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The NACD -- Another Reason to NOT be a Member!

As everyone knows, I used to be heavily involved with the NACD (National Association for Cave Diving). However, the course the organization has taken over the past few years has proven to me that it is nothing more than a group of instructors that want to make money using NACD members’ dues and not do anything for themselves.

To me, it is proven by the fact that not all NACD BoD members are actual members of the NACD (WTF?) and that the BoD gives away NACD memberships to people they want things from. Let's look at a couple of the stellar individuals in the current field running for the NACD BoD.

Bill Lester. A self-anointed something that seems to hold himself in much higher regard than anyone else in the cave community (if you don't love yourself, who will?) that was officially described by the NACD BoD with "the Board of the NACD holds Mr. Lester to a higher standard of professional conduct, and has voted, unanimously, to remove Mr. Lester from the positions of Journal Editor and Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee". After that, I find it hard to believe he was vetted to run for the BoD of the NACD. I guess if we look at who the NACD is today it isn't hard to believe. This is simply his reward for standing up for the NACD BoDs stand on retaining a convicted criminal as an instructor for the NACD. Reading Bill Lester's platform statement makes me wonder if it is he who is running or the deceased Debra Green. Bill "I make copyright infringement websites and then get slapped for it (remember your lies against Jim Wyatt?)" Lester or Debra Green. Does he really have to mention Debra's name 5 times? I wonder why he simply doesn't post pictures of himself (dressed in drag) and Larry Green holding hands to show how badly he wants to replace/be Debra.
Jeff Bauer. The previous, milquetoast, president of the NACD that proclaimed "F**K it" when faced with dealing with the fact that Johnny Richards (NACD instructor of the year) was convicted on cocaine charges. Anyone remember what Jeff did? Jeff quit! Sounds like a great guy for the NACD BoD -- a quitter. I feel his platform statement should be "vote for me, if things get tough, I'll just quit". In my opinion, Jeff is just looking for more student referrals. That is what being on the NACD BoD means right -- student referrals?

For those of you that are still members of the NACD (why?), if you really want to make a difference in the cave community, stop paying your dues and donate your time and money to a cave organization who's apparent agenda is not making money off the backs of the membership. Instead of sending in your ballot (yeah, you can't vote electronically) send in your resignation!

What Does the NACD Have to Hide?

Recently, there have been some pretty shady things coming out of the National Association for Cave Diving (NACD) and I am worried that the organization is heading for insolvency. It is worth noting that the NACD is the oldest US cave diving organization.

By the current BoD, there has been rampant and blatant violation of By-Laws to protect the ability for a criminal to remain a cave instructor, there was a seating of a board of director (BOD) member (Rob Neto) that was in direct violation of the By-Laws and they terminated two BoD members (Bert Wilcher and Curt Bowen) on false charges or simply because they didn't agree with the rest of the NACD BoD.

However, the worst offense in my opinion, is my receipt of a GAG ORDER by Rick Murcar, the NACD vice president. It appears as though my telling the truth about thier actions and posting facts to support my posts has really gotten under the skin of the current BoD. To me it seems as though they feel I (nor any other member) should not have the ability to post facts and truths about their actions and decisions on forums such as the Cave Divers Forum or The Deco Stop.

Sunday, 9.9.2012, I received the following email from Rick Murcar (rickofgdi@aol.com), vice president of the NACD. The email was copied to all other NACD BoD members (Tracy Grubbs - DIVEHYPE@aol.com, Rob Neto - chipoladivers@gmail.com, Don Syme - underh20@comcast.net and Larry Green - lgreen@atlantic.net) and the subject was CAUTION.

Walter,

You are very busy on the chat boards these days.

The NACD Bylaws will be applied fairly and to the best ability without prejudice. You may read the current Bylaws of the NACD at http://www.safecavediving.com/bylaws.htm Of particular interest are the articles 3.09 through to 3.11 as these paragraphs surmise the standards and administrative procedures of membership termination and will govern the BoDs in the application of the Bylaws. "

Of specific interest to you Walter is that I will be consistent in applying the by-laws and point out the by-law article 3.09 (6) as a caution towards membership termination. You asked the other day if you were still a NACD member? I answered "yes" because you are still a member.

Other NACD members are complaining regarding your posts on the chat board. I caution you as I will take the required administrative action deemed necessary to protect the NACD and its membership.

Walter I am all about the membership.

Rick Murcar
NACD BoD

If you disagree with the direction the current BoD is taking the NACD as well as their rampant disregard for the NACD's corporate By-Laws, I strongly encourage you to make your voice heard at Cave Alliance. If you would like to contact me directly please feel free. I would also recommend reading the posts on the Cave Diver's Forum or The Deco Stop as well.

Why Would Anyone Explore Caves?

If you are reading this (hi mom), you and I probably share the same affinity for caves and the entire karst landform. Some of you know me personally yet others do not. To that end, let me use this blog post to share a little about myself.

I have been exploring all of my life (thanks mom) and diving for over 25 years, I grew up diving golf course lakes for golf balls and the black rivers of the South Carolina low country in hopes of treasure or anything historic. I served in the US Navy where I became a true diver and worked as a ship’s diver (submarines) and as an underwater husbandry diver (submarine tender). After moving to Florida and a break from diving; my interests soon returned to diving and I started focusing on technical diving. This eventually led me to the beauty of Florida’s caves and caverns as a cave diver.

My love and appreciation for caves was extended to dry caves years ago through the friendly pushing of my amazing friend
and long lost brother Robert Brooks. The combination of both disciplines, caving and cave diving, have provided me a unique perspective and appreciation for all that is karst.

My passion for caves extended to dry caves, fully developing my perspective of the entire karst landform that we all appreciate as cave explorers. The combination of both disciplines, caving and cave diving, has provided me a unique perspective and appreciation of caves. I share my passion for caves and conservation by hosting vertical clinics, leading dry cave trips, and speaking at events for the NSS Cave Diving Section (CDS) and the National Association of Cave Diving.

Presently, I am active in three major areas of conservation and exploration of both dry and wet caves. In Florida, I serve as an explorer and the dive safety officer for the Weeki Wachee Springs Exploration Project; Weeki Wachee is currently the deepest naturally formed spring in the U.S. In the Dominican Republic, I discovered significant primate fossils that changed the direction of how New World primates are studied. In Mexico and the U.S., I am an explorer and logistics director for various ADM Exploration Team expeditions.

I am very blessed as a person and have had the great fortune to a member of The Explorers Club, a board of director (BOD) member of the ADM Exploration Foundation and previously work with the BOD of the The Karst Conservancy and Karst Underwater Research. I have also served as the National Association for Cave Diving (NACD) Public Relations committee chairman and Election Administrator for the NSS-CDS.

Above all, I am the father of an amazing son and an EXPLORER! If anyone ever has a question about exploration, wants to learn how to climb or simply wants to go stomp around in the swamp, don't hesitate to contact me.

Tragic Death at Weeki Wachee Springs

On 3/31/2012 at Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida, KARST Underwater Research (KUR) team members were performing a series of dives which included entering and exiting the cave system. Marson Kay, a two-year veteran of KUR's all volunteer team, drowned while exiting the cave system. The following information, based on eye witness and forensic evidence, provides some insight into this tragic accident.

Following a successful dive into the cave at 180 feet, Marson Kay signaled he was exiting. From that point, a 1/2" braided white rope leads upwards to 142 feet, where the crevasse area of the cavern begins. Although the cave narrows at this point, the rope, now colored orange with a diameter of 7/16", is placed in the largest easement leading to a depth of 68 feet, where daylight clearly can be seen at all times. Instead of following the ropes as he had done multiple times in the past, Marson rapidly moved into a highly restrictive area of the crevasse. It is believed that this behavior was not a calculated decision but a reaction caused by the affects of an embolism he incurred while rapidly ascending from depth. According to the coroner's evaluation, Marson developed a cerebral arterial gas embolism prior to his death. Typically, this condition causes profound changes in mental functioning including disorientation, blindness, paralysis, seizures and loss of consciousness within minutes or even seconds of onset. If it occurs after surfacing, it is often fatal or profoundly disabling even with prompt recompression therapy; when it occurs underwater, the incapacity or unconsciousness it causes almost always results in drowning.

Although safety divers were in visual contact and additional safety gas cylinders were in place, he rapidly pushed himself upward into an area where even side-mount divers could not easily access. Several attempts were made to communicate, by means of light signals as well as touch contact. Although Marson was still moving at this time, he did not directly respond to these communication attempts. After approximately 5 minutes, divers reported Marson was no longer utilizing his regulator. A subsequent review of his equipment indicated that Marson had approximately half of his gas supply remaining in both of his tanks and his regulators appeared to be working properly.

Cave diving is an inherently dangerous activity, just as rock-climbing, mountain biking and even horseback riding. All cave divers understand the risks of diving in underwater caves and accept them as an inescapable part of the activity they are so passionate about. Marson's accidental death is great personal loss to all that knew and loved him as well as to our team. We will do the best we can to honor his memory.

Caving, Climbing and Cave Diving

It has been a while since I updated the blog. For those that actually read it (hi Mom), I apologize. I have found myself using Twitter more and more; the concept of micro-blogging fits well into my lifestyle and attention span. To find out what I am talking about on Twitter and for more timely conversations about my explorations, follow @WalterPickel. Other members of the ADM Exploration Team that can be found on Twitter are @JoshBernstein, @JonBojar, @CurtBowen, and @EricDeister. Some are more active than others; your mileage may vary!

So much has been going on in the world of caving and cave diving it is almost dizzying. We, the ADM Exploration Team, kept a pretty low profile throughout the Summer and early Fall. We have been focusing on creating a close core group of explorers and setting potential missions for the next year or so. We have also been working on some local cave exploration with The Karst Conservancy right here in Central Florida. Nothing beats discovering and exploring virgin dry and wet caves right in your own backyard!

Working with the caving and cave diving communities is very important to me. I am very blessed to have the opportunities I have and enjoy sharing them with others and working with others to become better explorers. My latest contribution comes in the form of FREE clinics! I recently completed the second climbing and caving clinic for 2011 and ADM Exploration Team also held a free sidemount clinic in July. The sidemount clinic was intended to introduce cave divers to sidemount diving and from what I was told, we achieved our goal.

The most recent climbing and caving clinic was held in conjunction with the 2011 NACD Annual Seminar and it was a great success! I honestly never tire of watching and listening to those that are new to this side of the sport and hear the enthusiasm they gain for it just by spending a few hours in the woods and in caves.

During our past clinic. I had the pleasure of working with the closest thing I have seen to a "natural" -- Anthea Ibell. Anthea is the 2011 Rolex Our World Underwater Scholarship winner! Pretty cool stuff she is doing and I expect to see her name associated with caving, diving and exploration for years to come.

Our climbing and caving clinics expose participants to real world exploration scenarios. Although climbing in trees is worthwhile and great practice, nothing beats experiencing the real thing.

I would like to graciously thank The Southeastern Cave Conservancy (SCCi) for being our partners in these clinics. The cave we normally use for clinics is owned by SCCi and is located in Ocala, FL. The SCCi currently owns or leases 27 preserves containing 185 caves in six southeastern states. If you are not already, I would highly recommend you join the SCCi and do your part in preserving caves that need protection or management.

As concerned explorers, we have begun putting a more renewed focus on the ADM Exploration Foundation. Our foundation's mission is to further the knowledge and understanding of history and science through the exploration, research and documentation beneath the water. As you know, we have made some exciting discoveries in the past (artifacts in Mexico and Guatemala, primate fossils in the Dominican Republic). We have also worked to strengthen our knowledge and academic relationships as well as improve our in-water excavation and artifact handling procedures. Given that and the gravity of our recent cave diving expeditions and the discoveries made on them, we feel that we are uniquely positioned to help the archaeological and academic communities with underwater archaeology and look forward to more opportunities.

I would like to personally thank Light Monkey, our lighting sponsor, for always making sure we have the best lighting equipment out there! If you are looking for a new light, I cannot encourage you enough to give them a call and find out what they have to offer.

ADM Exploration Team FREE Sidemount Clinic

As most of you are aware, sidemount diving has started to go mainstream. Even PADI is now getting into the game by offering sidemount courses. Before putting your toe in the water (or Putting Another Dollar In) I would highly recommend everyone sign up for a FREE sidemount clinic being offered by the ADM Exploration Team.

The clinic will be held on July 16th and 17th at Ginnie Springs in High Springs, FL. We will be focusing on both open circuit as well as closed circuit so there will be information for everyone. Additionally, non cave divers are welcome to participate.

You will learn techniques, configuration tips, and tricks of the trade from the original designers and explorers of the Armadillo OC and CCR harness. Light Monkey will also have there 12W LED sidemount light available for use as well as their 35W HID powerhouse!

Click here to sign up. Space is limited and registration is required.

Cave Diving in Belize?

I have often wondered if the extraordinary caves of Belize would yield cave diving opportunities. I have reviewed topographic maps, researched local geology and pored over volumes of expedition notes from past teams and most, if not all, terminate in a sump. The unexplored sumps were like a siren song to me. We had to go at least take a look!

Exploring caves in Belize requires permits and some of these can take up to 3 months to obtain. Therefore, Josh Bernstein, Jon Bojar, Curt Bowen, Eric Deister and myself decided to visit Belize and do some scouting to see if we could find any interesting possibilities that could lead to a future expedition. We called our trip the 2011 ADM Exploration Team Belize Cave Scouting Trip (you may be starting to see a pattern for naming).

Belize is an oddity in Central America, formally known as British Honduras, as the spoken language of Belize is English. That being said, I heard quite a bit of Creole, Chinese and Mayan as well. Since English is spoken by most (everyone we encountered), traveling in Belize is a bit less challenging when explaining what a rack is or trying to describe what types of cave entrances and karst features we look for. Another oddity, to me, was the sizeable population of Mennonites. Imagine my disbelief seeing horse-drawn buggies in the jungle. Belize is a unique amalgamation of people, languages and cultures all living happily side-by-side.

Eric was the TC (in training) for this trip. He arranged accommodations for us in the town of San Ignacio near the Guatemalan border at the wonderful Cahal Pech (Mayan for place of the ticks -- little did we know!). Normally, we are not accustomed to staying at resorts or hotels so this was a nice treat. Nice treat except for the fact we had 5 hours of horrible roads to travel each day into the jungle. If you venture off a main road, be prepared for a back breaking drive! The consensus is that on our next trip we will definitely be staying in the jungle simply for logistics and time to explore reasoning. That being said, Cahal Pech was great place to stay, rest, soak and pick ticks off ourselves. The staff was amazing, the food was delicious and well varied. The variance in menu items was a welcome treat as well! Our usual expedition dinners consist of rice and beans one night and spaghetti and sauce the next. Our lunches of tuna sandwiches and peanut butter are even more creative. The nice thing about our expedition meal choices are that they keep you fed and out of the dirt!

The Belizean jungle is fascinating (or UnBelizeable as some locals might say). At 1,500 feet of elevation we found ourselves in a Oak and Pine Sandhill region that strikingly resembled much of South Central Florida. Couple this with the massive amounts of exposed limestone and towering karst outcroppings and I knew this would be a productive place.

Many caves in Belize are simply put MASSIVE! Some are riverine, some sumped, some completely dry. Some requiring 500 foot drops to access and others you can simply walk, swim or raft into. Belize appears to be a virtual cornucopia of caving and cave diving delights!

After a week in Belize we came to the conclusion that we want to setup a formal exploration to explore Belizean caves and we all hope to return soon. I would like to thank Eric for putting this trip together (and taking a load of crap from everyone), the staff of Cahal Pech for making sure we had everything we needed (including photo models at 4.30AM) and those that helped us find our way in the jungle.

Warning Signs at Chassahowitzka Springs

Recently, there was another tragic loss of life at Chassahowitzka Springs. Sunday, April 16th, 22-year-old Amy Ryan was attempting to swim between two openings and failed to surface. This death as well as several others at this location made us realize that it was time we installed warning signs at both of the swim-through locations.

Myself and Eric Deister constructed and installed the signs with the support (and boats) of Mike Ward, Steve Buhler and his son Lance. Without their support it would have been much more difficult and not nearly as quick. We are greatly appreciative for the National Speleological Society - Cave Diving Section (NSS-CDS) and the National Association for Cave Diving (NACD) generously donating the warning signs. The signs were positioned such that it is hoped that they will block easy access to small dead-end sections of the each swim-through. These dead-end sections could possibly hamper the ability to surface successfully and is believed to be where Amy's body was recovered.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Amy's family and hope that the installation of these signs will help prevent the death of other swimmers.

Below is an interview I did with Bay News 9 reporter Melanie Snow. We discussed why we wanted to install the signs and why we feel it is important.

Cave Atlas Enhancements & Features

I have added a few enhancements to the Cave Atlas recently that I feel are good tools. The first is the ability for you to rate the cave system. This is simply an overall rating. My belief that the mean of the ratings will eventually show the true feeling the community has about a system. The second enhancement I have made is to how regions are handled. Since the Cave Atlas was originally created for Florida caves the database was designed for County, State. Later I added Country to handle international and just tweeked the County and State to make it work. The problem was handling caves in other States in the US. Well, that has been fixed. You will now see some caves in Missouri. In the cave listing, you can simply click on the State name and the list will be filtered to that State.

A feature that I feel is underutilized is Mapping. One the Location tab, you are presented with an overview map. Simply click that map and you will have many, many more options. A popup window will show a hybrid map from Google Maps. Look closely and you will see the map style is called "Cave Map". In some instances, I have created custom tiles that show the actual cave map overlaid on the Google Map. I recommend checking out Peacock Springs to see this the best.

I am always looking for ways to enhance the Cave Atlas and make it a better resource for everyone. Please let me know what ideas you have.

What Lies Beneath

As most of you know, we are very proud of the success we have had finding rare and unique Mayan artifacts and exploring new cave systems in Yucatan, Mexico. This year's expedition was made even more successful by having one of our team members (Josh Bernstein) host a segment on the NBC Today Show. The 5 minute segment, shown below, is a great synopsis of what we do and why we do it!

2011 Yucatan Cave Expedition - The Gear

Our 2011 Yucatan Cave Expedition was a huge success. We were able to accomplish much more than we thought we would and I will be posting a more thorough update next week sometime. Until then, I wanted to thank everyone involved and give a very special thanks to those that sponsor us. I have often been asked about the gear I use and the gear our team uses. I will point out a few of the things we use.

The dive lights we use are always Light Monkey. These lights are ROCK SOLID and can burn through the nastiest of cow dung runoff infested cenotes! Our team uses both LED versions as well as HID versions of Light Monkey dive lights. Personally, I dive a 21W HID with a 10 aH or 18 aH LiON battery.

For dry caves, the only lights I trust to get wet, take a beating and still work time after time are from Princeton Tec. I use the APEX as a primary and an EOS as a backup. The new APEX is actually 200 lumens; mine are only 60! I am thinking about upgrading but I hate to get a new light when mine are still working.

Worth some special attention is my new wetsuit. It is from a Florida company called Wet Wear. I had seen these suits before and knew I wanted one but wow, I didn't realize one wetsuit could really be any better than another. I have never been more wrong! The Wet Wear suit is custom fitted and made of G-231N nitrogen blown neoprene. Initially, I wanted a 5mm but they great people over there convinced me that a 3mm version of their suit is like everyone else's 5mm. They were right! The deal with this neoprene is that is does not compress. Another cool feature is the zippers. You can see in the picture to the left that the arm and leg zippers are very long. This suit takes about 5 seconds to put on. I know I am droning on but if you are in the market for a new suit you owe it to yourself to check out Wet Wear.

Lastly, the ever true Armadillo! In my opinion, if you are going to dive sidemount (vs. simply carrying tanks on your side), this is the only rig that is even worth looking at. In the picture above, you will see that I am wearing my climbing harness under my Armadillo. All I do is get on rope, drop the pit and start diving. I don't need to make any modifications and everything works and fits flawlessly. The Armadillo was made for expedition but works everywhere! I dive it on expedition and here in Florida, I dive it anywhere.

Thanks again for these great gear manufacturers and the great products they build. Stay tuned for more updates on the 2011 Yucatan Cave Expedition. If you have any questions about the gear I use just send me a note from the Contact page.

Cave Diving Movie - SANCTUM

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the new cave diving movie SANCTUM. The movie "follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea. With dwindling supplies, the crew must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out. Can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?" The trailer looks great and I am hoping the movie will be even better.

I am lucky enough to have some FREE passes to SANCTUM. So I am going to take a Moosejaw approach and build in some trivia to see who gets some passes. Here is the question...What recently deceased Florida cave diver was actually involved in the original expedition for which this movie is based? Click here to send me your answer. I will announce them on 1.27.2011 on my Twitter page.

SANCTUM opens IN THEATERS FEBRUARY 4! Until then, check out the trailer here.

Cave Divers Carrying the Explorers Club Flag

I found out yesterday that the application for us to carry The Explorers Club Flag on our 2011 Yucatan Cave Expedition was approved! On our expedition team, we have two Explorers Club Members: Josh Bernstein and Robert Atwater.

We are looking forward to having the flag with us on expedition as it is indeed a unique honor. The Explorers Club flag has been carried on hundreds of expeditions. The tradition started in 1918 and represents a history of courage and accomplishment. The requirements for carrying the flag is that any member of The Explorers Club can be approved to carry the flag but is required to file and official Flag Report upon return. This is done to support the part of the The Explorers Club's mission: To engage in scientific exploration and share the results.

This year's Yucatan Cave Expedition will focus on recovering artifacts discovered during the 2010 expedition, creating more detailed imagery of several massive systems we found last year and work with the Secretary of Ecology to explore and document new cave systems (of course). Stay tuned for reports from the field! I will do my best to get location Internet coverage and post a few times while we are on expedition. You can also follow me on Twitter to for more frequent updates.

Cave Atlas Blog Comments

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2011 is filled with great dives and great cave exploration. Just a simple houskeeping note, I have fixed the blog comments. When I rebuilt the site, I included a small error where blog commenting wasn't working. I would love to read everyone's comments!

Profound Cave Dives of 2010

For me, this year has held many trials and tribulations. It was a great year for learning, sharing, reconnecting and reflection. I will always look back at this year as a year that defined me. 2010 was a year of substantial losses and gains that I never thought unimaginable; the birth of a son and the loss of my best friend. As I look back at my cave diving and exploration this year, I can think of a few cave dives I was involved with in 2010 that I reflect fondly upon and have made a profound impact on me.

Undisclosed Cenote, Yucatan, Mexico
As I dropped 130’ into a room over 300’ in diameter and 100’ tall, I was awe struck! Such an amazing and foreboding place; this cave ate light like no other cave I have experienced. As I slowly rappelled into the abyss, my eyes strained to make out the distant walls of a cavern that the local inhabitants had no idea just how expansive it really was.

In so many of the caves we explore, we are often times the first to discover them as well. However, the seven skulls we found in this cave reminded me that I was not the first. It was difficult to imagine how they came to call this cave their final resting place – so many options. Were they slaves simply tossed into the cavernous depths as mere chattel, were they sacrificed by the Maya eager to appease the gods of rain, or simply victims of being the town drunk taking the wrong step at the wrong time. I hold all of them in reverence and have been honored to share their amazing find.

La Jeringa, Bayahibe, Dominican Republic
Here we discovered and recovered the most intact New World primate ever found – Antillothrix Bernisis. The journey of finding this primate and recovering it has been filled with new friends and challenging situations. I will be forever indebted to Dr. Alfie Rosenberger for his drive, desire and willingness to teach me. He has made me a better and more thoughtful explorer.

I am proud we made the right choice to find the right person to handle these primate fossils. My thought is that this expedition, these cave dives, this project, will open up the world of underwater primate paleontology and create a unique cohesion between cave divers and the world of academia. Using UV lighting underwater to fluoresce bones and teeth was a known first in underwater archeology. It is so rewarding to know that I was there and the world has more knowledge because of it!

Eagle’s Nest, Hernando County, Florida
This dive, serving as the beginning of my much needed catharsis, taught me volumes about preparation, training, gear and just how much a dive partner affects the dive (both positively and negatively). I wrote a pretty substantial article about this (The Cathartic Cave Diver) and won’t dwell much on it here. Read it, I hope it helps you understand the mindset of the “solo cave diver” better.

Manatee Spring, Levy County, Florida
I was once told that if I survive my life on this Earth with more friends than I can count on one hand I would be a very blessed man. I know I am blessed: blessed with astonishing friends, a loving family, a career and endless opportunity. I give thanks for this daily but not nearly as much as I should. However, in the darkest of my days my dear friends decided we should just go piddle around in Manatee as a good last cave dive to the year that will some become the past. It wasn’t the dive that was most impactful, it was simply the caring side of friends that put others well ahead of themselves. But, any cave dive is better than a day not exploring our amazing planet! A nice swim from Catfish to Friedman’s will do any soul good – and burn a few calories.

I hope everyone has had as great a year as I did exploring this beautiful blue marble we call Earth. I am currently gearing up for a return trip to the Yucatan jungle next month and several more exciting cave diving expeditions we have planned for 2011. As always, if you think of something I can do to make Cave Atlas better, please let me know!

The Mastery of Cave Diving

Curt and I spent last weekend diving with Josh Bernstein and sharing with him our views on sidemount cave diving and giving him some tips on technique. As much as I was excited to do so, I will still nervous – I am not an instructor, nor do I aspire to be one. Our "group" has always focused on mentoring and passing on lessons learned, gear configuration ideas and pretty much anything that would make each other better divers and explorers, but these dives were a little different. Albeit, Josh is an accomplished explorer in his own right, he is still new to sidemount cave diving and above all, a newcomer to our "group" – a very welcomed newcomer.

I have spent the past few months getting to know Josh and trying to convince him to do some cave exploration with us in the Dominican Republic, unfortunately our schedules never meshed. However, he will be joining us on our trip to Mexico as an explorer – he will be on rope and in the caves. That pretty much set up the reason for him to come to Florida and learn sidemount cave diving. Our group rarely dives anything other than sidemount on expedition as the terrain logistically doesn't support humping doubles through the jungle (nor do most of the caves we discover).

We thought we would get Josh settled into his newly fit Armadillo Sidemount Exploration Harness and introduce him to Florida caves by visiting Ginnie Springs. Nothing like a little flow to contrast the still water of most Mexican caves! Josh's buoyancy and trim were spot on. Although the Armadillo rig is built to provide this, usually new sidemount divers take a little while to dial it in. The tasks that now lie ahead for Josh are hose routing, experience and comfort. The mastery of this is critical to being a successful sidemount cave diver.

Working with Josh and watching Doug Mudry teach a GUE Fundamentals class, made me think about what it is we do and why it is that we do it. For some, cave diving is a recreational sport, for others it is a way of life (I am part of the latter group). Doug's students looked amazing in the water: trim, buoyancy, etc. That is the hallmark of GUE training – they look good in the water. These are critical initial skills any cave diver must learn, but new skills must be added as the caves dictate. Hence, Josh expanding his skills by adding sidemount cave diving. Many times we are in cave systems that don't allow you to look good in the water. The byproduct of digging and scraping is seeing caves that very few people ever have or no one ever has! I think one of my personal mottoes sums this up nicely – "If you don't go, you won't know". In my opinion, you must be able to master many skills and several types of diving in order to be ready to explore anything. Our group is comprised of like-minded and like-skilled explorers. We all cave, cave dive and climb, we also all backmount, sidemout, nomount and use rebreathers. In addition, we are always in pursuit of mastering each of these skills as you never know what type of equipment a newly discovered cave is going to dictate to you.

Josh and I talked about mastery a few times. The last time we discussed mastery was walking back from Jug Hole and talked about how impressed I was by his dogged approach at a particular sidemount skill known as "supermanning". Supermanning is swimming while holding both tanks in front of you while the neck of the tank is still attached. A critical skill that is important for passing very small cave restrictions. Josh told me he wanted to master that skill as he does all skills, but this one in particular. He will tell you he is working on it; I will tell you he's mastered it. Mastery of your skills is a must, but you also must learn self-mastery.

Cave diving and most importantly exploring and discovering new caves, can sometimes present threatening or challenging situations. Because of this, you must master your emotions and how your body reacts to these situations, just as you have mastered your skills. There are 5 basic rules of cave diving that were developed as a result of accident analysis and presented in Sheck Exley's Blueprint for Survival but I believe there is a 6th unwritten rule – "You panic, you die!". When you find yourself in a threatening or challenging situation never let your adrenaline takeover, remain calm and most importantly think! Fallback on the skills you have already mastered: your training, your skills and your gear. Many people will say they are afraid of dying, I am afraid of not living! Whatever your passion, don't just be good at it – MASTER IT!

The Cathartic Cave Diver

It has been a great couple of weeks in the world of cave diving and the dive industry as a whole. The NACD conference was one of the best (if not the best) I have attended; likewise with DEMA. Although I did not like going to a land-locked area for a dive industry trade show and I have grown to no longer enjoy Las Vegas, I was able to learn a lot about new tools for diving as well as see old friends and make new ones. Here are some great things I saw at DEMA:

Jurgenson Marine has done some amazing work with their Hammerhead rebreather
Dive Rite has upgraded their Optima handsets and are releasing a new computer
Waterproof has released a couple of REALLY nice drysuits, telescopic, front entry, etc.
A closed circuit diving system by KISS Rebreathers that is a game changer. The GEM is a gas extender (technically semi-closed circuit) that can extend a tank of gas by 3 times while utilizing a Micropore ExtendAIR filter for ease of use – no manually filling your can with sord. Here is a picture I took of the unit.
Liquivision shocked everyone by releasing a OC/CC TRIMIX computer with color OLED and a user replaceable battery for $999 -- the Liquivision Xeo. The CC side of this is fixed set point but what a great backup for the X1 or if you are never going closed circuit this is the perfect computer. The Liquivision Xeo is at least half the size of the brick computers and packs more features with a smaller price tag than any other computer out there.

We are starting to narrow down the mission and goals for the ADM Exploration Foundation 2011 Yucatan Cave Exploration. It is coming together nicely and I suspect a lot of fellow cave explorers will be amazed at what we come up with! We have assembled a diverse team with great skills and we have high expectations. Stay tuned!

So I have been going through some life changes and have been thinking a lot (I know, not smart if you are a cave diver). Recently, I was compelled to go dive Eagle’s Nest and my buddy bailed on me at the last minute. Since I was already close to the Nest, I decided I would do a solo dive. I know that many people don’t like solo diving and I am not a practitioner of it. We have all been in solo "situations" both in caves as well as in open water. 50-100’ away from a buddy is a long way to swim if you are out of gas or have a gas casualty. I am usually diving sidemount (both open circuit as well as on my KISS Classic rebreather) so my I feel I have gas management covered. If I were diving backmount, I would have employed a "buddy bottle" for safety. Many know that neither the NACD nor the NSS/CDS condone or condemn the practice of diving solo in caves. I am not here to lobby for or against but rather provide my experience.

The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the Nest is that I was not feeling like I was pressed for time. This is usually the case as I end up gabbing too much and everyone else is ready before I am. I also noticed how much attention I paid to my gear; more so than usual (I will remember that). I analyzed my gases on site (again) and went through all of my gear meticulously.

After taking my bottles to the water I suited up in my drysuit and Armadillo. I went to the water and sat; shining for alligators. Honestly, gators were my ONLY concern for the dive – if a bottle has an issue, I have another – one light fails, I have 3 more – lose my way, I carried an exploration reel. For this dive the only thing I took with me out of norm was an extra light and an exploration reel. The reel I took with the intent of using it for safety if needed. OK, no red eyes on the water. Time to go diving!

I kitted up slowly and deliberately; it felt great. I entered the crap-viz, pea soup basin and made my way to the "log" to drop off my 02. I did another set of bubble checks on my bottles and down the shaft I went.

After clipping my 50/20 mix to the line at 75’ I dropped to about 10’ above the mound. I was surprised how lucid this dive was. I noticed things I never had before. I was completely engulfed by the dive. I had no reason to rush and no one else to worry about! My dive plan was to go upstream a bit (gas constrained), then go back around the mound and go downstream to the Lockwood Tunnel jump. Throughout the dive I was surprised how much better my breathing rate was; I guess I really was relaxed.

I completed the dive without incident and started my long deco out. That is a major concern that should be given CAREFUL consideration – deco! If you have an issue and no one is topside waiting for you, it could mean some serious complications. Although I was completely alone I did use a common dry caving practice of leaving a callout. I called my buddy and let him know when he should hear from me. This would be akin to a flight plan if flying or a float plan if boating.

I am still not an advocate for solo diving and I don’t know if I will ever dive Eagle’s Nest by myself again. For one, I would have rather had someone with me in the basin looking for that monster gator that never appeared; oh how I knew he was out there lurking, watching me. Waiting for the opportunity to come over and scare the hell out of me. However, I am pleased with my dive and it gave me the catharsis I desperately needed.

As always, if you see something on the site you would like added or changed, please feel free to let me know.

As the Cave Crumbles

Recently, I was fortunate to take a Conservation Science class as part of the Florida Master Naturalist Program. As someone who spends as much time as possible outside exploring the real Florida, I was amazed at how much I learned. I was amazed at just how much this class has made me think, view and see how the biodiveristy of our State is probably beyond repair. I have found that on our hikes, I walk a lot slower now, I am appreciating not just mega flora and fauna but the small ecosystems that pepper our beautiful landscape. I would recommend this class to anyone!

As the year comes to a close, a couple of events are on the agenda (as they always are). First is the National Association for Cave Diving's Annual Seminar. I am looking forward to spend time with old friends and learning about the new ways and methods that others are using to explore our great planet. Next up will be The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) tradeshow. Always fun to see new and creative products for diving and figuring out how we can use them in caves. I will be in the KISS Rebreathers booth (3241) if you would like to come by and say hello. I will also be there representing the ADM Exploration Foundation.

Looking to expand on our success during the 2010 Yucatan Cave Expedition we are heading back to Colonia Yucatan in January. We are excited about the new team combination this year but will miss two key and veteran explorers. Keep an eye out for some amazing news from this trip. We are expecting to recover some one of a kind artifacts from several caves we explored last year.

Cave Divers Find Ancient Monkey Fossils

So this is what we have been up to in the Dominican Republic. Last year's trip to Gri Gri Divers lead to our discovery of a primate skull. We later contacted Dr. Alfred Rosenberger from Brooklyn College in New York. He brought us back down for two more trips; the first to recovery the original monkey skull and the second (last month) to look for more fossils.
Here are some links that discuss our find as well as the enormous scientific impact is has made:

Proceedings of the Royal Society - Academic Paper
Advanced Diver Magazine Article - ADM Discovery of Antillothrix Bernensis
ADM Exploration Foundation Video - Recovering Monkey Fossils
Brooklyn College Press Release - BC Anthropologist Identifies Primate Fossil in the Caribbean
New Scientist Article - Skull tells tale of the lost primates of the Caribbean
BBC Article - Divers find ancient monkey fossil
Fox News Article - Scuba Divers Discover Ancient Monkey Fossil

We are proud to be a part of this great research and exploration and look forward to more expeditions to the Dominican Republic. The picture to the left is of Eric and I collecting monkey bones in a small cave; the picture was taken by Curt Bowen.

I have also been busy adding new cave systems to the database and adding countries as well -- I have even listed cave systems in Bosnia! If you would like to have cave systems added or would lilke to see other features, please let me know.

Cave Diving Tools

In a couple of weeks I am headed out of the country to do a more detailed survey of a cave we were working in last year. I was hoping to have a smaller version of the cave radio we used at Weeki Wachee but Ken Smith doesn't have any to spare. Honestly, his is labor of love making those things; 300 turns of smaller-than-hair width Mumetal is more than my ADD-plagued mind can take. We are simply going to use use the old, tried and true method of tape and compass. Normally, I just make a matrix in my survey notebook and start from there. However, Jason Richards has recently converted his Rite in the Rain dry cave survey paper (product #R-168) to be more fitting to the underwater world -- THANK YOU Jason! If anyone is interested in picking some of these up, you can call Rite in the Rain and request custom order product #R-237. As an aside, Rite in the Rain's Field Ring Binder (product #210) handles the paperwork perfectly. You might have to trim the edges of the notebook to fit them in a drysuit or wetsuit pocket though.

As for this site, I am constantly adding new cave systems both in the US and other countries. Take a look at the new flag-based navigation at the top of the Cave & Cavern List and let me know what you think. Hopefully soon we will have some great new expedition news to report. Until then, please take a look at some of the recent expeditions I have been involved with over at Advanced Diver Magazine and the ADM Exploration Foundation.

Cave Diving and the True Story of Bottled Water

Many of you, that know me, know that I am passionate about Florida, our karst and the the damage the water bottling industry does to it. I have heard long time cave divers advocate how extracting water from the aquifer is actually good for the State. Yeah it doesn't make sense to me either! They have tried many times to look like environmentalists but they just want more money (pretty typical in Florida Cave Country). Making money is not bad at all but lying about how you do it is!

I seldom post to my blog as is witnessed by the lack of keeping it up to date but I do post a lot on twitter if you want to read some of my random thoughts. Things that I feel are important enough to memorialize, I post here. Given that, I want to share a video with the few readers I have. I have watched this video a few times and feel it more than warrants as many views as it can get. Get the message out and STOP buying bottled water! I know a good place to get water filters so let me know if you are interested. Please take 8 minutes to watch the video below and help spread the word.

NSS-CDS Has Stopped Printing Underwater Speleology

That is a headline you will soon see unless you speak up.

Current NSS-CDS BOD members have already made up their minds to stop printing the UWS. They have sent out statements, written vague UWS articles, posted witty comments on the NSS-CDS web site -- "No need to run to your mailbox.", and even created a misleading poll on the NSS-CDS website. All of these will provide them what they need to defend their decision to stop printing UWS.

Why would they stop printing UWS? Is it the massive costs of printing? Actually, it kind of is. They need that money for other things. They need that money to create a "state of the art training" facility at Cow Springs replete with a changing room and steps. This is what they have to have so their customers can have a "better" experience.

I have noticed more and more pictures and conversations online of outings to this new "private" training facility. Check out a PADI TecRec blog entry, you will see one of the NSS-CDS BOD members (Harry Averill) and 3 other people getting ready for a dive at Cow Springs. Only 1 of the other 3 divers is listed as an NSS-CDS member (Grant Graves). Don't you have to be a member of the NSS-CDS to dive Cow Springs? Not really, NSS-CDS instructors may use Cow Springs as a training site. So was our BOD member teaching the PADI TecRec folks or just plain breaking the rules? Maybe they are all NSS-CDS members and just aren't listed in the member database.

TAKE ACTION! Let the BOD members know that you reject their attempts to decimate the organization and create their own private training and guided diving agency complete with customized marketing list and "left wanting" new website with stylized new NSS-CDS logo. To me, it really seems like they are pushing certifications and trying to fill their pockets vs. actually doing something for the membership (is anyone else tired of socials, socials, socials?). An example of this ramped up effort would be me getting a NSS-CDS e-mail at my work e-mail address. To my knowledge, I have never given the NSS-CDS that e-mail address. It looks like they are are loading up their databases so the members of the NSS-CDS BOD can market to as many people as they can -- they need more money and the BOD is a perfect platform from which to accomplish that goal. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Not all the BOD members are performing their duties as a benefit to the organization (altruism); they are simply trying to benefit themselves (greed). Some will immediately ask why I don't / haven't run for the NSS-CDS BOD. Quite frankly, I do not have the time to perform that duty as it should be; I understand that and am not afraid of that as a decision.

Do you really want the printed version of UWS to go away? If you do, no worries, keep doing nothing like everyone else. The 40 or so responses of those wanting to keep the printed UWS pale in comparison to the rest of the membership that wants it to go away (written tongue-in-cheek). It's hard to believe so many NSS-CDS members want the printed version of the UWS to go away. At the NACD conference Saturday an informal poll (raising of hands) was taken. Only 4 people raised their hands when the membership was asked if they wanted the NACD to stop publishing the NACD Journal. I like the approach the NACD took -- actually asking the membership. If the current NSS-CDS BOD decides to no longer print the UWS I will cease being a member. I currently pay for a 3 year membership and that expires this year. I will now be going year-to-year until this issue is resolved.

For NSS-CDS members, I implore you to DO SOMETHING! SPEAK UP! If you are not satisfied with the BOD's decisions, vote with your wallet -- I WILL!

Cave Diving : Old Caves, New Species

The Dominican Republic trip we took in June turned out to be a lot more than just beating the bush, dry caving, finding virgin cave and laying line. Some of what we found in the caves actually turned out to be very interesting to Brooklyn College, CUNY as well. So much so that they brought us back down to the Dominican Republic earlier this month to recover some fossils. The fossils were removed from the cave with government permits and are being housed in the Museum of the Dominican Man in Santo Domingo; there they will study them and hopefully you will soon be able to read of these studies in some prestigious science journals. I am actually very happy with this new endeavor. For many years archaeologists and paleontologists have worked in caves to better understand species that have long been extinct. We are now entering a period of time where cave divers and scientists can work together for the better of science. This has long been a goal of the ADM Exploration Foundation and we are happy to oblige our new friends in academia. The picture to the left was taken by Curt Bowen in a cave called Padre Nuestro in the Dominican Republic. Keep your eye out for issue 32 of Advanced Diver Magazine, in it is an editorial about our trip to the Dominican Republic as well as some of Curt's amazing photography.

There are some great things coming up in the diving community; DEMA for one. DEMA is back in Orlando this year and I am looking forward to looking at all the exciting things I can do to my new KISS Classic Rebreather (thank you Kim and Curt for making this a reality) I know many of my friends will quickly point out that I have never been a fan of rebreathers but I am looking at it as just another tool in the bag. I intend on using this new tool during my next expedition with Advanced Diver Magazine in January. We will be headed to some very remote parts of the the Yucatan and managing 30 or so SCUBA tanks for open circuit just won't cut it. Therefore, this trip will be rebreather only for the sake of logistics. Hence, my having to learn the rebreather -- learn it or don't go.

Here in Florida, we are looking forward to the NACD's 41^st Annual World Seminar. This great event will be held in the Gainesville, Florida area starting November 21^st. The 3^rd Annual Rebreather Summit will be held in conjunction with the NACD Seminar at Camp Kulaqua on November 22^nd. The NACD is always busy working for their members, I heard great things about the Survey Workshop Mike Poucher held last month for the NACD; I wish I could have attended. Mike is an amazing cave cartographer and has already forgotten more than I will ever know about cave survey.

My new cave atlas is coming along. When I launch it, I hope to have over a 1,000 systems in quite a few different countries. Stay tuned for that. I am hoping I have some spare time soon to work on this. Until then, please continue to post condition reports for the caves you are visiting. Many other readers have come to depend on the condition reports for planning their cave diving trips. I am happy to see quite a few people have decided to follow CaveConditions on Twitter. Personally, I enjoy getting text messages letting me know how others are enjoying the caves when I am not.

Thanks again for those of you that read my blog and use the site. I hope the new site will be even easier to use. Take a look at the Cave & Cavern List. I have added quite a few new systems in Florida as well as other countries. Drop me a note if you would like to see other features added to the site or you just have something you would like to say. I also wanted to mention some GREAT news! If you are looking for a new dive light or need yours repaired, Joel & Corey are back! They have have opened up a new business called Light Monkey. Check them out for more information.

Cave Diving Updates

So I haven't posted to my blog since April. I often sit and wonder what I should write and it is just some way for me to place milestones along the paths I travel. I am very blessed in all facets of my life and am grateful for the people I know and the things I am able to do. However, I will not simply sit here and nostalgically wax on. Let me start by looking at our cave diving agencies and doing a quick roll-up.

The NSS-CDS had elections and there are new board members. Jeff Loflin is now the CDS Chairman and has posted a nice letter on the CDS site. I wish him well and hope the agency can move forward from a somewhat stalled state. It seems that the agencies have only pushed membership and teaching, unfortunately leaving exploration, education and conservation on the back burner. The CDS conference, held in May, was very informative. As an aside, I am part of a group that has worked on getting School Sink (Wayne's World) reopened through the creation of a guide program, a new website dedicated solely to School Sink and an online reservation system. The NSS-CDS recognized our accomplishments by presenting the Guide Team with the NSS-CDS Safety Award during the NSS-CDS Conference. If you are interested in diving School Sink please visit the School Sink Diving website or just simply let me know.

On the NACD side of things, they too have a new director; Jacki Clark was installed as the newest board member and I couldn't be happier. I am confident she will be beneficial to the success of the organization. I really appreciate that the NACD is hosting a survey workshop in October. I feel this is a good step in providing for the membership versus simply collecting memberships and certifying students. Mike Poucher is leading the survey workshop so it will definitely be worthwhile. Mike is astonishingly good at cave survey and his efforts speak for themselves! Mike was my survey mentor a few years ago and without his help in the field and on the computer I would have failed miserably.

Enough politics (although I have really left them out -- so much unneeded BS in cave country) and on to diving. As I mentioned earlier, I am blessed! I have been given so many opportunities to dive new caves and simply explore this magnificent blue marble we call Earth. I am always amazed.

I am blessed to be part of the ongoing Weeki Wachee Spring exploration. This year's exploration ended in June with the window shutting almost as fast as it opened. Although, we did not push the cave this year, we positioned ourselves as a team that can perform scientific functions as well as explore. The jewel of this year's exploration is the video shot by Liquid Productions. There are some screen grabs, as well as a week-by-week journal of this year's exploration, on the Karst Underwater Research Blog. The pictures alone are well worth the visit!

Another big project I was blessed to be a part of was in the Dominican Republic. We spent a week in the Dominican with Advanced Diver Magazine and the ADM Foundation to help Gri Gri Divers look for new caves their clients could dive. Unfortunately, we found more that they shouldn't or can't dive than ones that they can. Our team of four cave explorers joined a sponsored team near the Dominican village of Bayahibe, located on the southeastern shore. A week of brush beating, dry cave searching, and tight cave exploring resulted in the discovery of several underwater caves, never before seen dry cave passages, and finding the remains of exotic mega fauna. Long story short, there is cave in the Dominican and it is gorgeous! Brett found the most beautiful virgin dry cave (beyond a few hundred foot sump). We were amazed by the two foot long bacon and four foot long soda straws. It is simply incredible to be the first person to ever see some of the hidden treasures in our world. There will be an article in the upcoming issue of Advanced Diver Magazine highlighting our trip -- keep your eye out for it. If you just can't wait and would like to see some "raw" video of our trip take a look at this video. Many thanks to everyone at Gri Gri Divers, Uwe, Mark, Alexi and everyone else for having us and putting up with our constant singing!

As always, I appreciate everyone's support of the site and welcome any suggestions for features. Lately I have been playing with Twitter. I have actually found a good use for it (in my opinion). By "following" CaveConditions on Twitter, you can have the latest cave condition reports sent to your cell phone. You can also follow me on Twitter. Sometimes I have something interesting to say.

Cave Diving in Full Force!

I made it back from another incredible trip to Mexico with Connie and Bert. I was happy that we were able to dive a few places (Tres Estrellas, the Mayan Alter at Dos Ojos, and more) that were new to me and go back to others that I could go back to again and again (Caracol, Kolimba, etc.). Personally, I cannot recommend Connie's trips enough and if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask me. The picture to the right was taken in a cave called Temple of Doom. The photographer (Don Currie) did an exceptional job capturing me progressing through a halocline. Don is an amazing photographer and a great cave diver. I am happy he will be joining us this year at Weeki Wachee.

Speaking of Weeki Wachee, my return has found me knee deep in Karst Underwater Research's return to Weeki Wachee for our 2009 Exploration season. Already, we have conducted numerous familiarization dives for new team members and built staging ares inside the cave to allow divers to start decompression earlier in the cave and also to get rid of some of their gear earlier. If you are following the explorations at Weeki Wachee, I will be writing a weekly blog describing each week's diving that can be read here and for those that are really into technology, I am also twittering about this year's exploration progress. Click here to check out what we are doing in a little more real time.

I have added a new feature to the cave system pages, it is now possible to subscribe to an RSS for each system that will let you know when a new condition report has been posted as well as showing historical condition reports. Look for the RSS icon - - on the right of each system page.

For those of you that let me know that you read and follow this blog, MANY THANKS! Let me know what else you would like to see on the site.

My World of Caving and Cave Diving

So much has happened since I last decided to create a blog entry. I apologize each time but I am not this time. Personally, I think I am the only one who reads theses (if I am wrong send me an e-mail and tell me differently).

On the caving side of our lives, we had a great trip to TAG with Robert, Tom and Mike. I loved frogging Stephen's Gap (I will NEVER do that again). Tumbling Rock was a incredible! I never expected to climb a 400' mountain 4 hours back in a cave but by the same token I never realized the largest waterfall in Alabama (300') is also in this cave -- King's Shower.

One the diving front, we were able to do some great dives at Twin Dees this year but we lost it as soon as we got it. The ability to dive Twin Dees is controlled by Weeki Wachee. If the flow is too low at Weeki Wachee, Twin Dees is a cesspool. If the flow at Weeki Wachee is high then the flow at Twin Dees will be too great to navigate the solution tube entry.

I also have some notable cave diving topics. I (and many others) assisted Marc Singer and Brett Hemphill in their dive to survey the end of the lines at Manatee Springs. They went to the end of both the siphon and spring tunnels and performed survey work for Mike Poucher (check out Mike's new map of Manatee Springs on his site -- it is incredible!). I actually did some work on this project as well; I was part of a team that did water sampling in the Milk Tunnel. The picture to the right is Eric entering the water for our water sampling dive.

Last, but not least, I was privileged to be a member of the support and setup team that help Jerry Murphy and Jill Heinerth push the upstream side of McCormick Sink. They actually make the connection to Rose Creek Sink downstream. Congratulations to both Jerry and Jill for an exceptional dive -- I was honored to be part of the team. Now Joel, Eric and I will take on the task of surveying McCormick but for now I am off to Mexico with Connie LoRe, Bert and Tampa Adventure Sports -- it has been far too long since I visited the pristine and awe inspiring caves of the Rivera Maya!

My Apologizes

So for sometime I have had issues with my sites staying up (x64, x86, SQLServer, ADO, MDAC, yadda yadda). It has frustrated me to the point of finally doing something about it. I have finally embraced virtualization for my personal systems and now have new servers running for my sites (caves.tampadiving.com, www.karstunderwaterresearch.org). You should not experience the downtime you have seen in the past. My apologizes if you were looking for conditions or using the maps and they were unavailable.

Other Updates

Changed method of displaying system overview pictures
Changed method of posting condition reports
Fixed Firefox 3.x bug experienced when attempting to add a condition report
Added TOPO maps to all map views
Resources tab for system pages (maps, pictures, videos, etc.)
Always new systems being added

If you have any comments or questions please let me know. Also, I am always looking for new features to add to my site.

Caving...Just Like Cave Diving But With More Pain!

From time to time I have to travel for work and ultimately I leave on Sunday. This usually leaves me in the position of not being able to dive on Saturdays. Lucky for me we have some great friends at USF Karst (Jason, Grant and others) as well as Tom and Robert (TRUE Karst Hounds) that don't mind taking us to see some great dry caves. We enjoy it almost as much much as Daisy does. Daisy is our beautiful Walker Treeing Coonhound seen at the bottom of the picture. She is trying very hard to be a good karst hound!

Robert has taken us under his wing and has been teaching us the finer arts of belly crawling and rope work. In return, we have tried to show Robert some interesting wet caves and help him in the fine art of pulling and gliding. It really is a great partnership! To make it even better, we are trying to get Tom to take Cavern and Intro with Jim Wyatt.

Tom is simply an unbelievable source of information from caves to karst to flora and fauna. Click here to take a look at some of his pictures of the Florida underground. Also, take a look at the some of the amazing formations that have been unearthed by mining operations. It is truly amazing, while at the same time horrifying, to see clear calcite formations littered on the ground.

The North Florida caves are starting to show some improvement. The common systems (Peacock, Little River, Cow, etc.) are improving but are still not diveable. However, if you need to get wet, Ginnie is still pumping clear water and Madison has started to improve. Central Florida caves such as Wayne's World, Eagle's Nest, etc are also diveable. Those North Florida systems should be opening up within a month or so.

Systems up in the Panhandle seem to be doing well and lets hope that is the case. We are taking a trip up to Marianna next weekend so we will get see for ourselves. Although I have been really looking forward to that trip, I would rather be in Weeki Wachee. I have had my fingers crossed all spring that the flow at Weeki Wachee would drop like a rock so we can get back in there; only time will tell. As of today the flow is 117 cfs which is still too high for safe diving operations.

If you haven't already, sign up for the 2008 NSS CDS Annual Workshop. You can find more information by clicking here.

Protect Florida Springs

Great news everyone! The Protect Florida Springs specialty license plate is now available at most DMV offices throughout the state. I actually got mine a few weeks ago -- the first day they were available.

Getting this plate approved was a very long process and a lot of work was done by many people. I greatly appreciate Wildlife Trust and Wildlife Foundation of Florida making this plate a reality. Do your part to protect Florida springs and get one of these plates. The registration fee is only $25 and is distributed to Wildlife Foundation of Florida.

Weeki Wachee Spring Exploration 2008 Begins

We had almost the entire Weeki Wachee Spring Exploration team out on Sunday. It was great to see everyone (new and old team members) and to have everyone's help putting in the habitat. I think I could go on for hours talking about the habitat and our attempts at getting it installed but it all boils down to what we had planned didn't work out. However, we are very confident that our new plans for the installation of the habitat will. Here is a picture of Eric and I doing some synchronized wrenching (thanks to Steve Straatsma for the picture).

We are still unsure as to when exploration diving will begin again at Weeki Wachee Spring. The current flow is at 118cfs and has been pretty steady since December. Hopefully, we will be able to start diving before May.

Lucky for everyone in Florida there has been quite a bit of rain lately. The Suwannee River is flooded as are portions of the Sante Fe and the Withlacoochee. Bad news for cave divers but good news for the environment. Last time we had this type of flooding the caves cleared up pretty quick. However, I would not expect that to be the case this time as the aquifer is not charged.

Volunteers are needed by the NSS-CDS to finish the steps at Cathedral Sink. The work day will be on March 29th and will start at 9AM. There will be a social following the work day. This project is almost completed so any and all volunteers would be greatly appreciated. Click here for more information about the work that needs to be accomplished as well as the social.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

What a great summer it was. I was able to do far more diving than I ever expected and was able to hit some new systems (Weeki Wachee Springs, Alachua Sink, etc) and spent time in more familiar systems. The most important of all these dives were the ones at Weeki Wachee.

This year I was honored to be a part of the Weeki Wachee Springs 2007 Exploration managed by Karst Underwater Research. I won't go into too much of it here as the link to the exploration says it all. That page lists the 4 major exploration dives that were done as well as numerous links to media coverage that this exploration has garnered. However, it doesn't go into the grueling 30 or so other dives that were made to stage gear, survey, video, or simply familiarize team members with the violent entry and exit procedures. Eventually, toll was taken on everyone's gear but for me, my dry suit and my wet suit got excessively beaten up. However, Steve Gamble was able to work his magic on both.

I was happy to get my "dry" suit back and get back to not shivering after 100 minutes or so. However, I learned some valuable lessons about overheating, nutrition, hydration and cramping. Given that I sweat like no human should (I have been told it is either because I am 1) in shape or 2) out of shape -- we won't ponder those choices) I have learned that water alone is not what I need to keep my body functioning. I need sodium as well (hmmm...I guess there is something to sports drinks). So now I am taking sodium tablets while out diving.

Now on to my beloved calf cramps that seemingly only occur while swimming out of siphons...We all know potassium is what we need to help us from cramping. So I got some potassium supplements and wondered why they only give me 3% of my daily allowance and I can only take one a day. Well, unlike things like vitamin C, potassium is fat soluble vs. water soluble. Apparently that makes a huge difference if your body can squirrel away things and eventually cause you to overdose on them.

OK, back to diving. The Florida Caves & Cavern List continues to grow with more systems and more information and maps for existing systems. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Here are some events that are coming up in the caving community:

NSS - CDS Social - Marianna, FL - October 13, 2007
NACD Annual Seminar - Gainesville, FL - November 17, 2007
NSS - CDS Fall In - Hart Springs, FL - Thanksgiving 2007