Cave Diving Section

  Minutes of the Devil's Eye Line Committee

11-14-2008

  The Devil’s Ear line committee met with GSO Friday afternoon
    Larry Green, Lamar Hires, Bill Main, Rose Meadows, Mark Wray and Doug
    Chappell (Bill’s dive buddy)
   
    GSO management is very concerned with the exploration going on beyond
    the Henkel. After the fatality they are hypersensitive to internet
    chatter and cave divers doing long dives. Bill went through the first
    restriction, looking for a bypass, and stopped at the rock restriction. His
    dive eased the concern of ownership but we must be proactive to
    heighten awareness and the dangers of long penetrations into the
    system. GSO primary concern is for diver safety, if another diver is
    lost in the new section it could lead to closing the park to cave
    divers.
   
    It is common knowledge that divers are running DPV beyond the Henkel
    and this is disturbing for the environment and diver safety. GSO
    wants this to stop or they will stop the use of DPV in the system. A
    number of actions were discussed, we start with the following.
    Limiting DPV activity to designated areas via gold line routes and
    posting a sign at the Henkel
1)No DPV beyond Henkel with new gold line and stop sign for
    DPV at Henkel
2)GSO will post a warning sign on the surface stating the
    limits of step one
3)New information sheet for divers to leave on vehicle with
    dive plan and estimated time of exit
   
    if this fails to achieve the goal of making GSO management
    comfortable with the new generation of divers and exploration then
    the other steps could be implemented until they are comfortable
    including

1)Curfew on evening dives
2)DPV band
3)No cave diving
   
    Direct from ownership – they do not need the headache or liability of
    cave diving but recognize they have an attraction. They do not want
    to close it but will if that’s what they need to do so they can sleep
    at night.
   
    What the DE line committee needs from the CDS
    5000’ of the kermantle gold line
    to reline the main route and stop it at the Henkel
    Change the Big Room route to gold
    Gold line up Hill 400 line to distance TBD
   
    Gold line will indicate the only areas for DPV use
   
    DE committee will lay the line and clean up lines beyond the Henkel
    in a fashion that will help us determine the route of divers in case
    of an incident beyond the Henkel.
 

QRSOC Bulletin

Cenote Calimba Update.

As of 5th February 2007

The collapse at Cenote Calimba has now been cleared and there is access to the open water and an exit.

It is once again possible to enter and exit at Cenote Calimba.

All relevent directional markers have been changed to reflect this.

If you are diving upstream on the Paso De largato line from Grand Cenote or Cenote Hotul the  permanent line markers are set up as follows:

Double yellow line arrows mark the jump from the Paso De Largato line to the start of the Calimba line. There is a single yellow line arrow at the start of the Calimba line pointing out to the double yellow line arrows and the exit at Grand Cenote / Cenote Hotul. After you are on the Calimba line all further line arrows point to the exit at Calimba.

The QRSOC would like to thank Maureen Lunney and John Ivanic for assisting one of the Safety officers in making the changes.

The QRSOC would again plase ask that no unauthorised changes are made to the permanent lines or markers in this or any other cave system.

Q.Roo Safety Officers Newsletter
December 2006

Q.Roo Safety Officers Newsletter Dec 2006

Fellow Cavern / Cave Divers welcome to the Q.Roo Safety Officers Newsletter.

The newsletter this month has information on the following topics:

1. Response to the last QRSOC Bulletin
2. Unauthorized Line Changes
3. Repair to permanent cave line in Chac Mool
4. Cenote Calimba Collapse
5. The Calimba / Grand Cenote Snap & Gap
6. Dos Ojos
7. QRSOC Projects for 2007

Quintana Roo Safety Officers Committee

Q.Roo Safety Officers Important Safety Bulletin
December 27, 2006

Q.Roo Safety Officers

5:52 pm (1 hour ago)
Important Safety Bulletin

Collapse of Cenote Calimba Sistema Sac Actun

At this time heavy machinery is working at the Calimba Cenote and the entrance to the cenote has collapsed blocking access to the water. Currently it is impossible to exit the water here if entering from another cenote.

Please adjust your dive plans so you can enter/exit through Grand Cenote or Cenote Hotul avoiding the area of the cave close to the Calimba entrance which may well be unstable and prone to further collapse.

The QRSOC will give further updates as more information becomes available or if the situation changes.

Quintana Roo Safety Officers Committee

Memorial to Bernd Aspacher
September 29, 2003

It is with great sadness that I must inform you that one of our Instructors (Bernd Aspacher) failed to return from a cave dive made Saturday afternoon Germany time.  I received a phone call on Sunday evening around 9:30 pm from a CDS Instructor who received a phone call from Germany.  Information is in it's early stage, so I do not have any great detail.  The system that he was diving is called "Blautopf" in the Southeast region of Germany.  No other info at this time on other members of the dive team, other than one member exited and reported the accident.

Regretfully,

Denny Willis

NSS-CDS Training Chairman

Eagles Nest Update
September 18, 2003

The road to Eagle's Nest is currently open, but still wet and 4 wheel drive is highly recommended!!

On August 26, due to heavy rains, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has closed the road going to Eagle's Nest but is now open for access. Please respect the road under current conditions so that we can keep it open.

In Memorium

Dennis Wendell Williams

1943 - 2003

An EXPLORER has left us while on a solo quest to add to his voluminous knowledge.  Dennis was, as he had been frequently, on another major expedition that required years of experience, research, planning and preparation.

We are all deeply saddened by this event but we must grieve in a joyous manner.   Joyous, that he took leave in the midst of an event similar to so many others he had so much enjoyed. At the cusp of his imagination,…. the horizon of his plans, …..demonstrating his proclivity….determination,… and intent to Discover.  And of course ……  “seeing the sights” along the way.

Dennis was well equipped for these Expeditions.  He was a great Meteorologist, a Pilot’s Pilot, a respected Diver, Roller Skating Champion, and experienced Oceanographer, a pretty fair Zoologist, more than an amateur Scientist, part of the Apollo team that got us to the moon, to name a few of his talents.  Where he shinned brightest however was as an Educationalist....... this was his forte. 

As I reflected back to his past, I realized that he was a teacher from early on as a kid, First a roller skating instructor, then making the language of space and heavenly bodies easy for the Community to understand, sort of your next-door neighbor Carl Sagan.  Then, as an instructor of flight, diving, flight ground schools, cave diving, computers, and computer aided design.  But most significant Dennis was always AN educator of children.  This energy and predilection I believe emanated from his deep desire and commitment to himself to be taught....to digest, to understand …then be challenged, re-digest, and,…. Apply with zeal what has been learned! 

This was the most unselfish part of Dennis, his continuous efforts to enlighten and educate others. Over the years I took any opportunity to attend his Rotary talks, planning sessions, lectures and classes on many diverse subjects.  He was always clear, always,… infinitely logical, able to disseminate simple explanations of complex subjects, Clever, and frequently highly entertaining.   The combination of drawings, stories, visual aids experiences and jokes, sealed (in your brain) the information he imparted, and often caused you to carry with you a phrase, or image of his, forever.

As we know to be a good educator one has to be a fine student, and, ah hah. He was that; delving deep without blinders into any subject, or pursuit at hand, until he understood things well enough to apply them or impart them to others.  Our friend was not wrong often, even when he got “live and in concert”, we were well advised to take his promulgations at their full value. 

I recall sitting in front of a TV set in Dallas and calling him at the Grand Bahama tracking station in 1969 just before Armstrong and Aldrin departed the orbiter in the LEM for the first moon landing, How is it going I asked?  “We are a go for lunar landing came the non chalant reply”. What are their chances I whispered into the phone?  “It is all done but the doing” was the simplistic response.  And so it was!

When it came to dealing with less finite matters his observations gave his listeners comfort for those questions for which there was no definitive answer.  Answers often came in the form of behavioral observations that left one in awe due to their simplicity, or chuckling at one’s own lack of clarity to see. 

I recall asking him once how it was that he and I, vastly different people, had remained friends for so long.  “Some things are best not looked at too closely Bruce” was the reply.

We’ve all had discussions with Dennis about what it takes to get someone motivated to learn.  No wonder he delighted in learning and then teaching, heck, He loved to teach and admired great teachers so much that he married one

This is his legacy, His generosity in that unique way; learning so he could in turn teach, inspire, and entertain on a broad variety of subjects, with a message carefully crafted exactly for his audience.  As we go forth from here we will certainly recollect some of the things he said to us thus keeping his spirit alive.

 I could speak continuously for hours about Dennis but my time is up.  Let us not spend any time second guessing, or carry any doubts about the actions taken by this Master of good decisions;  Last Sunday while realizing his dream, the heat and physical strain of his expedition prompted him to carefully lie down to take a nap, another thing he was the master of. 

Sleep well my good friend.

This eulogy was composed by Bruce Wilson, a long time friend of Dennis Williams. Dennis was laid to rest in Tallahassee, Florida, Sunday July 27, 2003.

Springs Update

Bonnet is now open to diving, but must go through the Park Ranger and be diving with someone who has been there before and all divers must have at least 100 cave dives.  Two Underwater Trail Committee members dove the system this week making safety evaluations and line repairs. The Committee members were Lamar Hires and Jim Fishback with Dan Lins and John Jones acting as safety divers.  The Suwannee River is rising and Telford could go under any time.

Eagle's Nest Access

Eagle's Nest Sink will be open on July 1, 2003!  The NSS-CDS and NACD have worked for over a year with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) to re-open the site for cave diving.  Many thanks to Larry Green, Ken Hill, John Jones, and Michael Poucher for making this happen!

Access will be through the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area.  Divers must check in at an iron ranger at the entrance and pay the $3.00 daily fee, or you can purchase a yearly Wildlife Management Area pass for $26.50 at most hunting supply stores, Wal-Mart or on-line at: http://floridaconservation.org/license/index.html.  Either the day pass stub or the Management area pass should be displayed on the dash so that law enforcement can see them while you are in the water.

The road to the sink is not improved and four-wheel drive is a must.  Fish and Wildlife is not responsible for getting your vehicle out if it gets stuck. They intend to make improvements by the end of this year to allow two-wheel drive access, but until then, they ask that drivers stay on the existing road and not to wallow out the holes.  This will just make repairs more extensive, more costly, and take more time.  The roads will have to closed while the repairs are made.

This site is deep and a very advanced dive.  The NACD and NSS-CDS recommends that you have the following MINIMUM qualifications to dive:

1. Full Cave Certification.

2. Trimix certification.

3. Appropriate experience with deep cave dives.

In addition we highly recommend that first time divers go with someone familiar and experienced with the site.  It took over a year to open Eagle's Nest, but accidents due to irresponsible divers could close it overnight.  Lets all be safe and Eagle's Nest will be there, and open, when we are ready to dive it.

In Memorial to Chris Henson

We lost one of our own Friday night May 23, 2003 when Chris Henson failed to return from a dive in Cow Spring. I had only met Chris a couple times around Peacock Springs, but he was always friendly, enthusiastic, and fascinated by caves and cave diving. He even told me about a couple dry caves that we were going to check out around Ocala. Unfortunately, that will never happen and it saddens me to know I missed the opportunity to get to know him. It brings home the fact that we never know when our time here will end and how precious our relationships are. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Julie, and the others he left behind.

Mike Poucher
 

Membership Notice

May 4, 2003

"To members who recently renewed their membership. Please ignore the cover on your UWS stating you are about to expire. The labels were incorrect when sent to the printer and the members who just renewed received covers instead of the members who need to renew."   Eleanore Willis CDS Manager

4th Annual Hydrogeology Consortium Florida Karst Workshop 
 

The 4th annual Hydrogeology Consortium Workshop was held on April 16 - 17 to explore the significance of caves, effective hydrogeological characterizations and groundwater and surface water resource management in Florida.

Manatee Springs Update 

Effective January 1, 2003, the limit for open water divers at Manatee Springs is 35 per day, but the limits for cave divers has not changed according to the Park Manager.  Apparently, some cave divers may have recently been told differently and the Park Manager is looking into the matter and will clear up any misconceptions with staff.  Anyone going to Manatee may want to make sure that the ranger understands they are cave divers, not open water.  The limit for cave diving at Manatee Springs is three groups per day.

Little River & Madison Update

The  Suwannee River Water Management District says Little River will be open by March 31 by the latest and hopefully sooner. They have finished the basin and are ready to pave the parking lot starting in the next two weeks.  At this time, they anticipate  the park will be open 24/7.

Madison is going out to bid for a special use permit to manage the facility.  The State wants someone to look after the place, clean the rest rooms, and pick up trash.  No capital investment required.  There is some local interest in Madison County on providing the service.  Cave Diving will be allowed. They hope to have the park open by February or March.

Membership Now Required to Dive Cow and Cathedral!

At the November 10, 2002 CDS Board of Directors meeting, Board members voted to require anyone diving CDS owned sites to be a member of the NSS-CDS.  This affects anyone diving Cow Spring and Cathedral Sink, both of which are owned by the Cave Diving Section. An exception was made for students with NSS-CDS Instructors during training dives as allowed in the Cow Spring Management Plan.  Training is not allowed at Cathedral Sink.

Since these sites are purchased, improved, and maintained with membership dollars, we felt it was only fair that those using the site also help to support the organization.  This helps the CDS not only to maintain existing sites, but also to purchase future dive locations.  Membership is open to anyone and is reasonably priced - less than the cost of one day's diving at some locations!

The new rule will go into effect January 1, 2003. Check-in at Dive Excursions in Luraville (386-776-2299) is still required to visit either site and liability waivers must be signed.  In addition, non-members can join immediately and dive, assuming all other requirements are met.  A full list of dive qualifications to dive either site is available on the website or in the 2002 Members Manual.

OLSEN CLOSING STATUS AS OF 15 OCTOBER 2002

Olsen is temporarily closed to entry. The state recommended it until the feasibility study concerning steps being installed is conducted. Olsen may be used as an emergency exit or to surface and rest during a dive, just no entry.

INTERNET EXPEDITION:  Florida's Springs: Protecting Nature's Gems

During Nov 18 through Nov 24th, a team of digital journalists took an online journey to explore the depths of Florida's magnificent freshwater springs in a unique and educational web-cast documentary entitled "Florida Springs: Protecting Nature's Gems" at: http://www.FloridaSprings.org/

Presented by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, discover what the team discovered during their journey and read about the threats to the aquifer and springs through in-depth field reports including dramatic photography, and about the protection strategies undertaken by the State and by private citizens.

Madison Blue Springs Update

3 Oct 2002 - Update  The State of Florida will be opening Madison Blue up as a state park as soon as possible.  Their opening goal is before the first of the year. Cave diving will be allowed.   More details will be posted here as they are confirmed.  Any questions or comments should be directed to Madison@NSSCDS.com 

LOST EMAIL SYNDROME

Haven't gotten a response to emails sent to someone at the CDS?  Read Tom Johnson's article about Spam and the CDS.

Yucatan devastated by the hurricanes!

We have received a plea for help from our members in the Yucatan, Mexico. Many of the local populace in the areas that we visit were devastated by the hurricanes. Andreas ( Matt) Matthes of Protech Scuba, in Playa del Carmen in coordinating a fund raiser to help those in need. Donations may be made through Advance Diver Magazine ( Curt Bowen, CDS Board Member). Curt has set up a special account so you may donate via your credit card.

Contact Curt at eanx@aol.com or ADM at 941-751-2360.

17 September 2002 - Peacock Springs Line Coordinators

The Peacock Springs Committee has recommended that all line changes and repairs at Peacock Springs State Park be coordinated through John Orlowski and/or Bill Rennaker. The NSS Cave Diving Section fully supports this decision and asks that its members coordinate any changes or repairs to the permanent guidelines through them prior to making any such changes. Lines that are damaged or otherwise in need of repair may be reported to them directly, or to a Park Ranger.

The line coordinators may be contacted as follows:
John Orlowski 386-776-1191
Bill Rennaker 386-776-2299
Park Office 386-776-2194

2001 NSS-CDS Annual Workshop
May 25-27, 2001 (Memorial Day Weekend)

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In Memorial to Steve Berman

The cave diving community has lost a respected member, instructor, and mentor. On the evening of May 7, 2001, Steve Berman died while doing what he had lived for; cave diving.

Steve was one of the CDS's most active instructors and had been involved in a number of exploration cave dives in the US and abroad. His love of diving had also taken him to many of the wrecks of the Atlantic. Those of us who knew him and of his respect for the skills and techniques necessary to cave dive are mystified by this tragedy.

There will be many speculations as to why this accident occurred. We must believe that Steve, as an Instructor, would want us to learn from this accident and continue to teach safety to those who are inspired to see the wonders of the underwater world.

Little River Warning Sign

In an effort to curb the rate of fatalities in our community, we would like to educate the public to the hazards of cave diving without proper training and equipment. We are seeking public awareness to prevent any further loss of life in our water filled cave by posting a warning sign at Little River Springs, located in Suwannee Co., Florida. This sign is sponsored and supported by the N.A.C.D. (National Association of Cave Diving), NSS-CDS (National Speleological Society - Cave Diving Section, and the IUCRR (International Underwater Cave Rescue/Recovery).

The recent fatalities at Little River Springs prompted the concerns of Larry Green (IUCRR State Coordinator) to have an informative sign installed at the site to inform the public of the inherent dangers of the cave environment.

We would also like to thank Suwannee County and The Suwannee County Sheriff's Department for their support and concern for safety.

The sign was installed on Friday, August 11th. Present was:

Larry Green - IUCRR State Coordinator.
John Orlowski - Training Director, NACD.
Shelley Orlowski - Operations Manager, NACD
Ross Noble - Treasurer, NACD
Debra Green - General Manager, NACD
John Jones - Member of the BOD, NSS-CDS.
Jim Fishback and Andy Brown.