Waterhole 3 today, UGH!

[Rich]

. A rope and grapling hook should be employed to help rid the sinks of this evasive plant.

LOL, I spent a long time getting that crap off my Meg the other day! You gotta do Waterhole, it's one of my fave tunnels in Peacock, holler at me if you need a buddy....

Safe diving,

Rich

[Mark Vlahos]

Rich, I havent swam the waterhole tunnel yet, have of course passed the jump many times so thought Idtry to get in from its openwater but bad idea.

For what it is worth, my advice is that if you swim to Waterhole III from PI that you don't bother to surface. Get to the big rock at the bottom of the cavern, look up, and turn the dive. Above only lies a tangle of logs and poor visibility. The tunnel to get there is beautiful, the basin is ugly. Kind of like Cisteen, but not as scenic.

I have only been there once, a month ago. I wish I had known then what I know now.

I guess the visibility can improve in the future, but the tangle of logs is not likely to change much.

[John L.]

You have to feel for the cold water with your hands. Walking up to Waterhole three, it will be to the far right.

Thought we'd try something different today. Boy was it. After sinking down to our knees in mud we sprung fourth across the familiar duckweed cover to hyrrilla out the yingyang. Forward motion was almost impossible as we tried to submerge. Vis was inches and never did find the opening. After surfacing the mud stunk so bad and we had hyrrilla hanging off us. We got whooped on that one. Maybe winter will kill off the choking plants and water levels higher coulnt hurt. P1 is 3 ft below the lower platform. Lowest anyone has seen it.

[John L.]

Randy, it's a kickass dive once you get in there. You have to be on your game with bouyancy control. If I remember right (last time 2006) it took around 45 minutes to get to the end where you jump to the P1 line. Very beautiful dive.

Rich, I havent swam the waterhole tunnel yet, have of course passed the jump many times so thought Idtry to get in from its openwater but bad idea. There was beaver tracks around its edge as is in P3 so Im sure hydrilla contamination is probably caused more by them than by divers. A rope and grapling hook should be employed to help rid the sinks of this evasive plant.

[Dsix36]

Can I dive this tunnel in backmount or is it a sidemount tunnel?

[Parolles]

It's more than sufficiently open for BM.

[Mark Vlahos]

Can I dive this tunnel in backmount or is it a sidemount tunnel?

Definitely backmount. Only just a little close in a few places, and even those places are not tight.

[DA Aquamaster]

The dive from P1 to Waterhole III is a out 45-50 minutes and it takes about the same time to return.

The jump is the first marked jump to the left in the peanut tunnel and IIRC is about p. 900'. There is a slight restriction about 200' or so down the Waterhole tunnel at the top of a small rise, but it's easily negotiated in backmount with no contact if you roll slightly to the left.

There is a slight duckunder at about 550'-600' from the jump immediately past the line to the sidemount tunnel (I suspect most people don't notice that line) that leads back to the peanut line at about p. 800. That is the location that seems to collect the most handprints in the bottom so while it is not all that tight, some divers seem to have skills issues and bottom out there.

Prior to that point the tunnel is fairly wide and low, while past that point it has a much more vertical relief and you may find some low pockets of tannic water along the bottom of the tunnel in a couple spots. The entire tunnel is quite pretty.

A fairly large rock fell on the line just short of Waterhole III about a year and a half ago and as Mark states that is not a bad place to turn the dive. If you go up, it's not all that bad - somewhat Cisteen like in terms of logs, and duckweed. Be sure to run a line but in general the viz is not bad under the duckweed and it stays ok if you stand on a log during the SI and do not stir it up. Getting in however pretty much guarentees blown vis in the sink and I've never seen an upside to doing that.

[Dsix36]

The dive from P1 to Waterhole III is a out 45-50 minutes and it takes about the same time to return.

The jump is the first marked jump to the left in the peanut tunnel and IIRC is about p. 900'. There is a slight restriction about 200' or so down the Waterhole tunnel at the top of a small rise, but it's easily negotiated in backmount with no contact if you roll slightly to the left.

There is a slight duckunder at about 550'-600' from the jump immediately past the line to the sidemount tunnel (I suspect most people don't notice that line) that leads back to the peanut line at about p. 800. That is the location that seems to collect the most handprints in the bottom so while it is not all that tight, some divers seem to have skills issues and bottom out there.

Prior to that point the tunnel is fairly wide and low, while past that point it has a much more vertical relief and you may find some low pockets of tannic water along the bottom of the tunnel in a couple spots. The entire tunnel is quite pretty.

A fairly large rock fell on the line just short of Waterhole III about a year and a half ago and as Mark states that is not a bad place to turn the dive. If you go up, it's not all that bad - somewhat Cisteen like in terms of logs, and duckweed. Be sure to run a line but in general the viz is not bad under the duckweed and it stays ok if you stand on a log during the SI and do not stir it up. Getting in however pretty much guarentees blown vis in the sink and I've never seen an upside to doing that.

Thanks, I have always been curious about that tunnel. Now I must go check it out myself.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Word on the street says there will likely be an article on hydrilla in one of the upcoming CDS magazines for anyone looking for more info. I hear the photos are absolutely superb.