Cow Springs
I was planning to dive cow springs sometime in the near future. Does anyone have any information that you be useful for dive planning?
I had a chance to check it out this weekend, but didn't get to dive it. At least I'm able to find it now.
Save time... go with someone that's been there before. If you are a full cave diver, you'll want to know how to get into upstream. There are two ways, one backmount, one sidemount. Neither all that obvious.
Just there a few weeks ago. Conditions excellent!
Tom Johnson / tj
Administrator/Sponsor
Dayo Scuba North
Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida
Cave Evaluator/IT TDI
Upstream cow requires full cave and NSS-CDS membership, and you can pick up the key at Dive Outpost.
The line can be found by following the slot down the right side of the cavern. When you reach max depth there, you do a 180 degree turn to the right into the first restriction. As noted above, it is not overly obvious, but watch for marks on the rock and you'll find it. It pays to run the line cleanly, keeping it on your right side the whole time and there is a handy log for the primary tie off and a small knobby rock projection on the floor around 20' that makes a great secondary.
You enter through a major restriction - maybe 2-1/2'x 3' square and 4' long. The gold line will be right under you when you exit the first restriction. You tie in and then drop down through another restriction that is lower but wider and similarly short.
Once you get in the cave it is around 50' deep but then drops down through a restriction/fault to about 65-70' then through another to around 103'- 105'. Neither of those restrictions is very tight but they do require a little twisting to get through and the last one has a low section leading to it about 10-15' long. There are also a couple of jumps once you get to the deepest section of the cave.
The cave is very dark and not too beat up so it would be appreciated if you stay on the line as any marks made show up as bright white.
Plan on some deco. There are some good spots to drop O2 at around 25-30', and it works best if you do not take them through the restriction. You can stage the dive as well, but no need to do that until you are familiar with it and have done the first 1300' or so on thirds.
Downstream is open to intro level divers as well as full cave. It is gold line, but it's a ways in. It's at about 10-11o'clock as you enter the cavern - just keep heading in the big spaces and you'll see it on the half left eventually. There is a white line leading to a side mount tunnel on the left before you reach the gold line - not recommended to go there in back mount, but it is do-able. it is silty, so you want good skills before you try it.
The gold line is about 400' and the sm line is about 200'. The gold line can be backmounted to EOL, but it gets low in the last bit. There is a turn to the left at the end and in BM it helps to have the line in hand off to the left, then pivot around the outside to make the turn. The line ends about 10' past that so don't worry If you run out of horizontal room and turn the dive before making the turn. It will get silty there as well, so stay on the line.
If you place your secondary tie off around 15-20', you can dive upstream, recalculate and then Dive the downstream side while you are decoing. It's maybe 30' deep on average so you'll be cleared by the time you are done, unless you acquired an inordinantly large amount of deco.
The cavern at cow is one of the prettiest in NFL in my opinion and well worth exploring.
NACD Cave DPV Cert # 666: Cave DPV Anti-christ
Just returned from my first dive at Cow today. Forrest & Jim were were kind enough to take me along and TJ is right, go with someone first.
We went upstream, then returned to the cavern and moved primary over to the downstream section for a bit. Cave is beautiful and conditions were superb. Flow was nil, such that the pull rope was really not needed. Great dive & I want to go back, thanks Forrest!
Ditto what DA Aquamaster said
Last edited by Zinc; 12-24-2011 at 09:18 PM.
How was the duckweed in the basin?Originally Posted by Zinc
In the basin, my truck, garage...
Thanks for the pic on the current conditions at Cow...going to be diving it this coming week so it's helpful to see what we're in for.
Best regards,
Don
People who drink light 'beer' don't like the taste of beer; they just like to pee alot. - Capital Brewery, Middleton, WI
video entering Cow Spring
Thx for the video. Really enjoyed it. Made me feel like I was there again. Thought the reverse angle of you coming through the first restriction rocked.
Jeff
Diveconjeff@yahoo.com
Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
-Ferris Bueller
The most certain way to stumble into the future, is to live your life looking over your shoulder.
-Jeff Hawes after getting a huge mulligan...
Agreed. Great shot!!!!
It's not the years in your life that matter, but the life in your years.
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