WKPP dive reports and photo galleries

[true]

So far, 2006 looks like the year in which serious exploration can continue at Wakulla Springs, outside of Tallahasse, Florida. The WKPP team has already been able to hold two set-up weekends and one exploration dive at Wakulla as well as finishing off Chip's Hole. We'll continue to post team reports and photos as the project pushes deeper into the system. In addition to Casey's dive reports, I've just added photo galleries for the April Chip's Hole dive and two of the last three Wakulla weekends:

http://www.gue.com/Projects/WKPP/Updates/index.html

Excellent photos by Sonya Tittle and David Rhea throughout all of the galleries. The report and photos for the May 20 exploration dive will be posted soon.

Best,

Anthony

 

[headhunter]

Anthony,

I really enjoyed reading all of the recent updates and seeing all of the pictures.

Please share any more developments with us whenever possible in the future.

Thanks very much for posting that.

Christian

 

[TSandM]

I love the photo galleries. There are very talented photographers working with the WKPP!

The sheer magnitude of the planning, logistics and setup for these dives amazes and awes me.

 

[SparticleBrane]

http://www.gue.com/Galleries/Chips2006/pages/DSC03414.html

Anyone have any idea what size tanks those are? It's proably just me but they look ginormous.

 

[chickdiver]

120's

 

[Jason B]

Great photos and write up for sure. Impressive dive. Kudos to all those involved.

Looking at some of the new images posted on the GUE website, it appears GUE and the WKPP is not as rigid as ScubaBoard as far as DIR goes.

Check out the can light mount here.
http://www.gue.com/Galleries/Wakulla/052006/images/41-sonya-0833.jpg

Slinging a steel bottle.
http://www.gue.com/Galleries/Wakulla/052006/images/31-rhea-0214.jpg

Scootering with light on right hand.
http://www.gue.com/Galleries/Wakulla/052006/images/09-true_wakulla_20may00011.jpg

Using a brass bolt snap on the primary reg.
http://www.gue.com/Galleries/Wakulla/052006/images/18-rhea-0091.jpg

 

[ToddL]

The "can light" you mention is on Casey's deco harness, and is actually not for a light at all. It intermittantly powers an electric shirt he wears on these extreme dives to add a little warmth during deco. Obviously its very existance does not apply to a standard harness, or to any sort of diving most people will ever participate in.

Steel DECO bottles are used when the deco is so long an 80 isn't big enough. The fact they are negative can also be an advantage during deco, allowing the diver to inflate the drysuit a little extra. The 95s or 104s we use at the habitat can be a bit of a hassle for the setup divers when they're full, but one learns to deal with it. All our stages, or in the case of offset deco any bottle that has to travel a significant distance, are Luxfer aluminum 80s... I suppose that's what you're referring to, but it is not the circumstance you're seeing in the picture.

It is the correct procedure to transfer the light from the left to the right hand while ascending or descending, allowing one to equalize ears, wings and trysuit without flashing the light. Many of us use a thumb ring on the Goodman handle to make the transition between hands as smooth as possible.

I guess you caught us on the bolt snap. We'll throw that guy off the team immediately, and make sure everyone else signs up for ScubaBoard to learn how it's really done.

OK, just kidding. Actually, I will make sure it's corrected. I fail to see the "gotcha" factor you seem to be enjoying, but nevertheless we do have a rule against it and it should not have occurred. As picayune as it may appear, ensuring smooth and reliable snap operation is very important. Nevertheless, the issue is not as simple as you suggest, brass vs. stainless. There are widely varying qualities in each category, and some stainless bolt snaps really suck, and some brass snaps are actually pretty good. The composition of the spring inside the snap seems to matter more than the body of the snap, and obviously one cannot ignore keeping the snap free of sand or other grit than can impair its function. I realize sound bites play well on the Internet, but the big picture is a little more involved. Bottom line, though, snaps need to work smoothly and be thrown away if and when they get screwed up over time. That really has nothing to do with what many of you think is "DIR", it's just common sense.

 

[headhunter]

Hi Todd,

Welcome to ScubaBoard! Your clarifications are greatly appreciated.

It's always nice to hear balanced perspectives from people who are actually there.

Thanks for giving us a glimpse into a world that many of us around the world find fascinating. It would be great to experience some of this first hand someday.

Christian

 

[JeffG]

The "can light" you mention is on Casey's deco harness, and is actually not for a light at all. It intermittantly powers an electric shirt he wears on these extreme dives to add a little warmth during deco. Obviously its very existance does not apply to a standard harness, or to any sort of diving most people will ever participate in.

Yep. Its an odd but nice piece of gear. We put our extra battery pack in front of our can light.

 

[Jason B]

Thanks for the detailed rundown.

Interesting about the "electric shirt". Now that is tech diving.
I really wasn't trying to find fault with any of it. Just happened to see what looked like an upside down canister and the light on the right hand while scootering just kind of jumped out at me as did the round bottom on the bottle that was slung.
The snap, I was looking at that point.

I was curious about the reels. Is that duct tape on them?

Very impressive dives no doubt. Keep up the good (and safe) work!