Del Rio, Texas - August 22, 2004
In what could possibly be one of the deepest submerged caves in the U.S., a team of Texas cave divers successfully explored this high-flow underground conduit to a depth of 393 feet. The all-volunteer team established the "Goodenough Springs Exploration Project" (GSEP) in the year 2000. During the five-year project, divers worked their way through a tight sidemount restriction nearly 200 feet under water before heading even deeper. Project director Chuck Noe, described the cave as "a large passage which continues to lead downward at a very steep angle past 400 feet of depth". Geological evidence and drilling core samples indicate that this cave, near the U.S. / Mexico border, possibly extends as much as 1,000 feet down into the aquifer. The group plans to extend their scientific study and exploration even deeper in the coming year.
In what could possibly be one of the deepest submerged caves in the U.S., a team of Texas cave divers successfully explored this high-flow underground conduit to a depth of 393 feet. The all-volunteer team established the "Goodenough Springs Exploration Project" (GSEP) in the year 2000. During the five-year project, divers worked their way through a tight sidemount restriction nearly 200 feet under water before heading even deeper. Project director Chuck Noe, described the cave as "a large passage which continues to lead downward at a very steep angle past 400 feet of depth". Geological evidence and drilling core samples indicate that this cave, near the U.S. / Mexico border, possibly extends as much as 1,000 feet down into the aquifer. The group plans to extend their scientific study and exploration even deeper in the coming year.
