{"id":747,"date":"2022-08-29T11:43:50","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T16:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/?page_id=747"},"modified":"2022-08-29T11:43:50","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T16:43:50","slug":"june-2004","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/exploration\/exploration-posts\/pastevents\/june-2004\/","title":{"rendered":"June 2004"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trip Report \u2013 6\/5\/04<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Submitted by Chuck Noe<\/span><\/p>\n

Following hurricane Claudette of 2003, Goodenough Springs turned into a fierce and foreboding cave. Check dives on July 19th, July 30th, and September 21st of 2003 revealed tremendous flow and turbidity, never seen in the previous three-and-one-half years of this project. On each of these dives we witnessed a slight improvement in conditions, but through our last dive of the season in September, the high flow made attempts at passing the major restriction a physical impossibility. But a glimmer of hope emerged on that dive when I was able to see some natural clearing of the restriction due to the remarkable flow. Knowing that it would be mid-2004 before we could attack the restriction again, I could only hope that it would remain somewhat open. Luck has smiled upon us this time.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the evening of Friday, June 4, 2004, Rick Aurich, Mike Gault, and I met at the Del Rio Days Inn to plan dives for the following morning. Each of us had come prepared to venture beyond the cave\u2019s restriction (the Laird Restriction) if the opportunity presented itself. Our second objective was to complete any and all repairs needed to the mooring\/buoy system in place at the dive site. A steady rise in the lake level has occurred in the past year leaving the lake on this dive at a surface elevation of 1,092\u2019 (only 25\u2019 below the \u201cconservation level\u201d of 1,117\u2019). This meant that the entrance to the cave was now approximately 142 ffw below the lake\u2019s surface, and the restriction was at approximately 183 ffw. Trimix was to be used on all penetration dives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once our gear was loaded into the Swamp Yacht, the boat ride to the dive site was eerily different due to the much-higher water levels. None of the lake\u2019s features appeared the same, and our regular navigational landmarks were now underwater. Even the plentiful cliffs which line the route were now replaced with gently rolling slopes. After a slow ride (we were carrying 28 assorted cylinders in addition to our other gear) we found the marker buoy intact at the surface. What used to be only a couple hundred yards from shore was now closer to a thousand yards out into the lake. The conditions were quite windy, and with the cave\u2019s discharge now some 140\u2019 below the surface, there was no longer a \u201cslick\u201d or \u201cboil\u201d at the surface.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first dive was planned to be our strongest \u201cpush\u201d to pass the restriction, and I was prepared with 11\/54\/35 trimix in 125cf sidemount bottles (at 3,600 psi) which would allow me to surpass 300 ffw of depth if the opportunity presented itself. I also carried an aluminum 80 stage bottle of 20\/25\/55 for traveling to the restriction (and for my first deco gas). Additional deco bottles of EAN 50 and O2 were placed in the appropriate locations as well. Rick and Mike had gasses that were specifically mixed to accommodate their particular dive profiles. It was agreed that I would travel beyond the restriction as a solo diver with Rick and Mike limiting their dives to the previously lined section of the cave past the restriction. Rick and Mike were very gracious in planning to provide me with any support necessary to complete my deeper dive. Not knowing whether the restriction would be passable, I planned to abort the dive without switching to the sidemounts if the restriction appeared impassable.<\/span><\/p>\n

The three of us entered the water together, and after a brief delay I began my descent deploying my deco bottles along the way. Visibility in the lake water was 10 feet or so and the shallow waters were near 80 degrees in temperature. The first thermocline was at approximately 70 ffw where the water temperature fell rapidly into the mid-60s. When I reached the cave\u2019s entrance, the water cleared to reveal visibility in the range of 25-50 feet, with a temperature in the low 80s. Because of my initial delay, Rick and Mike were ahead of me and were waiting inside the cave as I approached the entrance. I paused briefly at the tire\/anchor (the grim-reaper sign is now buried by rocks and gravel) to confirm the depth at 142 ffw. I then proceeded to the \u201ctee\u201d where I exchanged \u201cokays\u201d with Rick and turned left into the Fire Hydrant Tunnel. Mike was already near the restriction holding his position on Robert\u2019s original floor-line and I passed to his right to get my first look at the restriction in nine months. The first thing I noticed was that the floor-to-ceiling height in the far reaches of the Fire Hydrant Tunnel was considerably lower than before. There was a significant build-up of rocks on the floor, and I could see only a small end of the landscape timber sticking oddly out of the piles. A small opening in the ceiling I had previously used to hide from the flow, was now just beyond my right shoulder. I diverted my focus to the restriction and marveled that the hole which contained the pull-line was now obviously passable. But even more amazing was the fact that the low bedding plane restriction to the right now looked \u201ctight but passable\u201d on sidemounts. [Note: While this bedding plane appeared passable, I strongly advise against any attempts to do so. The incredibly strong flow patterns in this cave could easily force a diver into a section of the cave where exiting is difficult or even impossible (even on sidemounts). Any attempt to pass the restriction should stay strictly on the existing line during these periods of high flow.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon my confirmation that the restriction remained open, I moved back on the pull-line and switched from my stage bottle to my sidemounts, clipping the stage to the line. I then proceeded to pull myself along the knotted line towards the restriction\u2019s opening to the left of the bedding plane. It required great physical effort to pull myself the 20-25 feet to the opening (I wear a wetsuit, as opposed to a drysuit, primarily to minimize the drag imposed by the flow). The enlarged opening allowed me to pull myself through without moving any rocks or gravel, and I didn\u2019t feel confined by the formation at any time. Though I didn\u2019t specifically consider it at the time, it might have even been possible for a diver to squeeze through wearing backmounted cylinders. Once through the opening, the flow diminished somewhat, but it was still too strong to swim against. I pulled myself along the cave walls until reaching the second piton which anchors the pull-line in the cave. That piton and attachment appeared to be in good shape but the permanent guideline laid in 2002 had broken and was fluttering in the \u201cbreeze\u201d. Disappointed that I wouldn\u2019t be able to quickly reach the previous end-of-the-line, I tied in a new line and proceeded to start laying a new guideline. After going a short distance to the right side of the tunnel I noticed the broken line to my left, so I backed up a bit and followed my original route to the left. I did a double-wrap around a large formation (which had somewhat sharp edges and may have been where the original line broke). I then proceeded down a steep drop, pulling myself down since the flow was still too strong to allow a negative-buoyancy descent. At the bottom of this chute I encountered another lesser restriction of hard, smooth, scalloped rock. I passed through this area with some difficulty due to the lack of handholds. Shortly after passing this restriction, the floor leveled out and I noticed a large horizontal projection that appeared to be a perfect tie-off. I made two wraps around this feature and then tied and cut the line, leaving enough extra line to tie a loop in the end. I checked my depth gauge at this point which read 275 ffw.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having completed my task I finally widened my field of vision to observe what was in front of me. The projection I had just tied to was at the top of a ledge that opened into what appeared to be the largest room I\u2019ve seen yet in the entire system. Keep in mind that my stress level was considerable at this moment, and my focus was still somewhat narrow, but the room looked to be perhaps 15 feet wide, 15 feet high, and maybe 25 feet long. The floor was fairly level and covered in broken rocks and gravel. I couldn\u2019t see beyond that room. My immediate thought was to drop to the floor of the room before turning my dive, just to check the depth (which I\u2019d estimate at 290 ffw) but when I looked at the pressure gauge on my right cylinder I realized that it had already fallen slightly below my planned turn pressure. It was time to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the way out I couldn\u2019t believe how the guideline ran straight up at one point. I also noticed my original tie-off (from 2002) intact with a line arrow on my right (I didn\u2019t see it on the way in). I paid great attention to reaching the exit at the correct point of the opening so that I couldn\u2019t get caught in the bedding plane. As I approached the opening I could see the welcome glow of another light on the other side. I popped through and glided to my stage\/travel\/deco bottle on the line. My primary reel was trailing a bit of free line so I passed it to Mike for him to deal with. He also unclipped my safety spool which trailed some free line as well. Rick exchanged \u201cokays\u201d with me while monitoring my gas switch. I then gave the thumbs-up and headed towards the front of the cave.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the tire\/anchor I considered my decompression obligations and waited just inside the warmer water of the cave. I decided to take advantage of the Buhlman decompression guidelines and head for the shallowest stop possible to avoid a prolonged exposure to the cold lake water. I ascended slowly from 140 ffw to 80 ffw where I did a minimal stop. One stop later at 70 ffw I made another gas switch and basked in the warmer water above the thermocline. As my deco stops brought me closer to the surface, the water continued to get warmer and my comfort level increased. Rick and Mike stayed with me through most of my 20\u2019 stop before eventually leaving me extra oxygen and surfacing. Two hours and eight minutes after beginning my dive I surfaced uneventfully.<\/span><\/p>\n

After a considerable surface interval Rick and I returned to the water for repairs and maintenance of the buoy system while Mike provided surface support. We added 10 feet of galvanized chain to the mooring, re-inflated the sub-surface buoy, and then scraped the surface buoy clean. This buoy will certainly need to be replaced in the near future.<\/span><\/p>\n

All in all the day was an incredible success. After nearly four years of hard labor, Mother Nature cleared the restriction for us. The problem is, we can\u2019t be sure how long these conditions will remain. I hope to get another shot at completing the deep exploration very soon. Stay tuned.<\/span><\/p>\n

On a related note, we chose to explore another interesting lead in Lake Amistad on Sunday. If possible I would like for Mike to report on that dive. Additionally, I encourage both Rick and Mike to submit reports about their perceptions of the GE dives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks again to everyone who has helped to make this project a success over the past five years. Our accomplishments are a direct result of everybody\u2019s efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chuck<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trip Report \u2013 6\/5\/04 Submitted by Chuck Noe Following hurricane Claudette of 2003, Goodenough Springs turned into a fierce and foreboding cave. Check dives on July 19th, July 30th, and September 21st of 2003 revealed tremendous flow and turbidity, never seen in the previous three-and-one-half years of this project. On each of these dives we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":215,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"protect_children":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-747","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=747"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":748,"href":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/747\/revisions\/748"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodenoughsprings.org\/gsep-wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}