Trip Report – December 16-17, 2000
Chuck Noe and Robert Laird
From Robert:
1st dive, it was a mess … I got super-entangled when we discovered the buoy line was wrapped around a mesquite tree … lots of monofilament. Chuck spent 5 minutes cutting me loose. Hairy! We did manage to fasten the block-and-tackle to an anchor point inside the cave and get it unfurled, but I called the dive on air.
2nd dive, success! We developed a new philosophy: JDOT … Just Do One Thing. On the first dive, we got carried away trying to do too much, and ended up only doing part of one thing. So, for the second dive we decided to leave everything on the boat that didn’t have anything to do with pulling the tire into clear water. We also decided to cut that tree off at the base … but, when we got down there, I kept pulling the line off different limbs (the line might have been cut if I sawed on the tree), and by the time I got the tree clear enough to cut, the line was free. We place a sub-surface buoy at about 30-feet, so that should now keep the line out of the tree … didn’t need to saw it. We got the lift-bag on the tire, and hauled it in. When the block-and-tackle ran out of rope, I just physically hauled it in (we don need no block-and-tackle! <g> ). Turns out the lift bag could actually lift the tire! We had to deflate it just so there’d be some friction to prevent the tire/lift-bag combo from blowing out.
We got the tire so that it’s right on the edge of the clear water.
We wrapped up the lines, stuck it all in a bag, tied the lift-bag to it and sent it to the surface. Clean as a whistle!
The 2nd dive was a great dive … we accomplished the main task. Bottom time was 40-minutes, but with all the other tasks we did, plus the deco, it was 100 minutes in the water.
For the next dive, we’ll wait for warmer water. .. it was about 56-degrees. Super windy, very cold.
From Chuck re: this dive:
And the “Year 2000 Tough Guy Award” goes to ………………….. (drum roll please) ……………………… Robert Laird, for his exhibition of determination and physical prowess in assuring that our GE anchor (tire) was left in its proper place. Our final assault for the winter on “Mugger Cave” was in keeping with its reputation.
We have determined, though, that “Murphy” doesn’t lurk in the crevices of this fine grotto, but waits anxiously outside the cavern entrance. Robert’s new philosophy (JDOT) is quickly proving to be a proven method for dealing with this cave. I encourage you all to heed his advice.
Though there still remains a host of entanglement hazards at this site, I now feel that we have made them manageable. Barring a major setback over the winter months divers should be able in the Spring to pull up to the surface buoy, tie up, then follow the buoy line directly into the clear-water zone of the cavern. We DO need to take some additional steps to assure that a large boat couldn’t accidentally (or intentionally) pull the anchor away from the entrance. That will be done next Spring. When time permits I will give further details if requested.
Chuck