can somebody tell me about jug hole?
I've been told there is some decent cavern diving there?
I can't find much info about it
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can somebody tell me about jug hole?
I've been told there is some decent cavern diving there?
I can't find much info about it
An excellent cavern dive,although the walk can intimidating. The cave has two very tight areas that require sidemount. Diving is only allowed from Oct to March-so hurry. The ranger may ask to inspect your gear for nonindigenous plant species.Quote:
Originally Posted by LiteHedded
we're only cavern certified.
is the walk longer than the hike at blue springs in orange city?
where is it? is it flooded like almost everything else up north?
The walk is about .25 mi on a level hard-packed trail. Many people use some sort of wagon or cart to wheel there gear in on. There is a very nice platform with steps into the water where you can easily gear up. It is a beautiful, large, typically high flow cavern. BTW, you use the north park entrance to get there.
It isn't flooded, and it is a nice cavern dive.Quote:
Originally Posted by LiteHedded
If Rose "upstream" is flooded then you can get some tannic instrusion,but I have never seen it blown.Quote:
Originally Posted by FW
This is a perfect cavern dive. The opening is about 8' in diameter in the basin. Once you drop down you'll enter into a large room,making the opening to bottom jug shaped. You'll see an opening into what is known as the blue room,in there you still retain some ambient day light.Quote:
Originally Posted by LiteHedded
Ken Hill always said 919 steps.Quote:
Originally Posted by Serota
i'm stoked. I think we'll do it saturday.
trying to figure out how to best manage the hike...
Just did this dive for the first time last Thursday...
It was QUITE the hike... we were diving a set of SM 95s and SM 45s...we stacked them on a dolly and strapped them in with our fins and other gear. I had the pleasure of pushing it to the water (better than pushing it back was my reasoning).
Just be careful getting all your stuff back to the car...don't want to take a hit on that walk. Make sure you bring a wagon or a hand truck, take breaks and lots of water. The dive was excellent by the way, we went to the end of the system. We did spend most of the time taking pics in the ambient light zone, so you should have a good time.
That sounds closer to half a mile, unless Ken is taking 17in steps:yawinkle:Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop
what's the depth in the cavern?
I have never been there but this may give you an idea:
http://www.floridacaves.com/jugspringprofile.JPG
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiteHedded
I make two trips.
I strap my [2] LP46's, sidemount harness, hood, mask and my fins to a hand cart and walk that down, leave the hand cart there, nobody will mess with it...I hope:roll:
Come back to my truck and don the wetsuit and booties, walk back down.
I just figured I would get way over heated pulling a dolly with a dry rubber suit on.
Make sure the hand cart has pneumatic tires, not solid rubber if you can, $20 from Tractor Supply [best twenty bucks I ever spent].
I make one trip after I'm done, the wet suit is wet and I'm much cooler.
It's a beautiful system, I think you will agree when you're finished the hike is worth diving it at least once a year :-)
That one's been on my list for a couple years now... Everything I've heard on it has been positive. Search enough and you'll find some excellent shots from within the cavern.
About a month ago it was 40-50 feet in the cavern.Quote:
Originally Posted by LiteHedded
I've been diving Jug now since 2004 but have been snorkeling down the Ichetucknee River since being a college student at UF in the 1980s. (I think my wife went there as early as the 70's since she grew up in Gainesville.)
I have always walked in (and enjoyed it) with my steel H valve 119 single tank as I can't fit with doubles.
Going through the bedding plane is one of my favorite places to dive and I simply turn at an angle to get through and turn upside down to get through the diamond restriction.
There is one jump in there which is either hard core sidemount or no mount and the end of the line comes quickly at just over 500 feet.
A great, beautiful fairly short dive and I always wonder why more people don't dive it.
I always go at least once a dive season and we went about a week and a half ago and found conditions to be their usual great with the flow actually down a bit.
I would add a word of caution when entering the bedding plane with a back mounted tank. It is very easy to roll off a valve,get keyholed,or off the line since the path needed requires you to deviate away from the line. I have seen a double valve roll off in the bedding plane with an H valve that lead to some very tense moments. Jug hole is a great dive,and becomes very popular during flooding of the other springs,but please consider going with someone that has been there before,and using sidemounts. Dive Safe.
My legs were longer then! There's a bench half way! DON'T SIT ON IT! Leave it open for some tired guy on the way back.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop
Sidemount is the way to go especially if you want to go beyond Diamond Sands restriction. If you see the white line going thru the restriction at the end of the off-shoot near the back you'll truly know the meaning of a practical joke.
/K
I have wondered if there is a spear at the end of that line.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Hill
Collapsible ribcage. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by DeepSea
The story I heard was some well known caver's were doing this dive in their early years and got stuck in wetsuits so they came back to see if doing it without would get them further in the system. It did by a tiny bit and they were so excited they did not know they had cut them selves all up on the rock before figuring its just too small. Maybe TJ will give it a try.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomhauburn
Not even TJ, the guy in "Beetlejuice" just might be able get his head thru the fissure. /K
Back when I was ignorant and an Intro Cave hard charging nitwit :roll: I negotiated both the bedding plain and diamond sands in a set of double LP 85's to the end of the line, which I thought had a line arrow on it that said 550'. Now I'm a rather lanky guy but I had several "Oh S###" moments and would strongly caution anyone from trying this in anything other than side mounts. My 3 buddies were in single tanks with H-valves and what Kelly says is absolutely true. On top of that when you are going through the bedding plains things get a bit stirred up and if you had to give the "out of air sign" or needed assistance there is a good chance no one would see you. You could also jostle the H-valve enough to blow out the O-ring and while no expert I'm pretty sure that would be bad.
Nah. If you want to go to the end go side mount or don't go. Other than that it is a beautiful Cavern dive and well worth the walk. Take a camera.
This can easily be done with a single Y-valve 95. If you're that unaware of your surroundings and your equipment, you shouldn't be in the system at all. The bedding plane is PURE ROCK and won't silt out, you CAN signal your buddies, but they also need to have awareness of their surroundings and where you are.
This is an easy Intro-to-Cave dive. Don't for a minute tell me this cave should only be done sidemount. The only place I've ever rolled a valve off is in Rocky Horror (Madison Blue), and even then I had the forethought to continually check my valves. Don't overcomplicate this dive.
I don't think intro divers are supposed to be navigating restrictions. I have only done a couple cavern dives at Jug, but looking at the bedding plane I think sidemount would be the best way to make further progress.
I've got to stop you here, if the mound in the Grey room gets hit you will have ZERO viz in the bedding plane. Also NO intro course allows the restrictions at the bedding plane or Diamond Sands. /KQuote:
Originally Posted by sdenney
Quick question for clarification. The State Park website says the site is open to divers and divers must be Cave certified. When I called, and asked about Cavern certified divers, the person I spoke to didn't seem to understand. When I tried to clarify and mentioned Open Water vs Cavern vs Cave, they asked if Open Water was people who snorkeled..........
So, if I drive the 3 hours there, will my Cavern cert allow me to Cavern dive?
Based on the responses that it is a great cavern dive, I'm guessing yes, but the fuzzy response from the person on the phone makes me want to be 100% sure.
Thanks!
Just my opinion. Sorry if you disagree.Quote:
Originally Posted by sdenney
However, FYI. I was behind 2 other divers wiggling there way through that restriction I'm saying that on that particular day I temporarily lost sight of them on several occasions not from silt but from sand and gravel which does clear up pretty quickly. I was only trying to give new divers some food for thought for some things they may not have considered prior to diving here.
When I posted my tale several years ago I got pilloried by a few angry cave divers for even doing this dive in doubles. I now agree with their view (and my Cave instructors) that diving this in doubles is not good for the cave and I agree that sidemount is "probably" a "safer" way than single tanks with H-valves. I have no experience diving with a Y-valve so I'll have to defer to your expertise.
No more flame wars for me though. My Zen Guru won't allow it.
P.S. To Ken and Bob: I said I was an ignorant, hard charging, nitwit, Intro Diver. I'm older and wiser now and they've now taken those words off of my C-card :-)
I have to disagree here. The bedding plane does stir up some sand and clay,and since flow is way down,it doesn't clear out well. A person on a single tank can't follow the line,so they have to go way off to the side,where there is no line for reference,or to feel if there is a lights out emergency. Can somebody get stuck in the bedding plane and roll off both valves-YES- I had to feed my long hose along the floor to an OOA diver who couldn't move,nor could I get to them. Then I had to tell this very upset OOA diver that we have to continue ahead because there is no turning around. Jug hole suddenly becomes popular when other places blow out,but just because it is a 600' long cave,it deserves respect as being an advanced level cave dives with some restricitions. If you are cavern/intro certified,then enjoy a great cavern dive. If you are full cave and new to sidemounting,then I'd recommend having somebody that has been there before go with you.Quote:
Originally Posted by sdenney
This is also the time to repeat AGAIN; just because you can force through a restriction, it doesn't mean you should. How 'bout leaving the cave like you found it instead leaving a calling card of skidmarks in the rock.
Jerry