Charles Spring and Jug Hole
I spent 11 days in cave country, diving my ass off in Peacock, Cow, Little River, Falmouth, Ginnie, Telford, etc., and had a absolute blast. On one of the days, I dove Charles for the first time with my friend Dave Meehan, who was familier with the system. It's a pretty area with two natural bridges to swim under before the cave starts. There was a nice boil at the surface indicating a strong flow. When you first enter, it's a white sandy/silt sidemount restriction for about 50 feet. The main line starts immediately when you enter the cave, and some of the line is buried under sand mounds, and theres duplicate lines running along side. Once you get thru the restriction, the cave opens up to decent size rooms, with around 30' of vis with some particulates. Theres several "T'.s, and splits in the line, so bring plenty of clothespins. The max depth I reached was 24 feet. A very nice dive spot for sidemount. The second dive of the day was at Jug Hole at the north entrance of the Itchnetucke (spell check) springs park. After you check in with the ranger, and leave your c-cards, you go to the parking area. You need a hand truck to tote your gear because it's a good quarter mile hike thru a trail to get to the dock and steps. The water is crystal clear, and there's a hole just like Devil's Eye, but the flow is twice as strong as the Ear. I had to crawl in upside down like a spider to get to the bottom of one of the most beautiful caverns I have ever seen. When you first go in, theres a rocky low restriction that lasts 20 to 50 feet. Once inside, the passages are huge and spectacular. By far the most breathtaking cave I have ever been in. At one point, the line heads up towards the ceiling at a 90 degree angle, and you float up in awe, taking in all the colors, and the incredible size, and formations you encounter. Towards the end of the cave, you have to negotiate the diamond sands restriction, which the sand is literally flowing thru with the high flow. You have to go thru sideways in sidemount to get thru. The sand is brown with larger granules that reflect your light like dark diamonds. The cave ends in a large fussure, and you turn and enjoy the sights and the flow back. Again, it was the most beautiful cave I have ever seen by far. The maximum depth I attained was 89 feet. I highly recommend this dive!
