Looking for a guide for Alachua Sink. Thanks .
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Looking for a guide for Alachua Sink. Thanks .
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Good luck.
There used to be several.
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There are quite a few and they are always accommodating,see the CDS web site. Conditions can be questionable it there is a lot of rain since this is a swallet.
Thanks Kelly. 😃
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If you'd like, send me a PM and I'll give you a run down of who will actually dive with you, who will schedule and not show up, who will cancel a day or two before the dive, who won't return an email request, who doesnt live in the state, who is medically unable to dive, and who will require a checkout dive in Peacock first.
You will hear excuses about too much rain, not enough rain, poor visibility, cold water and dark water.
You will be lucky to get a return phone call or email.
There are a few great guides and active divers who will make an effort to take you diving...and then there are others who are not as responsive.
Also, expect to hear that Alachua is not intended to be dove for fun and is for scientific research purposes only.
IMO, the NSS really dropped the ball when they asked the CDS to "manage" this site.
As I said, good luck.
Thanks. I did find a reliable person. Have dove with him before.
I do know what your saying. 😏
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cavman
Sounds like you've had a bad experience,sorry to hear. I won't make excuses but the reasons given to not dive the system are accurate. Alachua is a swallet,which is natures storm drain which drains off surface water during rains, which blows out the system. This results in cold,dark ,tannic water which makes for an unpleasant dive,and marginally safe. Frequently there are times when you have to swim in a zero viz basin,and zero viz cave for 200ft before you encounter some viz,which is not a safe dive for a first timer. It is a great dive,and unlike Ginnie where we always expect it to be clear,Alachua is very finicky ,lately has been bad versus good.
They will say its a science only dive because it is, that is dictated by the NSS. Guides can usually find some science to do there. The site has poor visibility normally this time of year, and especially after lots of rain because it does. That is just the way the site is. A recent vis report from last week end wasn't good. The Guides are overseen by the Alachua Sink Guide Committee. Guides can't charge, carry no insurance, and are not required to special training to lead dives.
Kelly, please let me know when you are available to dive the site. I'm not turned off by cold, dark or tannic water in a cave. I've dove the site several times already and my reason for wishing to dive it again is so that I might petition to become a guide there myself.
My primary gripe with the current list of guides, is that very few are ever available or willing to actual guide.
If guiding at the site is not fun or something they are willing or able to do, they should step down.
I'm not sure why we have a guide for Alachua who lives in TX and when I contacted him in Feb of this year he explained that he was not medically fit to dive.
There is a guide listed who has not dove at all in at least a year. Due to a medical condition.
Another who will not even respond to a request to dive. And prob does not dive much any more anyway.
Several others who will placate your requests with "when the conditions get better".
I realize that this is an advanced site and I realize that these guides can't charge and I very much appreciate the time and effort that it takes to take a "stranger" diving, but if the current list of guides is not active, willing or wanting, then something has to change.
When I discussed my interest in becoming a guide with the property manager, I was informed that he felt there were already plenty of guides to fulfill the current need. I disagree as I have made numerous attempts with multiple guides over the past 8 months and have yet to dive the site this year.
Steve, I'm not sure where I fit into this list but I do know that you haven't contacted me about diving Alachua. I will be happy to take you there when it clears but it's currently zero visibility down to the upstream/downstream junction. I hear these complaints periodically but my experience is that I NEVER get asked and many of my fellow guides say the same thing. Feel free to email me off list or give me a call to discuss further.
Charlie Roberson
jcr@fathomdive.com
352-213-6575
Charlie, Do any of the guides dive a rebreather? Cavemen is James just FYI.
I am on medical leave from diving until December,if you can wait,lets go (not a wishy washy reply,but I want to go real bad,and looking forward to it!!!)Quote:
Originally Posted by cavman
My intent was not to call anybody out by name personally, but rather to bring awareness to the current difficulties in arranging a guided dive at Alachua.
I've already been contacted this evening via PM and text from several guides and now have at least one confirmed date scheduled to dive the site.
If any of the other guides would like to go and take me along, I'll provide the backgas.
Thanks!
James
954-294-8878
And here's a funny story:
One of the guides whom I had contacted several times, but had never met in person, walked up to me recently at a dive site and extended his arm and with a very friendly voice and a smile said, "James, I'd like to introduce myself to you. I'm that A hole who won't dive with you at Alachua".
I had to bite my tongue to not reply with, "well, that doesn't help to narrow it down much".
We had a good chat and shared a few diving stories and I hope to dive with him someday.
Charlie, I'm Cave Mann and whodunit68.Quote:
Originally Posted by jcr
My few short meetings with you have been quite pleasant, just fyi. Oh, and thanks for the guide offer! :)
I don't think so but I dive with rebreather divers all the time and don't mind as long as you have sufficient bailout and a long hose.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sly-vester
While I admit that it is better than the old days, sliding your ass and your doubles down into Alachua with a rope, I think the worst problem there is the stupid steps. I would think that the CDS would be more concerned with someone rolling down the hill with a set of 104's on them and dislocating their coccyx.
I'll go KellyQuote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop
Can coccyx be dislocated? I think CDS should come up with additional rule to guides - there must be also approach guide responsible for safe descend and coccyx reinstallment.
I am guessing that reduction of the coccyx may have to be accomplished with digital placement in the rectum. If you look hard there is probably a PADI specialty for fixing the coccyx with manual manipulation in orifices related to a diving incident.Quote:
Originally Posted by ARY
Deal!Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelAngelo
ROFL! Kelly, you've been out of the water for too long already.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop
Pre-requisite: Rescue Diver? ;-)
You are right,but in my spare time I have been catching up on my continuing education (seriously,I have to do 30 hours).Quote:
Originally Posted by MORGAN
In the spirit of in water recompression,and a buddy in need,do we provide immediate assistance? I vote for a call to 911 and a bottle of tequila.Quote:
In cases where displacement or fracture exists, and whether the former or the latter, is probably more dependent upon the anatomical age of the coccyx, than upon the type of trauma received, the findings of deformity, preternatural mobility, and possibly crepitus will be present. Immediate reduction is ordinarily easy and is best carried out by grasping the coccyx between the fore finger inserted in the rectum and the thumb over the posterior surface
Wow has this has thread drifted away from Alachua. Russell, please enact Godwin's Law and say something about Nazis to get us back on track.
Kelly
Wasn't the original coccyx realignment experiments done by Dr. Mengele?
This is true,but a lesser known fact was Dr Mengele was plagued with macrodactyly of the fingers,and none of his test subjects survived the experimentation,hence his nickname.Quote:
Originally Posted by OFG-1
Funny, I have long suffered from microdactyly of certain areas that makes the use of my pee valve problematic.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop
ps - Hey, you are the one that asked for Nazi's. I was just hoping for some better steps at Alachua.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop
Quote:
Originally Posted by OFG-1
This discussion just got real.
Should we move this to the accident analysis section?
Visibility is currently 1' to the upstream downstream junction and 20-30' upstream.
My contact info is at
http://www.nsscds.org/node/330 and is current.
Bob Schulte
Thanks.
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Thanks for the update Bob. For those following this thread,1 foot of viz to the junction is not a fun dive because you are swimming close to 200ft heading to depth before you ever hit the cave since Alachua is an offset sink.Quote:
Originally Posted by Daedalus
I thought it was a great dive and enjoyed it immensely. When we hit the clear water at 150', I cheered with joy!
Although I will admit that the hour of deco in zero viz was less than desirable, at least the water was 76 degrees.
Thanks Bob!
I assumed James was the cause of the zero viz...I feel better now.
The dive was actually quite nice for me as I was first. And those huge hills are a hoot on a rebreather!
Our assigned scientific purpose was to count animals dead or alive: over 70 dead crayfish and 14 live and 1 dead perch. Those are close numbers, but the dead animals was a bit sobering.
Thanks Schulte!
That is highly significant,and needs inquiry. Dissolved oxygen levels could be low,related to surface run off since Alachua is a swallet,but surface run off from a busy highway commercial district could be a problem. Knowing the difference with documentable evidence could go a long way toward preserving the site from development.Quote:
Originally Posted by floridabob
Did you go upstream or downstream?
If both,where did you see the most dead crayfish?
Were there dead crayfish in the offset sink tunnel (if you could see related to reduced viz)
Bob logged everything that night.
Upstream, no downstream.
Couldn't see any in the offset.
Bob