Flood warnings out for north florida

[CamG]

Great news Peacock is still open.
A bit fuzzy / tanic here and there but spoke with Linda at Cave Excursions today who is in contact with park rangers.
Hope it holds.

CamG

 

[AA3JY]

Just curious as I am/was scheduling an 'Intro to Cave' class during the 18th of March..is the viz within spec's for this skill level at Peacock/Orange Grove/Cow? I hate commit to a class not alone driving a 1000 miles and if these Springs have/will become Siphons. And yes Ginnie is available..but the State Parks(though Cow is private) IMHO have much to offer..

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Intro to cave training is not allowed at Cow. Ginnie is great for that class.

 

[JamesK]

Just curious as I am/was scheduling an 'Intro to Cave' class during the 18th of March..is the viz within spec's for this skill level at Peacock/Orange Grove/Cow? I hate commit to a class not alone driving a 1000 miles and if these Springs have/will become Siphons. And yes Ginnie is available..but the State Parks(though Cow is private) IMHO have much to offer..

It is very hard to say what will be available by then. However, you still have other options as well. It could take a month for some of them to clear.


Here are some pictures that were posted by friends of mine. This gives you an example of what we are dealing with.






Little River normal. Photo by Jill Heinerth. Amazing photo BTW.

Madison Blue normal. Photo by me with my iphone about a month ago. Notice the fence on the cliff in the background. That is approx 10 feet to the top of the cliff.

Madison Blue taken by Jim Wyatt yesterday. Notice where the water is in relation to the fence now.

Little River taken by my favorite ex tank monkey Tara a week ago.

 

[USFpsychDiver]

Yeah, I'm flying out from Tucson to dive the 14th - 17th and am watching conditions with great interest. Possible benefits: rain keeps the spring break crowds away from Ginnie; won't have to lug gear down the steps to Little River, just splash from the parking lot and swim down to the cave .

 

[karstdvr]

won't have to lug gear down the steps to Little River, just splash from the parking lot and swim down to the cave .

If the current of the Suwannee doesn't carry you to the gulf of Mexico. Little River has reversed. Peacock is closed as of March 2nd.

These cave reversals are a good thing for the caves,but the Suwannee and Withlacoochee haven't crested,so many of the popular sites are gone,or under threat of going under as the water heads southward.

 

[USFpsychDiver]

If the current of the Suwannee doesn't carry you to the gulf of Mexico.

Just put some extra strong line on the primary and tie off to a tree, and if it doesn't hold, well, gulf diving is OK.

Seriously, hoping Ginnie and Manatee hold; looks like those are going to be the best options for a non-sidemount diver. Eleven days now to the first dive -- keep hoping conditions will improve, but even if the rivers start falling today it still takes time for the caves to clear.

 

[JamesK]

Ginnie has been beautiful this weekend. TONS of people though. We covered Hill 400, Roller Coaster, Sherwood Split, Double Domes, Bone Room, Dog Leg, Hillier, and mainline back a couple hundred feet past stage rock. All looks good.

 

[AA3JY]

Intro to cave training is not allowed at Cow. Ginnie is great for that class.

Partially correct... from the NSS/CDS Property Management Plan

Cow Springs:
The Upstream entrance to Cow Springs has a major restriction requiring moderate body and equipment manipulation to pass through a roughly vertical to horizontal transition at about 40 feet of depth. Current flow is typically quite high requiring the use of a pull rope permanently installed in the front section of the cave. Visibility is normally very good with depths to the 90-110 foot range. The upstream section is quite delicate and is considered an advanced cave dive. Divers MUST ensure their buoyancy control is excellent prior to entering this system as it contains spectacular clay banks and delicate goethite formations throughout that are easily damaged as well as challenging high flow and additional restrictions beyond the entrance. The following site specific rules apply to the upstream section of Cow Springs:
1. Diving is per the "Diver" section of this document with the exception that it is open to divers certified at Cave Diver or equivalent certification and there is no requirement to show proof of 100 cave dives.
2. DPV use is forbidden.
3. Training is prohibited EXCEPT sidemount training ONLY is allowed. Sidemount training may only be conducted by NSS-CDS Instructors for students meeting all of the requirements of the “Diver” section of this document. All divers entering the system must already be proficient in buoyancy control and be able to exercise proper technique to avoid damaging the cave while sidemount diving. Instructors and sidemount students are both charged with evaluating skill levels and the appropriateness of using this fragile site for training.
The Downstream section of Cow Springs is shallow, in the 30 foot range, and fairly wide open with roughly 450 feet of penetration possible with no significant difficult areas. The following site specific rules apply to the downstream section of Cow Springs:
1. Diving is per the “Diver” section of this document with the exceptions that it is open to all levels of Cavern and Cave Diving and there is no requirement to show proof of 100 cave dives after full cave.
2. DPV use is forbidden.
3. All levels of Cavern and Cave Diving training may be conducted only by NSS-CDS Instructors for students diving per the “Diver” section of this document, with the exception that the students Cavern/Cave certification level must be appropriate to the level of training being conducted.


Respectfully submitted,

Clay AA3JY

 

[JamesK]

Little River water is now halfway up the wooden stairs, and the parking lot at Madison is flooded. Peacock is syphoning. Ginnie will be needing to put the tarp up soon.