Every cave diver is taught that after training, the most important thing a person can do to insure their safety is to always maintain a continuous guideline to the exit. Since 1989, gold line has been the standard for the main line run through most of our popular caves. Cave divers training in many of the popular cave systems have been taught that gold line will take them to an exit.
But have you ever thought to yourself, "who put that that gold line there"?
The answer to that is the cave diving community did.
Over the past month, cave divers volunteered and replaced 2000' of permanent line with new gold line in Little River. It had been many years since the gold line in Little River had been replaced, and it was beginning to show wear and tear. In some places, the gold line was beginning to fray and it was time to replace it.
A project was planned, a call went out, and several volunteers gave up their time replacing the old line with brand new gold line. Although we still need to make an adjustment or two, the installation of the line was completed this past Saturday evening. Additionally, Dive Rite designed and donated special laser cut distance markers that should continue to be legible even if river floods stain the markers.
Gold line is an important navigational aid in our caves, but unfortunately it is not free. It cost roughly $360 to re-line Little River; our most recent order put the cost of gold line at $0.18 a foot.
Many caves need new gold line, and we would like to do more.
You can help.
The NSS-CDS is raising donations to purchase 20,000' of gold line and we have established a Gold Line Donation Fund on our web-store with a goal to raise $3600.The gold line purchased by the fund is a benefit to the greater cave diving community and we have received commitments from corporate sponsors that have helped put us half-way towards our goal!
Once we have purchased the gold line, groups that need gold line will be able submit a project proposal to the NSS-CDS Board of Directors. The proposal should include the site you are requesting line for, the accessibility of the site, how much line you will need, and when you will need it. Approvals will be made based on the benefit to the overall cave diving community and accessibility of the site.
We have already received a request for roughly 2000? in Jackson Blue, and we know of a couple of other project proposals in the works.
If you would like to help buy gold line for our caves, please consider giving a donation to the Gold Line Fund by visiting our web-store and selecting the Gold Line Donations under our Donations link. The direct link to the fund is Gold Line Donations - NSS CDS
The work at Little River would not have been possible without the help of many volunteers within the North Florida cave diving community. Divers that helped with this project in one way or another include Ted McCoy, Gary Donahue, Joel Clark, Frank McNamara, Kyle Moschell, Howard Smith, Jerry Murphy, Jackie Clark, Chris Hartman, Chad Minter, Win Brown, John Wynkoop, Jon Bernot, Kenny Summers, and the members of the NSS-CDS Board of Directors for approving the project and providing the line.
?Gold Sponsors? of the Gold Line Fund include Dive Rite, Underwater Light Dude, KISS Rebreathers, Shearwater, Submerge Scooters, Sub-Gravity and Light Monkey.
(gold line ready to go in Little River)
(Dive Rite made these special distance markers which should be legible even after river floods stain the arrow)
(old line removed from Little River)
(Locals enjoy the spring on a Saturday afternoon)
(Chad Minter, Chris Hartman and Win Brown prepare for their dive to replace the line in the Serpentine Passage)
(Divers decompressing in the basin after the final dive of the evening)
But have you ever thought to yourself, "who put that that gold line there"?
The answer to that is the cave diving community did.
Over the past month, cave divers volunteered and replaced 2000' of permanent line with new gold line in Little River. It had been many years since the gold line in Little River had been replaced, and it was beginning to show wear and tear. In some places, the gold line was beginning to fray and it was time to replace it.
A project was planned, a call went out, and several volunteers gave up their time replacing the old line with brand new gold line. Although we still need to make an adjustment or two, the installation of the line was completed this past Saturday evening. Additionally, Dive Rite designed and donated special laser cut distance markers that should continue to be legible even if river floods stain the markers.
Gold line is an important navigational aid in our caves, but unfortunately it is not free. It cost roughly $360 to re-line Little River; our most recent order put the cost of gold line at $0.18 a foot.
Many caves need new gold line, and we would like to do more.
You can help.
The NSS-CDS is raising donations to purchase 20,000' of gold line and we have established a Gold Line Donation Fund on our web-store with a goal to raise $3600.The gold line purchased by the fund is a benefit to the greater cave diving community and we have received commitments from corporate sponsors that have helped put us half-way towards our goal!
Once we have purchased the gold line, groups that need gold line will be able submit a project proposal to the NSS-CDS Board of Directors. The proposal should include the site you are requesting line for, the accessibility of the site, how much line you will need, and when you will need it. Approvals will be made based on the benefit to the overall cave diving community and accessibility of the site.
We have already received a request for roughly 2000? in Jackson Blue, and we know of a couple of other project proposals in the works.
If you would like to help buy gold line for our caves, please consider giving a donation to the Gold Line Fund by visiting our web-store and selecting the Gold Line Donations under our Donations link. The direct link to the fund is Gold Line Donations - NSS CDS
The work at Little River would not have been possible without the help of many volunteers within the North Florida cave diving community. Divers that helped with this project in one way or another include Ted McCoy, Gary Donahue, Joel Clark, Frank McNamara, Kyle Moschell, Howard Smith, Jerry Murphy, Jackie Clark, Chris Hartman, Chad Minter, Win Brown, John Wynkoop, Jon Bernot, Kenny Summers, and the members of the NSS-CDS Board of Directors for approving the project and providing the line.
?Gold Sponsors? of the Gold Line Fund include Dive Rite, Underwater Light Dude, KISS Rebreathers, Shearwater, Submerge Scooters, Sub-Gravity and Light Monkey.
(gold line ready to go in Little River)
(Dive Rite made these special distance markers which should be legible even after river floods stain the arrow)
(old line removed from Little River)
(Locals enjoy the spring on a Saturday afternoon)
(Chad Minter, Chris Hartman and Win Brown prepare for their dive to replace the line in the Serpentine Passage)
(Divers decompressing in the basin after the final dive of the evening)
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