{"id":34,"date":"2022-08-09T17:18:39","date_gmt":"2022-08-09T17:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/?page_id=34"},"modified":"2022-08-28T10:15:44","modified_gmt":"2022-08-28T15:15:44","slug":"logistical-information","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/logistical-information\/","title":{"rendered":"Logistics"},"content":{"rendered":"

The information on this page is intended only to illustrate that the logistics for diving this underwater cave are substantial and beyond most divers’ capabilities.\u00a0 This is not a guide or checklist, nor is it intended to provide specific information about how to dive Goodenough Springs.<\/span><\/p>\n

To start, one has to get<\/em> to the entrance of the cave in order to swim into it.\u00a0 In a place like Florida, you can often back your van up to within 10-50 yards of the water, set up your kit on the back of the van then walk to the water with your kit strapped to your back and fins in your hand.\u00a0 To dive Goodenough Springs, you first need to get to Del Rio, Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if you live in Texas, to Del Rio from San Antonio is 156 miles, 2 hrs 43 min by car; from Austin, 234 miles and 4:19; from Houston: 351 miles, 5:47; from El Paso or Dallas: 424 miles, 6:42.\u00a0 So, it’s not a convenient place to get to.\u00a0 These distances impact divers\u2019 ability to deal with emergencies, such as a hyperbaric injury. How far to the nearest chamber?\u00a0 How much time to get there? And once you get to Del Rio, you will need a boat… a reliable boat that can be used for this kind of heavy-duty diving.
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If you get to Del Rio and have a boat, you need to fill it with every single tank that you will need for your dives.\u00a0 How many tanks will you need?\u00a0 Are you a trimix cave diver with experience of diving below 200 feet?\u00a0 Then you’ll know the answer to that question.\u00a0 \"\"You’ll need tanks with air, tanks with nitrox, tanks with various mixtures of trimix, a couple of tanks of pure O2 (for deco and for emergencies) and tanks with argon (in the cool months, for your drysuit).\u00a0 Factor in, of course, how many dives you’ll be doing, and how many divers are involved.\u00a0 You’ll need all the redundant cave diving regulators, lights, lines, and miscellaneous equipment, along with spares and repair kits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Suddenly, the boat needs to be a lot bigger.\u00a0 It will require more power (if you don’t want to spend 75% of the day getting there and back), and a lot of fuel.\u00a0 Will it have a cover so you don’t bake in the sun?\u00a0 Will you have radios, first aid kits, and other emergency equipment?<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past, there have been a few marinas where some of the above can be procured, but in 2022 the number of open marinas is down to one.\u00a0 Also, with the lake level so far down (August 2022), just getting a boat into the water (and out again) is a major operation, and may not even be possible. (In August 2022, the Park Service states: “Because of low water, [some] ramps [like Box Canyon] may be used only for launching small, lightweight craft that can be carried to the launch point, like kayaks and canoes.”)\u00a0 If you’re lucky and the lake level is higher, that just means you have a deeper dive ahead of you.\u00a0 At normal conservation levels, the entrance to the cave is at 166 ffw.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ok, so, now you’re in Del Rio, you’ve got a boat and all your tanks and equipment are loaded, where do you go?\u00a0 There are no signs directing you there.\u00a0 Yes, there’s information about a buoy, but when you’re bobbing up and down by one buoy, it’s very hard to see the next one.\u00a0 You’ll need GPS and a latitude\/longitude to get you close.\u00a0 The journey to get there is, at best, about 20 minutes in good weather, in a fast boat from Box Canyon… but if you don’t put in at Box Canyon?\u00a0 if you don’t have a fast boat?\u00a0 If the weather is against you? You may be spending an hour or longer — one-way — just to get to the general area.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you drift across the international boundary — in the middle of the lake — that makes you no longer eligible for emergency services. It’s likely there will be no cell service, plus, emergent shorelines may restrict VHF radio transmissions. Boaters that may approach you may only speak Spanish. Border patrol will sometimes want to board your boat and check things out.\u00a0 What do you do if they want to look inside a tank?
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So, you’ve managed all the above and you’re in the area, but where is the cave?\u00a0 The GSEP — through great effort and expense — has put in and maintained a buoy system that is anchored near the entrance to the cave.\u00a0 But is it still there?\u00a0 Several times since the exploration began around 1995, the buoy system has simply collapsed or disappeared.\u00a0 If it isn’t there, how do you find the cave entrance?\u00a0 If you’re very lucky and the conditions in both the cave and on the lake are right, then you might see a boil on the surface of the water.\u00a0 But you have to follow that boil to 100+ feet in very murky water, and you may not find the entrance on the first…. or fifth… attempt, so the valuable daylight is rapidly disappearing, and you’re using up your valuable gas supply just finding it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Congratulations, you’ve got all the equipment you need and you’re on-site, and you’ve got the boat tied on to the buoy.\u00a0 The diving is about to begin but you need a plan.\u00a0 How much bottom time will you have?\u00a0 Are you prepared for the long deco?\u00a0 Do you need to place deco bottles?\u00a0 Do you have in-water support or are you just winging it?\u00a0 Is the lake water cold?\u00a0 Oh, and take along needle-nose pliers in case you impale yourself on the many fishing hooks found in the area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Finally, you get to the warning sign at the entrance to the cave and you try to swim into it… but the flow of water is too great.\u00a0 So you grab on to the line and pull yourself in. Your regulator starts free-flowing from the flow pressing the purge button. You turn your head to check on your buddy, and your facemask is almost pulled off your face. Your mask is now half full of water.\u00a0 Can you clear it but only use one hand? And stop your regulator from being pulled from your mouth. If you use two hands, you’ll be blown out of the cave. And you’ve only gone a few feet into the cave, pulling on a line. And you’re not even yet fully into the main room. The Fire Hydrant Tunnel is worse… much worse.<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, you’ve done all the easy stuff.\u00a0 Now it gets hard.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
We’re acutely aware that many modern rebreathers might make diving at GE much less difficult at depth, yet they can be cumbersome (large diameter corrugated hoses in that flow?) and the difficulties and dangers still remain. For example, we’ve seen scrubbers overheating due to the divers’ exertion against the flow. The high flow could cause water to enter the loop. Can you bailout in those high flow conditions?<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Below is a short compilation of links to resources that may or may not be helpful.\u00a0 This information may be out of date. We leave it here more as a reminder of what we need to think about — hotels? ice for ice chests? — and what needs to be done before leaving home.\u00a0 We also leave it here in fond remembrance of past trips we’ve made to the cave.\u00a0 If it helps you, then so much the better but don’t rely on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

NOTE: \u00a0 Some of the information below is out-of-date and\/or inaccurate. \u00a0 As time permits, this information will be corrected.<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

WARNING<\/em><\/span>: Goodenough Springs is one of the most dangerous underwater caves in the world. \u00a0 No amount of training and experience can prepare you for this cave. \u00a0 Only through careful incremental steps of introduction to the cave and its environment can dives be conducted safely.\u00a0 You and you alone are responsible for the result of any action you take with the information provided on the website.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

It cannot be overstated:<\/strong>\u00a0 do not<\/em><\/strong><\/span> rely on any information below… do your own Internet searches, call way ahead and confirm prices and availability for any service, for the dates you have in mind.<\/p>\n

Link: \u00a0 Amistad National Recreation Area<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Link: \u00a0 Topographic maps of the area<\/a>, 29\u00b032′ N, 101\u00b015′ W<\/span><\/p>\n

Link:\u00a0 Lake Amistad Lake Level<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Link:\u00a0 Lake Amistad Park Info<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Link: Amistad Current Conditions<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Check-in<\/span><\/b> with the National Park Service rangers at 830-775-7492. The spring is located near Buoy 18. You may not find it unless you or your buddy have been there before. At normal lake levels, the cave opening is at around 140-150 feet. This is a very advanced, deep cave dive. From Diablo East Marina, it’s a 30- to 90-minute boat ride to get there (depending on the speed of your boat, of course), so take 2 sets of doubles and stages, food and water for the whole day, warm and waterproof clothes if it’s below 70\u00b0F outside. If you leave from Box Canyon, it’s 30-40 minutes, but the drive to get air fills from Box Canyon is at least 25 minutes each way. (<\/span>Photo of original springs.<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Lodging<\/span><\/b> (not verified since 2004):<\/span><\/p>\n