Trip Report – September 10-11, 2005
Submitted by: Chuck Noe
This weekend, Goodenoughers Rick Aurich and Ryan DeSpain traveled with me from Houston to Del Rio where we met our Goodenougher research partner Ray Kamps for a weekend of diving at GE. Jeff Chance and Ryan Eastman, from Austin, also joined us at my invitation. We had the Swamp Yacht and Texas State’s Kenner to accommodate the six of us, so boat space was more than adequate (Gregg Tatum had to make a justified last-minute cancellation).
Ray ferried the Kenner to Box Canyon from the Diablo East launch to avoid the poor road conditions on Box Canyon Road, while I launched the Swamp Yacht at Box Canyon. We were surprised and pleased to find an elaborate new floating dock assembly (sorry Robert, it wasn’t an EZ-Dock) at Box Canyon when we arrived. They were still in the process of positioning everything, but there were at least four new wider dock sections in place that should relieve crowding during peak periods. Now if they would just PAVE THE ROAD! We loaded the boats with gear for two dives and headed towards the spring.
Once on site, Ray programmed the Doppler flow-meter while we finalized the dive plans. Ryan (D.) entered the water first to set the deco bottles at 30 and 80 feet for Rick and me before completing a cursory exploration of the rock face above the spring. Ryan reported brisk outflow ascending along the wall to the south of the entrance, and diminished flow along the wall to the north. Visibility was somewhat better in the reduced flow and he saw several large catfish in that area.
Following Ryan’s dive, the plan called for Rick and me to deploy the flow meter in the restriction, and for Jeff and Ryan (E.) to follow 10 minutes later with the Hydrolab. Everything went according to plan as Rick and I took a series of measurements in the restriction before retreating to the Well. Jeff and Ryan approached the tee right on time and Rick pointed out the best spot for attaching the Hydrolab. Once that instrument was set, Ryan and Jeff headed down the Fire Hydrant Tunnel in their sidemount gear to get a look at the restriction. They reported after the dive that Ryan passed through the restriction and to the point where our utility reel is anchored before turning around. Jeff inspected the pull-lines outside the restriction and held position during Ryan’s brief penetration. They completed a cursory look at the entrance tunnel before exiting.
Following a relaxing surface interval at a nearby shoreline, we again moored at the windy/choppy buoy and prepared for the second dive. Having experienced a malfunction with the flow meter on dive one, Rick and I entered the water for the second dive to re-take measurements in the restriction. Jeff, Ryan, and Ryan followed 10 minutes behind where they held position at the entrance until we finished our measurements. As planned, we all met at the anchor/tire where Rick and Ryan (D.) joined as buddies to explore the cavern. Meanwhile, I teamed up with Jeff and Ryan to complete a more thorough look at the entrance tunnel. I guided Ryan to the Flowstone Room and held position outside the entrance restriction while he briefly entered to look at the formations there. Shortly thereafter we retrieved the Hydrolab and Doppler before commencing our ascent to the surface.
Jeff and Ryan were unable to stay for Sunday’s dive, so we dined at Chili’s to discuss the day’s events while watching the beginnings of UT’s football victory over Ohio State on TV. From what I saw, this may be Mack Brown’s best chance to revenge 5 straight years of losing to OU. Good luck Mackie!
Back at the hotel, we (again) discovered that we had failed to capture the desired data on our dive into the restriction. We teamed up to remedy the glitchy battery pack before deciding to give it one last try on Sunday. That morning Rick, Ryan, and I entered the water together with the Doppler and a couple of water sampling bottles. Rick had his digital-camera/dual-strobe setup and was to follow me to the restriction taking pictures while I deployed the instrument. Ryan held position inside the clear-water zone and collected water samples while Rick and I were in the Fire Hydrant Tunnel. All went well as I repeatedly saw the camera flash behind me. After taking a few readings we both retreated to the entrance tunnel where Rick continued to take photos. I did a brief inspection of the guideline in the Flowstone Room to see if it needed attention. It was in fairly good shape so I left it untouched. We all exited the cavern area together as Rick continued taking photos well into our decompression stops (I’m sure Rick will have some great photos to share with us soon).
We packed up at the surface and headed for the dock to reload the van. Coordinating with Ray we met at Luby’s for lunch and to check for valid flow readings from the Doppler. This time we were successful in capturing several good measurements.
It is always hard to judge the strength of flow at the restriction by “feel” alone. The flow is always very strong, though sometimes it seems harder to approach the restriction than others. The peak reading from our previous trip had placed the maximum flow speed at approximately 275 feet per minute (a measurement Mike recorded), but on this date, the peak reading I was able to record was only near 180 feet per minute. This would indicate a drop in flow speed of about 35% (~95 fpm) from our previous trip. Incidental measurements taken at the cave entrance also indicated similar diminished flow speeds (compared to previous readings). The “average” speed in all measurements near the restriction was approximately 160 feet per minute. It appears (with this limited data) that there has been a significant reduction in flow over these summer months (though our limited sampling cannot make this conclusion absolute). It is believed that there have been no significant rain events in the suspected recharge zone for GE in the past couple of months, and this may be responsible for the (observed) diminishing flow.
In any case, the flow was still very strong (at 180 feet per minute peak) in the system, and there is little indication that the cave is in danger of significant further reductions. It would be fantastic if we could somehow continue regular monitoring of the flow at specific stations (using the Doppler), but once Ray’s research is complete, our access to the instrumentation will be non-existent. The cost of that particular tool is about $11,000.00, which far exceeds our organization’s budget. But if others share my desire to begin regular monitoring of flow at GE, perhaps we can start brainstorming for ideas in making that possible. Any ideas? New research projects/partners? This is extremely useful information if we can come up with a plan to put it all together.
To conclude, let me first say thanks to Ray for his diligence in helping us gather the data on this trip in spite of our difficulties. Thanks go out to relatively-new Goodenougher Ryan DeSpain for his assistance on Saturday and Sunday. And also, thank you Jeff and Ryan, who have generously offered their assistance on future work and exploration at GE. Lastly, thanks go out to Rick for his underwater photography work. We’re all anxiously awaiting your post. Each of you is encouraged to add your own particular observations and comments about this successful trip.