Just a reminder that the last day for Jug Hole will be this coming Saturday until this fall
Printable View
Just a reminder that the last day for Jug Hole will be this coming Saturday until this fall
Awww yeah Kelly, we hit it this past Saturday!!! What an amazing little Cavern and Cave system. Beautiful.
Flow is down, swimmable throughout. Main line in good shape, restrictions easily passable in SM, Diamond Sands not to low. JUST GORGEOUS!
Was a great day with my friends, Mat & Michelle, Chris W, and new buddies Bobby and Xenia, and Scott (or was it Steve, or Steven Scott, or Scott Stephens, lol). Nice hanging with you all. I personally didn't take anything off the main line, but "I hear clunking...".
To the gentleman that welded up that fine cart... BRAVO.
With my poor back, I might not have been able to make the dive witout it.
Good day Dog, I enjoyed diving with you again! Come around more often.
I enjoyed meeting you too! That was a fun dive even though friggin Bobby is such a stroke and messed up the vis for all of us!!
Damn you Bobby!
That sucks we were going to go on Sunday. I assumed that it was the last weekend of the month not necessarily the last day of the month and thought Sunday would still be diveable.
Definitely going Friday...we love it there so much we got married on the dock!
Lol, thanks for a great weekend you guys!!
I think the rain kept everyone away on Saturday... The new cart was wonderful, but one wheel looked to need tightening. Alas, the heavy duty bolt and nut were too big for the crescent wrenches in my toolbox. Even in the rain puddles and mud, it's definitely the strongest, most well built cart I've ever seen!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/42640/Jug%20Hole/IMG_1136.JPG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/42640/Jug%20Hole/IMG_1201.JPG
This catfish was about 350-400 feet back, and he was just sitting there like this. I thought he (or she...don't know how to tell sex of a catfish) must be dead, but when I swam in for a close up, he "turned tail" and swam away. Maybe he thought the diving season was over and he could take a multi-month nap?
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/42640/Jug%20Hole/IMG_1220.JPG
Can someone tell me more about this eel (or eel like animal) I spotted next to the dancing catfish? A Wikipedia search says that all eels return to the ocean to procreate, but this and other eels I've seen in caves are pretty far from the ocean... are they not eels, do some eels procreate in fresh water, or do they just swim a long way to the ocean?
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/42640/Jug%20Hole/IMG_1285.JPG
Think he enjoyed it? :)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/42640/Jug%20Hole/IMG_1375.JPG
The sun did come out to play for a little while...lots of people swimming around in the basin when we surfaced at 3.
American Eel :)
They do go out to see to procreate and they can be found pretty far inland and really far into the caves. They are incredibly prominant in some of the panhandle caves, if you ever want to see dozens of them, goto Morrison or Vortex. They get pretty big too, I've seen them with heads as big around as my balled up fist. I've had them latch onto my fingers before, they don't have big teeth, just rows of really small sandpaper grit like teeth. Damn thing just spun on my finger.
They're really neat, IMO.
cool pics, what type of camera/housing and lights are you using?
They are very apt swimmers and can make their way through some low and diverse places. Only the females make their way inland and they make their way as far north and inland as the great lakes. If I remember correctly, when they are overtaken with the need to breed, they make their way back to the spot where they were born. On their journey they cease feeding and make their way back to the Saragasso Sea where all spawning takes place. After laying their eggs, they die. Looked it up for a trip report I wrote one time.
I've read that they can make their way in and out through the aquifer into springs that lead to the ocean.
Here is a great National Geographic story on the subject of eels. Nice pics. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...ls/prosek-text
Cave Ranger wins my favorite avatar accolades. Orsmness.