Ray placed a recording thermistor (temperature recorder) below the buoy. We were approached by a National Park Ranger while tied up to the marker-buoy (normally a legal offense). Ray was on a first-name basis with the captain (Gina) and crew (Eric). The research permit specifically allows Ray to tie to these buoys and we shared a short cordial conversation with the Rangers. I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet these National Park Service personnel, and to identify myself as one of the dive team members responsible for the exploration and maintenance of Goodenough Springs. They couldn’t have been any nicer and made the usual comments about cave divers being an odd lot.<g>
Once on-site we finalized dive plans and were able to enter the water from the pontoon boat utilizing giant-stride entries. Team 1 (Gregg and Kyle) placed deco bottles on the line and then descended to inspect the mooring from the tire/anchor to the surface. They carried a separate air cylinder that they used to re-inflate the 3 sub-surface buoys that had partially collapsed over the winter months due to increased lake depths. They performed their tasks flawlessly and efficiently.
Before team one surfaced, Rick and I entered the water as Team 2 carried line-repair hardware, 2 more of Ray’s recording thermisters, and a Hydrolab water testing instrument. The thermisters were placed at the junction of the main and Fire Hydrant tunnels and will record temperature data for approximately 12 months before being removed. The Hydrolab (which I believe tests for O2, salinity, temperature, and turbidity) was deployed in this same area and recorded data for approximately 24 hours (we removed it on Sunday).
After placing the instruments, Rick and I proceeded down the Fire Hydrant tunnel to a depth of approximately 187 ffw where a known hardware failure had occurred (see attached photos). The steel piton at this location had worn completely through due to the continual movement of the line. I spent several minutes holding onto the pull-line while attempting to hammer a new replacement piton into place, but the only time I even got one started, the rock wall fractured allowing the piton to fall to the cave floor. At this point I was overheated and worn out, so I placed the hardware and tools on the floor and signaled to Rick my intention to exit the cave. My dive profile had been 187 ffw for 20 minutes. We exited the cave and completed deco without incident.
For the second dive, Team 1 consisted of Mike and Gregg. They entered the water with several water-sample bottles (ranging from 1-25 liters in size) that they transported to the cave entrance for filling. Gregg purged and filled the smaller bottles just inside the clear-water zone, while Mike took the large sample bottle to the cave’s ceiling where he could purge it with air before filling, without the buoyancy becoming a problem. All the water samples were taken without any problems, though the physical load was significant.
Team 2, consisting of Rick and myself, entered the water to make another attempt at replacing the failed piton. Using both a 4# shop hammer and a claw hammer I eventually managed to remove the existing piton, then replace it with a new one. Rick worked to untangle and secure the smaller left guideline (Robert’s original line), while I untangled the knotted pull-line and removed the large plastic cord-reel that had been left in the cave over the winter. It was at this point that I realized our original pull-line had failed somewhere near its attachment further in the cave. The only remaining secure pull-line was the one passing through the restriction, and if this line were to fail, we would be set back to the point we were at in 2001 (before any line had reached the restriction). I temporarily connected the 2 remaining lines with an aluminum carabiner before Rick and I began our exit. Runtime on this dive was near 25 minutes at 187 ffw and deco went without a hitch.
After a nice ride back to the dock in Mike’s fabulous (yet to be named) boat, we unloaded, packed up, and headed in to clean up before meeting for dinner and discussion. After dinner, we set a 7:00 a.m. meeting time and retired for the evening following our hard day’s work.
On Sunday, we were to conduct only one dive so the necessary gear load was considerably lighter. We made good time on the way to the spring and were ready to dive in short order. This time Team 1 consisted of Rick and Gregg whose tasks included photographic documentation (by Rick) and retrieval of the previously placed Hydrolab instrument. They completed their tasks expeditiously and Rick shot some great photos which he’ll likely share with the Goodenoughers list.
Mike and I formed Team 2 and we entered the water within about 10 minutes of Team 1. We were excited and privileged to be carrying a brand new (and extremely expensive) Doppler flow measurement instrument provided by Texas State University. This was to be the first time the device had ever been used, and our initial results were promising. But before we could take the much-anticipated measurements, we had to inspect the broken pull-line and its attachment piton, as well as secure the detached line. I managed to use the remaining pull-line to reach the restriction where I found the “terminal piton” and stainless-steel carabiner to be intact with a short section of attached heavy line pulled into a ceiling fissure. I detached the carabiner to be sure that the gate was not frozen, and then reinstalled it into the piton for the time being. I retreated with Mike to the “well”, securing the free line along the way.
At the well, Mike and I agreed to re-enter the Fire Hydrant tunnel with the Doppler flow meter in an attempt to get some preliminary measurements. Mike led with the instrument while I held position behind him providing additional light. After removing the instrument’s protective shroud, Mike was able to take 3 separate measurements near the location of the previously replaced piton. We were approaching our dive limits so Mike re-installed the shroud before we made our way towards the exit. Once outside the cave’s entrance I experienced a brief problem relating to a valve roll-off. With Mike’s assistance I determined the problem and remedied it before we began our otherwise unremarkable ascent.
I would like to note that the visibility at the dive site was outstanding, though not the 38 feet measured near the dam. For the first time ever, team members described being able to see the green surface glow from the cave’s entrance at 160 ffw, and the adjacent cliffs were quite visible during descents and ascents. This exceptional clarity allowed our best look ever at the terrain surrounding the dive site. Let’s hope that these conditions continue into the summer.
Also, a quick look at the results of the Doppler measurements revealed water velocities in the main passage of the Fire Hydrant tunnel to range from 70 to 80 cm/s. This translates to nearly 3 feet per second (approximately 1.8 mph). While this is an intense current that an equipped diver could not swim against, the flow speed at the restriction is considerably higher still. We are very pleased to have these initial velocity measurements and plan to return soon for more work with this particular instrument.
Let me thank everyone involved in this event, as well as our new research partner Ray Kamps. I would also like to say that I appreciate the efforts of every member of the Goodenough team, and I look forward to working with each and every one of you in the coming months.