I finally got in the dive today - that I had planned for last Saturdaywith Daylight [One of the minor benefits of being a high-tech manager - whole weeks off as your company shuts down!]
For those of you that are not nailed to TX weather -the SanAntonio-Austin corridor got nailed with 7 tornados and upwards to 12 inches of rain - All on Thursday & Friday last week - [In fact - I got locked into work on Thursday to 8PM as 2 tornados came way too close for comfort]
-=> So on Saturday they told us not to come, cancelled classes, etc... on Monday, it was down to about a foot of rushing water closing the entrance to the park - So I made plans to dive today with Bridget Clark - the new diving coordinator [She also had been a couple of weeks without getting wet, at least diving style!]
WOW - did this storm do a job on the springs. Our "task" was to weed up some of the hydrilla covering "Deep Hole". The vis was down to 30-40 feet and the current was Mooooving. Almost a drift dive on teh way down. [I felt particularly sad - as I had just learned how they ACTUALY measure viz - see a message string in basic scuba - and had intended to make one of those dohickies and try it!]
The vegitation is defintely rearrainged. I noticed in particular that the purple algae that looks like steel wool was just gone! and in many places - the hydrilla was pushed way towards the downstream and just showed roots hanging on for dear life. [Made it real easy to just pull them up!] Lots of silt has been stirred up and put in different places - It all looked like a different spring system!
Bridget had to AI a class at 1:30 - so we called off the fun after 45 minutes.
Then the swim back - OhMyGod!=-) - Definitely more work than I've done there for a while - I actually USED the last of my tank this time, and for less than an hour!
Anyway - Good fun as usual - I'll be trying to go back on Sunday, 2nd son wants to try out a wetsuit.
Cheers -=>Larry<=-
For those of you that are not nailed to TX weather -the SanAntonio-Austin corridor got nailed with 7 tornados and upwards to 12 inches of rain - All on Thursday & Friday last week - [In fact - I got locked into work on Thursday to 8PM as 2 tornados came way too close for comfort]
-=> So on Saturday they told us not to come, cancelled classes, etc... on Monday, it was down to about a foot of rushing water closing the entrance to the park - So I made plans to dive today with Bridget Clark - the new diving coordinator [She also had been a couple of weeks without getting wet, at least diving style!]
WOW - did this storm do a job on the springs. Our "task" was to weed up some of the hydrilla covering "Deep Hole". The vis was down to 30-40 feet and the current was Mooooving. Almost a drift dive on teh way down. [I felt particularly sad - as I had just learned how they ACTUALY measure viz - see a message string in basic scuba - and had intended to make one of those dohickies and try it!]
The vegitation is defintely rearrainged. I noticed in particular that the purple algae that looks like steel wool was just gone! and in many places - the hydrilla was pushed way towards the downstream and just showed roots hanging on for dear life. [Made it real easy to just pull them up!] Lots of silt has been stirred up and put in different places - It all looked like a different spring system!
Bridget had to AI a class at 1:30 - so we called off the fun after 45 minutes.
Then the swim back - OhMyGod!=-) - Definitely more work than I've done there for a while - I actually USED the last of my tank this time, and for less than an hour!
Anyway - Good fun as usual - I'll be trying to go back on Sunday, 2nd son wants to try out a wetsuit.
Cheers -=>Larry<=-