I recall in my apprentice training after completing the objectives, I thought, my instructor signaled me to follow him off the main line. I did and we went off into a tunnel near the beginning of the hill 400 line. When we got into an area that had several tunnels, he did a which way out signal. I pointed back the direction I thought. After the dive, he said never trust anyone, always run a line. Lesson learned right?


Quite some time later near the same place, I followed a buddy and we took a tunnel and found the line and followed it (he knew where he was going?) and we popped up through the floor in the key hole room. I did not run a line, trusted my buddy and all was good.


In April of 2004, a few days after the easter egg hunt, solo dive up Hill 400, picked up an egg that was missed. On the way out, decided I would take that neat tunnel me and my buddy had taken to the key hole room. Did not run a line. Got into a tunnel, the line has to be just around the corner, tunnel kept going but no line. Ok, I'll turn around, turned around to find exit. Did not see an exit. Im certain I entered horizontally, the exit had to be on the right. Am I headed in the right direction? Turned back around to go back to see if I missed exit, no exit. Don't panic, still have air.


Tunnel not real big, silt starting to rise from my back and forth swimming. Don't panic, dang I may be in trouble.


Lord, if you get me through this I will never cave dive again. This is ironic, this is near where my instructor told me to always run a line. What is he going to think?


Up in the ceiling, a hole, I'm gonna try it. This place is like swiss cheese. Popped my head through, a large tunnel and off in the haze I see the gold line! Whew!! I took a look at the egg I had held in my hand, it was crushed! In my back and forth swimming the inward panic had caused me to squeeze the egg hard enough to crush it.


Avoided the big one! this time.