Wrong turn!

Entered Little River for some extended penetration with the intention of returning for some exploration down an unlined passage near Table Rock I had found on a dive a few weeks earlier.

I hung my exploration reel on the main line where I intended to jump off of on return. I went to the deep section for my dive and returned to do my side exploration.

On my way through Merry-Go-Round on my way out I am passed by 3 single tank divers on their way toward the Florida Room - swimming FAST.

Nearer the exit I return to my reel, tie off and head off into unlined side passage. Passage is low and silty - not amateur territory but rather barely passable backmount. I explore a few hundred feet and return and am reeling out of the tiny hole when I see a dive light swimming towards me FAST.

I am not exactly prepared when the approaching diver angles to swim past me into the tiny, unlined hole I have just vacated but I am "fairly" sure no one in their right mind would approach that particular passage at that speed.

Two divers farther back I see a light signaling wildly at the lead diver and assume this must be the trio of divers that passed me earlier headed in - and that something isn't right. I manage to land a hand on this first diver's shoulder in kind of a stiff arm football block - but am shrugged off shortly as he "jigs" past me.

Diver number 2 follows shortly and I don't try to stop her. Diver 3 and I are left staring at each other and the hole the first 2 divers swam into is suddenly filled with a zero vis cloud of silt.

I know the "room" on the other side of the 18"x24" hole is a low dome about 10' across and 2' high. It would have been highly unlikely that anyone could have cornered into the next tiny passage to the next dome at that speed and a minute or so later there is no sign that either diver is about to re-emerge.

I offer "diver 3" my reel and check my remaining air to see how much help I can offer before leaving. After 2 branches of exploration I'm now at ~1/3 my starting volume (80 cuft) and am about 300' from the exit (92' depth) and don't have much left to begin an extended search in 0 vis - and am wondering at the survivability of entering into the hole after a probably panicked pair of divers under those conditions.

"Diver 3" swims into the hole next (still no line) and I hang in the passage directing my light at the hole hoping to give some reference point for his return.

Luckily the pair was still only a body's length into the hole and diver 3 was able to grab a leg or a fin or something and return with the other 2 in a chain towards the light.

The trio bolt for the exit without a pause.

Turns out the lead diver mistook my line for the main line out where the main took a sharp turn behind a rock at the corner and paying no attention headed down the wrong passage and didn't notice the line ended in my hand or that the passage was too small to be easily passable - diver 2 was following blindly. Diver 1 and 2 had very few cave dives.