lost or stolen deco bottle

[MK7]

I don't think that anyone is asking that Ginnie Springs ensure (or insure) their gear. But it would be nice if they would make a little bit of effort.

I don't see any way you can expect Ginnie to do anything. My answer is don't leave anything unattended. Both buddies take their stages, scooters, whatever, to the water. One stays while the other gets his doubles. When he gets back to the water, the other buddy gets his doubles.

It takes an extra three minutes.

MK7

[amphipod06]

I hate thieves a bit more than liars (open season idea is still on my list). But like Rich said, a little common sense in keeping your stuff secured goes a long way. Also, if you keep your eyes open for other cavers'stuff you may avert a lot of lost gear.

A while back at Ginnie my husband saw an obviously non-diver take and place a deco bottle in his car. We told the diver who was looking for it about it (gave tag number, make and model too!) she recovered it and got a weak apology and stupid excuse from the would-be thief and no harm done.
I think if we all looked out for not just our stuff, things would not grow legs so often.

Safe diving,

Celia

[phishfood]

Great point Jim, lets not forget who pays the bills.
We are the minority, and more than likely the bigger pain in the butt.
Be thankful for what we have.

It isn't the cave divers who sell drugs, fly up & down the roads, set off fireworks in the parking lot, start fights (at least not much), steal stuff, drown ourselves (at least not much), etc, etc. It IS the cave divers who pay $300 for an annual pass, when the same pass costs $85 for state parks, for more added benefits. And no, I don't expect Ginnie to try to match the state either in price or extra stuff, just offering a comparison.
It is the cave divers who walk in & buy a $500 light. It is the cave divers who drive 15 hours to get there, then pay for camping & diving, just to dive there. And we are the pain in the butt because we don't like having stuff stolen, and make noise about it when it happens? Yeah, Ginnie sees a whole lot more income from tubers, swimmers, & campers than from cave divers, but they DO make money off of us.

[jammer]

Well take your 02 bottle with you deeper into the cave to keep open water divers from getting it. I have seen this method work pretty well. I notice guys that dive with buddies, one stays at the steps and watches gear and the other takes his stuff to the water, then they swap places and the other watches while the other goes and gets his or her gear. And last but not least, if you solo dive a lot like me take a cart and load everything you need in it and haul it down to water. leave the cart if they steal the cart it's only $30 not $300 or $400 for tank and reg. But again I am no expert or anything I just would rather lose $30 plus. Before I got my cart I asked a local that is there and I have never not seen plenty of people there I asked them if they keep an eye on my gear I will give them $5 to watch it and make sure nobody but me touches it. Trust me the beer drinkers like that $5 a lot and I would rather pay $5 to a beer drinker than have someone to steal my stuff.

[Genesis]

The first time I dove Ginnie another cave diver had an O2 bottle stolen right out from under BOTH of our noses off the steps near little devil.

He put it in the water and clipped it off (I SAW HIM do it from the picnic table), came back, shrugged on his doubles (elapsed time < 3 minutes) and walked back to the steps. It was gone.

Needless to say he was pissed. I was more than annoyed and dismayed, because that little incident said to me that whoever took it was casing the area and knew EXACTLY when to pounce. It was a planned theft - not a "snatch and go."

I've not had anything stolen there, but I treat Ginnie like the south side of Chicago, almost. If its not locked up with either a Smith and Wesson or a loud alarm guarding it, or a warm breathing body with its eyes literally on it, someone's likely to take it.

Could Ginnie do something about that? Oh yeah. Will they? As others have said, "oh no."

Bottom line is that divers pay 5x the price of a tuber to go there but we certainly don't get any more in the way of service - and IMHO I think we should. We spend more to on "incidentals", and ours are expensive (that $500+ light has a hell of a margin on it - how much does that pen the camper buys have?)

I'd spend a lot more time and money there but for this issue. Rose may just shrug at that idea, but I bet I'm not alone in that assessment. Heck, for what it'd cost me to hang around there for a week I'd be better off dragging a pontoon boat down there on a trailer, camping somewhere else, and coming in off the water - eschewing the facilities entirely (and the fees.)

Makes it harder to steal things too, if you chain them to the boat and/or leave someone topside when you're diving.....

[jammer]

Well I wasn't talking about watching it from a distance or anything I was talking about keeping your eye on it not the chick in the thong or G-string but to keep your eyes glued to it.

[CaveDivingCop]

Ok it's time to get down and dirty......ya can't booby trap a bottle
( explosives or 100,000 volts of electricity ) to thwart the thieves....but how bout some old fashioned payback.....ok so who wants to donate an old deco bottle and reg and lets fill it with some vile substance like cat pee and poop....................let em steal it and take a nice long draw on that puppy....maybe that will teach em to mess with us anymore.

It's like this......if they hadn't stolen it.....they wouldn't be gagging right now....LOL

P.S. ya didn't hear this from me 8)

[HomoErectus]

Great point Jim, lets not forget who pays the bills.
We are the minority, and more than likely the bigger pain in the butt.
Be thankful for what we have.

It IS the cave divers who pay $300 for an annual pass, when the same pass costs $85 for state parks, for more added benefits. And no, I don't expect Ginnie to try to match the state either in price or extra stuff, just offering a comparison.

I was wondering what does the state park has to offer more than Ginnie?? A required buddy to dive with ? Or the rangers who asked me reenter the cave while exiting at Maneettee, in case that there is a Maneette ???

[michael-fisch]

Ok it's time to get down and dirty......ya can't booby trap a bottle
( explosives or 100,000 volts of electricity ) to thwart the thieves....but how bout some old fashioned payback.....ok so who wants to donate an old deco bottle and reg and lets fill it with some vile substance like cat pee and poop....................let em steal it and take a nice long draw on that puppy....maybe that will teach em to mess with us anymore.

It's like this......if they hadn't stolen it.....they wouldn't be gagging right now....LOL

P.S. ya didn't hear this from me 8)

You missed my previous post:
PostPosted: Sun Jul 31, 2005 7:37 pm

Leave a tank filled with Sarin or VX around the stairs, if anybody steals it and breaths it, they'll never steal anything again. If more of us did that, Ginnie would soon not have any problems with thefts.

Michael

Sarin and VX are the standard US nerve gasses from the 60's, there is still some of it stored in the southeastern US. If the DOD won't give some of it away to cavedivers, no problem, Sarin is not that hard to make youself. Mustard Gas is also an option.

Michael

[CaveDivingCop]

Yeah but ya missed the point.........use cat pee....no feds involved....use sarin and out comes homeland security people

Use cat pee and the perp won't tell anyone.....they'll just never touch anything again.

It's kinda like dope dealers getting ripped off.....what they gonna do call the police ??

Same principle