Support the opening of Wakulla Springs

[wingman]

Personally i prefer Posies in Panacea.

[RN]

Benderr, you're the one not listening. So I'm done trying to convince you otherwise. If you wannt to take my feedback as negative then so be it. It was intended to be constructive, but it's only constructive if you give it consideration. Others who have a lot more experience in these things have also tried to give you constructive feedback. Same response from you. If it's not what you want to hear you blow it off as negative. I'm done with this thread.

[mpoucher]

Maybe the emphasis on opening up Wakulla should be on getting additional sites besides Emerald, and now Clearcut, open and reduce the paperwork required to dive there. Emerald and Cheryl use to be open sites and I did some of my training dives there, but the current rules require trimix, 100 dives, etc on a dive we use to do on air and never exceed 110 feet. There are many, many sites on public lands for cave diving in the Wakulla area that don't have the high profile of Wakulla itself. If sites are open and diver visitation increases, you have a much more viable economic argument to open additional sites.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Maybe the emphasis on opening up Wakulla should be on getting additional sites besides Emerald, and now Clearcut, open and reduce the paperwork required to dive there. Emerald and Cheryl use to be open sites and I did some of my training dives there, but the current rules require trimix, 100 dives, etc on a dive we use to do on air and never exceed 110 feet. There are many, many sites on public lands for cave diving in the Wakulla area that don't have the high profile of Wakulla itself. If sites are open and diver visitation increases, you have a much more viable economic argument to open additional sites.

I agree with this 100%, but I also think that once Wakulla is open, other sites will be much easier to open as well.

[Kelly Jessop]

Maybe the emphasis on opening up Wakulla should be on getting additional sites besides Emerald, and now Clearcut, open and reduce the paperwork required to dive there. Emerald and Cheryl use to be open sites and I did some of my training dives there, but the current rules require trimix, 100 dives, etc on a dive we use to do on air and never exceed 110 feet. There are many, many sites on public lands for cave diving in the Wakulla area that don't have the high profile of Wakulla itself. If sites are open and diver visitation increases, you have a much more viable economic argument to open additional sites.

There are baby steps involved in getting these sites open because the area was left with a negative image of cave diving. Remember the "body bag" comments that were made during the tech-list era? Many of these type inferences went to people in high places and the public,and it takes time to dispell. Thus far I have seen forward momentum on getting access,and I am confident we will see more,but it won't be like turning on a light switch,in fact ask for too much too soon,and we will have the opposite action. As we build public confidence,and show we share some of the same concerns as area residents have ie water quality etc,we will gain credibility. Sorry the process is slow,but at least it is moving.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Emerald has been open for(very close to) five years, with no change in requirements. If there's been movement towards relaxing the rules, it may be worthwhile to let the cave diving public know - otherwise we assume nothing is happening.

We know change doesn't happen fast, but we don't see change occuring at all in what isn't a short amount of time.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Getting a little news action on the tube

http://www.wtxl.com/content/topstori...sAYAxlPjA.cspx


No new information though.

[Kelly Jessop]

Emerald has been open for(very close to) five years, with no change in requirements. If there's been movement towards relaxing the rules, it may be worthwhile to let the cave diving public know - otherwise we assume nothing is happening.

We know change doesn't happen fast, but we don't see change occuring at all in what isn't a short amount of time.

There has been a persistent effort,not always successful,but it is there.

[Wizard]

Maybe the emphasis on opening up Wakulla should be on getting additional sites besides Emerald, and now Clearcut, open and reduce the paperwork required to dive there. Emerald and Cheryl use to be open sites and I did some of my training dives there, but the current rules require trimix, 100 dives, etc on a dive we use to do on air and never exceed 110 feet. There are many, many sites on public lands for cave diving in the Wakulla area that don't have the high profile of Wakulla itself. If sites are open and diver visitation increases, you have a much more viable economic argument to open additional sites.

Thanks Mike, that would be my thought also.
I understand the need for an overall policy, but do we really need to be trimix for a dive that is not even considered to be over the recreational limit. Full Cave divers are the for the most part the best trained divers in the world. Very few people get out of class without learning stage and decompression diving. I know very few people who would spend trimix fill money on a 130-140 feet dive.
Anybody here bought a 100 dollar fill to dive Vortex?

[SuPrBuGmAn]

You can do a really great circuit upstream from Emerald, seeing lots of cave, without getting deeper than 60'ish.