Church Sink Access

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07-03-2013 10:03 AM
speleodiver

Church Sink Access

Just wanted to let everyone know that Church Sink access has changed. Due to 2 recent swimmer deaths last month, the landowner closed the sight. Wakulla County Dive Club has had a cleanup scheduled since January for the sight. In working with the landowner, I have been able to negotiate continued access. 2 of the 3 entrances will be blocked off and a gate installed across the remaining one this weekend during the clean up. Cave Connections will be the primary key holder for access. Access will remain free to all WCDC members and their guests. In exchange, we are asking that all divers who visit the sink pitch in to help keep the site clean. The Leon County SO has been informed of the changes and will be ticketing and/or arresting all trespassers. Yes this means divers who do not have permission to be on sight.

Everyone needs to respect the rights and requests of the landowner. This is not a public site even though it has been treated as one for years. This is a case of one bad apple or should I say two? There have been news stories on WCTV about the deaths if anyone wants to watch them. Go to www.wctv.com
07-03-2013 11:26 AM
whodunit68

thanks for keeping the site open to divers....I sure hope we all do what we need to in order to keep access to this and the other sites you're working on for the dive community. Thanks Cave Connections!
I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give a plug to WCDC also...with the good work that's going on, I will renew my membership shortly.
07-03-2013 11:42 AM
LiteHedded

Hopefully divers will now actually be members of the wcdc...
07-03-2013 12:02 PM
SuPrBuGmAn

The site has never really been open access anyway. Wcdc only gained access by doing site cleanups there several years ago, with the help of coastal cleanup and landowner relations through Bruce Ryan.

As an aside about the dive site itself, its by far the softest cave I've dived, and incredibly unstable. There are lots of very restrictive areas, including the entrance to an extent. Percolation, and I mean rocks, not silt, is to be expected. I know in the past this divesite was mistakenly called an intro level dive(by someone who had never dived the cave), but this could not be farther from reality. This really needs to stay a regulated site and not open access. It probably doesnt even really need to be brought up in discussion so casually on open forum.
07-03-2013 01:28 PM
tflaris

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn

The site has never really been open access anyway. Wcdc only gained access by doing site cleanups there several years ago, with the help of coastal cleanup and landowner relations through Bruce Ryan.

As an aside about the dive site itself, its by far the softest cave I've dived, and incredibly unstable. There are lots of very restrictive areas, including the entrance to an extent. Percolation, and I mean rocks, not silt, is to be expected. I know in the past this divesite was mistakenly called an intro level dive(by someone who had never dived the cave), but this could not be farther from reality. This really needs to stay a regulated site and not open access. It probably doesnt even really need to be brought up in discussion so casually on open forum.

I still have the t-shirt.
07-03-2013 02:03 PM
sskasser

Quote:

Originally Posted by tflaris

I still have the t-shirt.

I LOVE my WCDC shirt :)
07-03-2013 07:45 PM
tflaris

Quote:

Originally Posted by sskasser

I LOVE my WCDC shirt :)

The t-shirt I was asking about was the Coastal,Clean-up shirt. I wish I had a WCDC shirt.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
07-04-2013 12:29 PM
WEPIV

I was actually at their first meeting at the church. Not sure what year that was but I was up in Tally working on HBO's "Recount."
Haven't been able to make another though but I'd like to sometime.
07-04-2013 01:11 PM
Dsix36

Although I do not feel the need to join the WCDC, is there a way to donate to their ongoing mission of conservation and access of dive sites?
07-04-2013 08:40 PM
L.A.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn

I know in the past this divesite was mistakenly called an intro level dive(by someone who had never dived the cave), but this could not be farther from reality. This really needs to stay a regulated site and not open access. It probably doesnt even really need to be brought up in discussion so casually on open forum.

++1