Worst. Dive. Ever.

[Sludge]

Okay, it wasn't the worst dive, but certainly my worst exit ever. So with apologies to Comic Book Guy...

The reason for my problem was a flooded scooter. It started leaking last fall, and did so for about a dozen consecutive dives. But I found that by cleaning the o-ring glands with a cloth, wetting the o-rings to remove all grit, and spraying the shroud with water/baby shampoo, I could prevent leaking. I had about twenty consecutive flood-free dives.

But with Jackson Blue open for swimmers, all of the pavilions were full of picnickers, and I wasn't able to properly prepare the scooter for the second dive. I was almost anticipating a leak. When we got in the water, after checks, instead of being a few ounces positive it was a few ounces negative. I told Josh to prepare to make a swim dive. Once in the cavern it was about a pound negative, and at p300' it was several pounds negative. I left it in the middle of the tunnel and we made a swim dive.

When we returned, I tried to pick it up by the drive handles and it wouldn't budge. I picked it up by the front handle and it was about thirty pounds negative. (I have a mesh bag with thirty pounds of lead and that's how heavy it felt. Tell me again why we don't carry lift bags into caves.) So I held the handle close to me and inflated my wing, and proceded to make my exit.

When I got to the rock at the bottom of the chimney the scooter suddenly felt neutral. I thought Josh was helping me carry it, but I looked down and he was ten feet behind me. The scooter was running! I reached down and both triggers were still pinned, so I wedged it against the ceiling to check all the linkages. They were all free. I looked down and the propwash was quickly turning vis to nothing. So I decided I would have to do something I have been looking forward to NEVER having to do: reach into a shroud with a bare, ungloved hand, and grab a spinning prop.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm a MAN!

But my problems weren't over. I was still 300' feet in a cave with a 30-pound-negative scooter that I had to hold the prop with one hand and bear-hug with the other, and negotiate a vertical restriction in ZERO visibility. Needless to say, it was my first dive in years that I didn't make a three-minute Pyle stop.

Fun day.