nest report

[wingman]

Anyone been to eagles nest recently and can give a dive report?? Any info appreciated. thanks, bill huth

[DeepSea]

There is a report from the 7th here - http://www.tampadiving.com/sections/diving/cave_systems/system.asp?ID=26

[MikeH]

Anyone been to eagles nest recently and can give a dive report?? Any info appreciated. thanks, bill huth

Sat, July 15th: Vis in the basin 5-10ft, very tannic. Starting at the bottom of the tube, vis about 20-30ft. From the mound to about p550 upstream the vis varied from 20-40ft. 40 was in the Super Room.

Mike

The roads were in good shape on Saturday (7/15), with the exception being a large puddle (about 8" deep) with some soft mud.

The shorter path to CR550 is now marked for emergency crews.

Be alert for ticks on the tall grass around Eagles Nest! I found one with some strange white markings after the dive.

[Tegg]

The roads were in good shape on Saturday (7/15), with the exception being a large puddle (about 8" deep) with some soft mud.

The shorter path to CR550 is now marked for emergency crews.

Be alert for ticks on the tall grass around Eagles Nest! I found one with some strange white markings after the dive.

Called a Lone Star Tick.

http://www.oes.org/html/how_2_identify_different_ticks.html

[Angie Reim]

Ughhh....ticks....about the only thing out there that really grosses me out!

Other things out there ARE nasty but ticks get that visceral response. :smt110

Called a Lone Star Tick.
http://www.oes.org/html/how_2_identify_different_ticks.html
Thanks for the information, but it didn't look like a Lone Star Tick. I checked many sites and I haven't seen it yet. It looked kind of like the second largest stage, of the four stages (the picture with the centimeter scale), of the Deer Tick. It was reddish black, with some white markings around the edges, and about the size of a pencil eraser.

Signs are posted by the Iron Ranger about a non-native tick which is now in the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area. The posters say these ticks were potentially brought into the area by birds. Keep an eye out for these pests.

Tick Removal Procedure http://www.lyme.org/ticks/removal.html:
1) Use fine-point tweezers to grasp the tick at the place of attachment, as close to the skin as possible.
2) Gently pull the tick straight out.
3) Place the tick in a small vial labeled with the victim's name, address and the date.
4) Wash your hands, disinfect the tweezers and bite site.
5) Mark your calendar with the victim's name, place of tick attachment on the body, and general health at the time.
6) Call your doctor to determine if treatment is warranted.
7) Watch the tick-bite site and your general health for signs or symptoms of a tick-borne illness. Make sure you mark any changes in your health status on your calendar.
8.) If possible, have the tick identified/tested by a lab, your local health department, or veterinarian.

Note http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef618.htm:
Vaseline, matches and other alternate methods of removal should be avoided.

More tick links:
http://www.lyme.org/ticks/tick.html
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/696_flea.html#prevent
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef618.htm
http://www.pestproducts.com/ticks1.htm
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/ticks/article_em.htm

[skip]

I grew up out west and the white markings on a tick's back indicated it was infected with a disease, Lyme Disease, if I remember correctly. Don't know if they have that in florida, but.....no cure, physically exhausting, stays with you for life to reduce your overall exertion level.

-skip

[lonestarfl]

I grew up out west and the white markings on a tick's back indicated it was infected with a disease, Lyme Disease, if I remember correctly. Don't know if they have that in florida, but.....no cure, physically exhausting, stays with you for life to reduce your overall exertion level.

-skip
Lyme disease is NOT endemic to Florida...but watch out for the snakes and gators.
Lee

[Limestone Cowboy]

Lyme disease is NOT endemic to Florida...but watch out for the snakes and gators.
Lee

Ehhhhh, it is here, just not to the level of other places.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in121

But...I agree watching out for rattlers and cottonmouths is more important.

Drew

[lonestarfl]

Lyme disease is NOT endemic to Florida...but watch out for the snakes and gators.
Lee

Ehhhhh, it is here, just not to the level of other places.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in121

But...I agree watching out for rattlers and cottonmouths is more important.

Drew
I stand by what I said....15-25 cases per year in the 90's which could not be explained through out of state travel is NOT endemic. Compair that to the THOUSANDS of cases per year varified in endemic areas.
Lee

[Limestone Cowboy]

I stand by what I said....15-25 cases in the 90's which could not be explained through out of state travel is NOT endemic. Compair that to the thousands of cases per YEAR varified in endemic areas.
Lee

It says 30-50 per year in Florida, with about half not traceable to out of state sources. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is here too.


There have been 30-50 cases per year diagnosed in Florida in the late 1990s; about half of which can be traced to infection outside of the state. By comparison, New York typically has 3000-5000 cases per year; clearly there is a much lower risk of infection in Florida.

http://www.pestproducts.com/lymedisease.htm#LYME%20DISEASE
Lyme disease is caused by a spirochete (or type of bacteria), called Borrelia burgdorferi, which affects humans. This disease organism is vectored principally by a hard tick, Ixodes dammini, which commonly attacks white-tailed deer. Lyme disease was first recognized and reported as a cluster of cases which occurred around Lyme, Connecticut in 1975. Since then, three areas in the United States are now identified where this disease organism is known to be endemic, or occurring naturally. These are areas of the Northeast (in coastal areas from northern Virginia to southern Maine,) the northern Midwest (Minnesota and Wisconsin) and the West (parts of California, Oregon, Utah and Nevada.) Most occur in the northeastern United States, but cases of Lyme Disease have been reported in at least 25 states.

http://www.lyme.org/resources/resources.html
273,006 cases of Lyme disease have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control, 1980 - 2006 (07/15/06)

http://www.lyme.org/resources/2000-9.htm
Lyme Disease Figures Reported to the CDC for Florida:
54 (2000) 43 (2001) 79 (2002) 43 (2003) 46 (2004) 81 (2005) 14 (01/01/06 - 07/15/06)
751 (Total 1980 - Current)

[Limestone Cowboy]

All I'm saying is that the risk is NOT zero. If a disease exists in an area on it's own, it's endemic. Perhaps you were thinking epidemic.

Anyways, it's a good idea to keep the nasty blood suckers off you.

Drew

BTW It's easy to stand by what you say when you can go back and edit it...

[skip]

When I said "out west" I meant specifically Montana. The one case I know firsthand (or is it second hand when it's your buddy?). However, I heard of it in Washington (where I grew up), Oregon, Idaho.

And I thought that rocky mountain spotted fever was the same thing as lyme disease...?

-skip

Anyways, it's a good idea to keep the nasty blood suckers off you.

Drew
Lyme disease is a problem in Florida. Prevention and early treatment for ticks is very important. I had a problem, which resulted from a tick bite at Eagles Nest. I saw a PA and started taking Doxycycline. The symptom resolved itself in about a day.


And I thought that rocky mountain spotted fever was the same thing as lyme disease...?

-skip

No, Lyme disease is different from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Multiple diseases can be contracted from a single tick bite.

Information on RMSF:
http://www.lyme.org/otherdis/rmsf.html

Tick-borne Diseases http://www.lyme.org/otherdis/diseases.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Babesiosis
2) Colorado Tick Fever
3) Ehrlichiosis
4) Lyme Disease
5) Relapsing Fever
6) Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF)
7) Tick Paralysis
8.) Tularemia

[underh2o]

Dove the nest on Friday June 21. Roads are in good shape, just a few shallow puddles here and there. Vis in the basin was 5 ft. at best and very tannic. Water cleared up at the chinmey and inside the ballroom vis improved to 60+. Upstream tunnel was 60+ as well.

[OutlawCaver]

Dived The Nest Sat and Sun (7/22- 7/23) Basin was tannic but was fine to see for deco even as late as 7PM. Nothing quite like dropping into The Ballroom and seeing the debris cone come into view 50ft beneath you with a great deep dive ahead of you.

Upstream and downstream viz was about 40-50 feet both days.

Thanks for the reports. It sounds like the conditions improved. :-)

[OutlawCaver]

It is probably a good thing I don't live closer to The Nest. I would probably not have much spinal chord left after diving there several times a week before dinner.

[DeepSea]

It is probably a good thing I don't live closer to The Nest. I would probably not have much spinal chord left after diving there several times a week before dinner.

I did the once a week for a long while. Gets expensive after a while...

[MikeH]

It is probably a good thing I don't live closer to The Nest. I would probably not have much spinal chord left after diving there several times a week before dinner.

I did the once a week for a long while. Gets expensive after a while...

WTF are you talking about? I used $10 worth of gas there on my last dive. :-D

Mike

WTF are you talking about? I used $10 worth of gas there on my last dive. :-D

Mike
Yep, it's called CCR!

[DeepSea]

WTF are you talking about? I used $10 worth of gas there on my last dive. :-D

Mike
Yep, it's called CCR!

Does that mean you don't annualize the cost of the CCR...$xK for the unit = $x per dive...

[johnnyrichards]

Dove Eagle's Nest 7/24:

Basin very tannic, but ok for deco;
Cavern approx. 50'; and
Upstream approx. 40'- we could not see one line arrow from the previous, but still not bad.

On a positive note, we did manage to avoid attack by roving gangs of unknown ticks with red and blue do-rags. No random tick gang warfare encountered.

Johnny