Goodenough Springs Exploration Project - Notice of Complaint

[chucknoe]

November 13, 2009

Goodenough Springs Exploration Project (GSEP): Notice of complaint against Texas divers Steve Cushman and Colin Irons.

The GSEP, a formally chartered cave diving research and exploration group, has conducted work at Goodenough Springs near Del Rio, TX since the year 2000. This site is located on federally-owned property and is open to public access.

Over a ten-year period, our volunteer, privately-funded organization has incurred direct expenses in excess of $100,000.00 to conduct exploration and research activities at Goodenough Springs. Our project has also installed and maintained an extensive mooring system that is available for public use at this site.

The GSEP has worked closely with many scientific and governmental organizations including: Texas State University, Texas A&M University, Texas Water Development Board, Edwards Aquifer Authority, City of Del Rio, Texas, Texas Speleological Survey, National Speleological Society, and the National Association of Cave Divers. We provide water sampling, flow/velocity measurements, and year-round instrumentation/monitoring at no cost to interested agencies. Our work has been published in the Hydrogeology Journal and noted in the History of Texas Caving as well as recreational publications, including "Scuba Diving Magazine.” The GSEP was awarded the 2009 Exploration Award by the NSS-CDS for its work at Goodenough Springs.

Currently, the GSEP maintains a roster of twenty active participants and more than three dozen individual divers have participated over the life of the project. During our project's existence, we have collectively conducted more than 1,000 dives in this cave system. We continue to bring new participants into our project as need arises and space is available on the team's two full-time dive vessels.

The GSEP Board of Directors regrets to announce that we were compelled to temporarily suspend diving operations and remove elements of our equipment to prevent what we consider as a serious hazard to our project activities at Goodenough Springs. Our project was informed by reliable sources that a group led by Texas divers Steve Cushman and Colin Irons planned to use GSEP-owned equipment and resources to pursue a ‘deep’ dive during our ongoing research-related efforts. This information was also verified by postings on participants' Facebook pages. Additionally, the sources expressed serious concerns that the Cushman/Irons group’s stated intention to conduct a dive to 600 feet of depth could likely end in injury or death to the principal participants.

Historically, the GSEP has made no efforts to prohibit persons from diving at the site; GPS coordinates of the spring’s location and other relevant information are posted on our project website. When recently contacted by Mr. Irons, the GSEP provided cooperative responses to his inquires for other site-specific information; depth references for significant cave features were provided as well as photo-documentation of sub-surface topography.
Because our Board of Directors regarded the above-named group’s limited familiarity of this high-flow cave system to be inadequate for their proposed dive, the GSEP deemed it incumbent to implement preemptive actions to protect our project interests. Particularly in light of current site conditions we cannot, in clear conscience, provide even tacit support to such a grossly imprudent dive objective.

Poorly-conceived dives, such as the one proposed by Messrs. Cushman and Irons, jeopardize the continued access of the entire diving public. Local agents of the federal government have previously shown little tolerance for diving-related accidents and have prohibited all diving at a nearby submerged dam site following a fatality there.

The GSEP membership is disappointed and insulted by the behavior of these individuals. Their thoughtless interference has impeded our ability to continue our planned activities and is responsible for the temporary suspension of research and exploration efforts at Goodenough Springs.

Encroachment upon the activities of established dive projects has long been considered unacceptable by the established cave diving community. Therefore, the GSEP respectfully solicits your cooperation in condemning the selfish and ill-advised actions of the parties named in this complaint. We are confident that you support our mission and thank you in advance for helping to bring full public scrutiny to this incident.

Respectfully,
Chuck Noe - Director GSEP
GSEP Board of Directors - Robert Laird, Rick Aurich, Mike Gault, Gregg Tatum
PO Box 84194, Pearland, TX 77584

cc:
National Speleological Society - Cave Diving Section
National Association of Cave Divers
Technical Diving International
International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers
Global Underwater Explorers
International Underwater Cave Rescue and Recovery
Texas Aquifer Research Alliance
Public Dive Forums - TheDecoStop.com, Cavediver.net, ScubaBoard.com

[JCDdiver]

I would like to see the map of this system.

[Miakka Diver]

Let them push it. If they are qualified. Diving is always full of risks. The greater the risks some times the greater the reward. Sounds like virgin cave to me.

[DA Aquamaster]

I can see their point. The potential benefit of doing a 600' dive is minimal in the long view of things. The cave has been there a long toime and is not going anywhere, so a slow progressive exploration and mapping makes a great deal of sense. On thre other hand the risk of a fatality on a 600' with not much more purpose than to go deep in the cave, carrier with it the rteal rtisk that the federal agecy(ies) who oversee the site may decide to ban all dive access resulting in the loss of the potential to fully explore and map the site.

The couple of the previous posts seem to support their contention that access to the site needs to be limited to keep the morons at bay and do not reflect well on the cave community. There is also the issue of the team planning to use GSEP equipment with out permission, and that is not ok anywhere.

[OutlawCaver]

Maybe the divers under protest will make their case here for us to read their reasoning and their side.

[speleodiver]

To all those voicing concerns about the complaint filed against two Texas cave divers by GSEP. We offer this official response to their complaint.

First, we offer you the attached email string between Chuck Noe and Colin Irons. The emails will help explain the deception Mr. Noe as perpetrated against members of the so called disrespectful dive team (herein referred to as the “team”). It would be helpful to take the time and read the emails before continuing on with this post. For your convenience they are attached in the pages following this letter.
In defense to the “team” many emails have transpired between the two groups in regards to dive activities at Good Enough Springs. While it is blatantly oblivious the “team” had the full okay to dive in the system which GSEP calls a “public accessible site”, the team made every effort to coordinate with GSEP so their project was not disrupted. We were ready to stand down and cancel our plans should they have become an interference with GSEP diving. We draw your attention to the email of November 16, 2009 in which Mr. Noe reverts to name calling and out right slander of the two team members he refers to as “principle members.” His writings are very untrue and are not substantiate by any fact. In fact, the GSEP website specifically implies the site as” public access.” They even go so far as to give the exact coordinates to its location. Furthermore, Mr. Noe speaks of bragging about cave diving. While we are as proud of our dive achievements as any other dive team out there, we certainly have not created a website and posted pictures of cylinders with marking of MOD 627’ on them. We take this as “bragging” since it tends to leave the ordinary diver with the assumption the divers had intentions to dive to 627 feet. More disturbing to us is Mr. Noe’s comments about the “team” using GSEP equipment. The email string directly references the mooring system in great detail and how the “team” should use the mooring lines as to minimize damage to the system and the mooring. Yet the most disturbing of all is the reference in the complaint of GSEP having to suspend all diving activities due to the total disrespect of the “team”, while the email specifically states the efforts of GSEP will not be affected by the immature divers of the “team.” There was a time I respected Chuck Noe and was amazed at his efforts. My respect and amazement grew the first time I dove Good Enough Springs. However, Mr. Noe has decided his very existence has been threatened and has lowered his standards to the name calling and posting of unqualified information. His actions have shattered my respect of him as a true professional and fellow cave diver. While we will always hold the highest regard for GSEP and its goals at GS, it is my opinion; Mr. Noe has crossed the line into claiming Texas as his own. Sure Texas has underwater caves but they are numbered in quantity. We could go to Florida or Mexico but this really just does not assist with the preservation of the Texas systems. While we can gain understanding of different systems and even apply what we know. It is the Texas systems that offer unique insight to the fundamental goals we all have in mind.
It is my belief the emails shed great light on the deceptive nature of GSEP and its members. While the “team” has no issues with GSEP making the rash decision to remove its equipment, we can not be held responsible for the discontinuing of GSEP efforts in Good Enough. AS you read the emails, you should take note of the fact GSEP suspends all diving activities during the winter months every year due to water conditions.
The “team” has gone to just as great of efforts to protect the fragile aquifer systems as GSEP has done. While we do not seek national recognition or popularity, we do have the same end result. Preservation of what limited resources we have left through continued volunteer efforts and extensive research and training. We notice Mr. Noe making reference to the many agencies he works with in his cave diving efforts. What we miss here is exactly how much training and what qualifications the team possesses. Our team consists of a Course Director, several tech instructors, an archeologist and has connections with the University of Texas and a biological research team for the study of aquatic species and specimens. Our team has tens of thousands of hours in caves. Our work is also based on research and study of specimens in order to bring about greater public awareness of how fragile these systems really are. Unlike GSEP, we would welcome any “qualified” dive team to learn from us. The ability to observe the methods used in cave diving exploration, mapping and research and apply such knowledge is the fundamentals essential to the goal of all cave diving teams. We also welcome anyone who needs our abilities to utilize them for their studies.
Bottom line is the information gathered on these dives. Is this proprietary information or a wealth of knowledge that should be shared for the betterment of the entire Planet we call Earth?

Steve Cushman
Director AsA

Emails

From: Colin irons [mailto:ironmanservice1@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 7:21 PM
To: Chuck Noe
Subject: Good Enough Springs

Hello Chuck,

I finally made it out to Good Enough a few weeks back and wow what an impressive system.

I've got a group of guys planning another trip for 11-13 through 11-15 with the majority of our activities on the 14TH. I mentioned this because we want to avoid interfering with any dives you may have planned.

Please let me know if this will be a problem so if needed we can make alternative plans before its too late.

Colin Irons

--- On Wed, 10/28/09, Chuck Noe <hcd@cnsales.com> wrote:

From: Chuck Noe <hcd@cnsales.com>
Subject: RE: Good Enough Springs
To: "'colin irons'" <ironmanservice1@yahoo.com>
Cc: goodenoughers-bod@cavediver.com
Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 9:44 AM
Hi Collin,

Thanks for the heads up. In fact we’ve got a group of 6 or so who will be on site for our final dives of the season on Saturday and Sunday the 14th and 15th as well. We normally wouldn’t dive Goodenough this late in the year but we’ve had some scheduling conflicts that pushed us back.

Our two primary Datalab Hydrosonde units have a finite battery life and we absolutely HAVE to get them swapped out before winter sets in. These are the instruments that we use to pinpoint the change in flow due to rain events. Other than that we don’t have any other critical tasks to perform. We plan to get in and out as quick as absolutely possible. And if things go as planned on Saturday we may take Sunday off; our only objective is to swap instruments.

There’s no conflict or reason that we all can’t conduct dives on the same days, so feel free to continue with your plans. We always share the mooring with other divers when on site, usually asking them to tie off on our stern. We will only be using our one 24’ dive boat this time and unless you’re in a larger vessel we would cordially ask that you allow us the first mooring position. The mooring is plenty strong to support 2 or 3 boats now that we have installed the 2nd anchor and new stainless-steel chain.

I’m sorry that you caught the system when the flow was down. In July we measured the water velocity in the restriction to be only 60 cm/s using a Doppler flow-meter provided by Texas State University. That is less than half the typical 120-140 cm/s that we last recorded in 2005. At 60 cm/s (~118 fpm) the flow is still formidable, but when the aquifer is full passing the restriction becomes an exercise in sheer determination. Hopefully you’ll get to see it in that state again soon.

Let me know if there is anything I can do to make all our dives go more smoothly. We typically load and launch at around 9:00 a.m. following breakfast and fueling up. And my cell number is 281-571-3483 if you’d like to give me a ring that weekend about anything.

Chuck
From: colin irons [mailto:ironmanservice1@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 7:52 PM
To: Chuck Noe
Subject: RE: Good Enough Springs

Chuck,

Glad to hear there should be no problem diving on the same day.

We currently have 8 divers scheduled to dive that day and we plan on bringing out a 22 foot boat and a 50 foot house boat. We will likely arrive on site Friday and stay put until Sunday morning. Do you think the house boat will be too much of a strain on the mooring ? We can make alternative mooring arrangements if needed but pulling up and tying off sure sounds better as long as it causes no problems.

Your task definitely takes priority and all of GSEP's work is appreciated.Let us know of any procedures or steps we can take to stay out of the way.

When it comes to the flow at Good Enough , I always want the aquifer to be healthy but I can't say that a flow of 240fpm is something I would look forward to. I suppose all you can do is take it how it comes and hold on tight.

Colin Irons
--- On Wed, 11/4/09, Chuck Noe <hcd@cnsales.com> wrote:

From: Chuck Noe <hcd@cnsales.com>
Subject: RE: Good Enough Springs
To: "'colin irons'" <ironmanservice1@yahoo.com>
Cc: goodenoughers-bod@cavediver.com
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 11:43 AM
Colin,

Sounds like fun. I hope the weather cooperates for you.

I’m glad you mentioned the houseboat. The only problem we’ve ever had with the mooring is when a rental houseboat was on it (and pulled it out of the cave and into the lake). In calm or light-wind conditions it’s likely okay but when the winds reach the 12-15 mph+ range such a large vessel places tremendous strain on the entire system. It’s simply not designed to withstand that sort of stress. When the wind is blowing from the south or south-east (as is typical throughout the summer) the chain is pulled tight against the cliff face (which helps) but in a north wind boats at the surface pull directly against the concrete anchors in the cave entrance.

Also note that even when the wind is favorable the upper section of the mooring is only rated for a maximum working load of 1,500#. The chain itself is rated for 2,000# but the upper shackles are 5/16” and are the weakest part of the system. After having just spent over $2,500.00 in materials cost and a considerable number of man-hours installing the new mooring we would be very disappointed if it were to fail due to an overload situation. Please use very critical judgment in any mooring decision regarding the houseboat.

Actually we would greatly prefer that you use conventional “anchoring” techniques while on site at Goodenough with the houseboat. There is very little damage that could be done by anchoring either over the cliff or in the lakebed or old stream-bed. We do have one small data recorder on a stake several feet outside the cave opening but I’d much rather you destroy that than risk breaking our brand new mooring system.

In any case we’ll be arriving on site sometime early/mid-morning on Saturday and will coordinate with you for access at that time. As I mentioned we’ll likely have no more than 6 divers who will engage in 3 successive dives. We’ll be in and out in a matter of a few hours then you’ll have the site all to yourselves again. Sunday is still up in the air, but it’s very possible that we’ll not even be on site depending on how things go Saturday.

See you soon.

Chuck


CC: GSEP – Board of Directors


From: colin irons [mailto:ironmanservice1@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 5:52 AM
To: Chuck Noe
Subject: RE: Good Enough Springs

Chuck,

We will definitely steer clear of mooring the house boat on to your buoy and stick with regular anchors. Let me know if there is anything else we can do to avoid causing problems .



Colin Irons
From: "Chuck Noe" <hcd@cnsales.com>
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 09:22:41 -0600
To: 'colin irons'<ironmanservice1@yahoo.com>
Cc: <goodenoughers-bod@cavediver.com>
Subject: RE: Good Enough Springs

Thank you very much Colin. We really appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Depending on wind direction there are a number of good options for anchoring at the site. I have attached a pre-inundation photo for your reference showing the layout. I would appreciate your not posting this publicly as the original does not belong to me, but feel free to print out several copies for your divers to reference.

See you on Saturday.

Chuck


CC: GSEP - BOD
From: ironmanservice1@yahoo.com [mailto:ironmanservice1@yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 2:04 PM
To: Chuck Noe
Cc: goodenoughers-bod@cavediver.com
Subject: Re: Good Enough Springs

Chuck,

We just left Amistad and had a great trip. We didn't see you guys on Saturday so I hope all is well. Thanks for the great info . We had some fantastic dives.

I do have some bad news for GSEP. Your mooring chain is gone as well as some of your ropes inside the system. We were able to run an ascent line from the concrete filled tire and use traditional anchoring for the house boat ( as planned) . Let us know if we can help with any new mooring you decide to install and anything that can be done to keep the site from being tampered with.

Thanks for your help in planning a great trip. I wish we could have seen you there and too bad about your lines and chain.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
From: "Chuck Noe" <HCD@cnsales.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:51:29 -0600
To: <ironmanservice1@yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: Good Enough Springs

Colin,

You can dispense with the bullshit.

After trying to give you and Steve the benefit of the doubt, the calls started coming in last week about your plans to thumb your noses at our 10 years of scientific work and exploration to do your "cowboy" dives.

It's obvious what snot-nosed little boys you are by the way you have approached the established diving organizations here in Texas. Your sense of "entitlement", to bypass the $100,000.00+ expenditures of the GSEP to seek only personal glory sickens me.

There are plenty of people who can do a deep dive, but the vast majority of them have personal integrity, unlike you and your buddy Steve. I pity the two of you.

Certainly there is nothing we can do, or would even attempt, to stop immature individuals such as yourself from diving anywhere you like. But neither can we with a clear conscience give you full complimentary use of our equipment and lines. Had any of your party been seriously injured it would be expected for you to turn around and sue us for creating an attractive nuisance. That is why we were compelled to remove our mooring and pull-lines prior to your arrival.

Our accomplishments at Goodenough were born from years of progressive scientific work and exploration. Unlike you, we didn't venture to Goodenough to prove our manhood. It was only by happenstance that we found the cave going deeper and deeper. So, we continue to explore and map as a regular progression of our project's goals. Your petty actions will have no effect on the valuable work we do at Goodenough as it's not records we seek.

We work hand-in-hand with the universities and state agencies providing valuable data and research. Our results are published in internationally recognized scientific journals such as Hydrogeology Journal. Meanwhile you get to brag to your buddies about what big shots you are. Nice going there Colin.

So, who's project are you going to piggy-back on next? Wakulla? Weeki Wachee? We're all so impressed with you (sarcasm intended in case you didn't get it). Whatever.

I'm just glad that I'm respected for my "values" in the dive community; something nobody can say about you and Steve.

Chuck



Chuck,

You to can dispense with the bs and name calling..

First, benefit of the doubt! Would this entail the understanding that there are people in this world who can also do what you do. As for Steve and I, we had no plans to go beyond your current exploration. We did however want to see your work and admire your efforts. Steve made a deep push in October and was impressed with your achievements.

Second, we have not approached any establishments for our own glory. We were however invited to participate in certain aspects of ongoing projects which led to our involvement with those projects. We too have spent many hours and many dollars (some federal grant money) in community education and awareness projects. We volunteer here in Texas for the betterment of the whole. We have never posted anything or created a website to post information that seems to be proprietary. We prefer to educate by direct contact methods by speaking and working in person with the communities we volunteer in.

Third, yes I am aware. There are many people who do deep diving. As for integrity, we sent many emails out of respect so we did not "step on your toes" or interfere with your project. I have inquired many times about Good Enough so I have information direct from the source instead of 2nd or 3rd hand knowledge. Since integrity is in question, I sense a certain lack of it with the fact we were invited down and no one from GSEP contacted us about "plans" or concerns about "dive plans" or to inform us the mooring and lines were removed which we were led to believe were still in place since you were supposed to be there too. I would believe integrity is the email I sent you to give notice of our intent out of respect or should I assume it is to invite us out under deceptive intentions?

As for GSEP and equipment, we have never asked to use it. We certainly understand the liability of allowing someone to use it. We have no issues with your concern here. However the deception of telling us to tie to your stern which is tied to the mooring line is an invitation to use your equipment is it not? All we ask is for the same consideration we have shown when we ask to come dive or get invited by you or given public information on how to dive the site by your websites logistics section or give you notice and then be slammed in public about the fact we showed up to dive.

We completely respect GSEP and its achievements in Good Enough. We respect all the members simply for the fact they are all volunteers and provide valuable contributions to the cave diving community. We were merely coming out to observe first hand the work of a competent organization such as GSEP, to dive an impressive system and gain first hand knowledge for our own future projects. I'm glad to hear you say your decision to remove the lines and mooring will not hinder your exploration efforts at Good Enough.

Bragging? Unlike Florida, Texas has limited systems to dive. The avoidance of diving in a system with others is unavoidable. You accuse me of piggy backing while your website encourages "qualified divers" to come and dive. Neither myself nor Steve have ever or would ever lay line beyond someone elses active exploration without express permission of the current exploratory diver or team.

As for "values", anyone who has taken the time to know either Steve or myself or has the courtesy to deal directly with us would know the meaning of "values". Speaking of "values", I am not sure just how valuable it is to publicly slander someone you don't really know and especially after inviting us out to dive. A simple email stating your opposition to us diving would have circumvented the whole ordeal. Instead you sent me emails encouraging us to come .and dive.

Colin

[chucknoe]

You can rest assured that the GSEP will not be engaging in a protracted debate with Messrs. Cushman and Irons.

Our position was clearly stated in the complaint and remains intact. All we request is respect for our ongoing research/exploration efforts as afforded to all legitimate dive projects.

Many other divers frequent the site with no prejudice by the GSEP. And as pointed out, we freely and publicly provide information about the site.

For those of you seeking evidence of the plan to disregard and surpass our ongoing exploration, you need look no further than the Facebook postings of Cushman himself. On a public page located at: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui...315&topic=6891

Steve wrote...

"We will be making our second run to Good Enough Springs the second weekend of November. We are renting a house boat and staying on the water. We will be pushing beyond the 493 foot depth made by Steve Cushman and Colin Irons on October 13, 2009." (a mere 22 feet shy of the current end-of-the-line).

Then prior to their planned trip Steve made a post on his private Facebook page that read...

"Playtime is over! Time to get to work blending gases for GES push. I
just can't seem to get enough. Will be my deepest to date. Looking forward to building
up to a new record. Just want to say thanks to all the buddies who make it possible
and stand behind what I must achieve. No room for benchwarmers on this one!!!"

We also have additional hard-evidence listing their intended depth goal as both 550 feet and 600 feet by members of their own support team (whom I'd rather spare embarassing).

If you take the time to read my e-mail response to Colin you will indeed see my displeasure with their objectives. So be it.

They are welcome to their denials, but our evidence is solid.

And as is the case with all divers, we welcome their diving at Goodenough Springs, as long as it is doesn't interfere with the ongoing work of the GSEP.

One more thing, in a private e-mail this morning Steve threatened to "expose me" for adding some line to a small sidemount cave on Merritt's Mill Pond in 2005 (which I indeed did). Upon discovering my mistake later that week I sent a sincere apology to the involved parties and haven't returned to the site since. A copy of the apology letter is available upon request.

An apology from Steve and Colin to the GSEP has yet to be seen.

Chuck Noe

[fixxervi6]

I'm just a 3rd party observer of this, I don't know anyone involved.

Am I mis reading or does this all just smell like a pissing match over distance/depth?

Its a legit question not an attack, because I just don't get it.

[chilldive]

I'm just a 3rd party observer of this, I don't know anyone involved.

Am I mis reading or does this all just smell like a pissing match over distance/depth?

Its a legit question not an attack, because I just don't get it.

Yep, that's what it looks like to me. It's a public site. One team claims to be doing research for the good of the world - good let them. If the work is beneficial, then it will continue to be that no matter what anyone else does. The other team seems to be bent on a personal best of depth and maybe exceeded the current system record - good let them. Does not sound like a conflict of interest to me. However, I seems apparent that the so called research team is getting their toes and egos stepped on.

Let the race to the end of system commence.

BTW, my 2 cents, although this is somewhat entertaining, a public forum is not the place to discuss your differences.

[seaslave]

Looks like to me that Chuck has gotten his panties in a wad over nothing. He invites them down gives them info in which they respect and then starts a slander campaign. The post he refered to don't even mention anything about a 600' push and he even refers to a distance 22' short of the line laid. Jesus is this guy bi-polar. I think if anyone is owed an apology it would be to the team that went down there. Hell they even sent an email telling them the mooring was missing.