Manatee

[bpcfire1]

How are the conditions there?

[jcook]

How are the conditions there?

Brutal if you are swimming upstream (more of a scooter dive right now, but I'm a wuss). Vis was about 40 ft, with a decent amount of particulate in the water. I had to drop my LD-26 down to the lowest power setting so I could see more than 5-10 ft in front of me. Dropping in at Friedman and riding it out to the headspring is probably the best idea right now.

[bpcfire1]

So its not worth diving right now....

[jcook]

So its not worth diving right now....

I know plenty of people that would dive it in the current conditions, just not me. I got to 400 ft in upstream from Catfish and just gave up. Then fiddle-farted around on the way out, checking out some stuff. Plus I was on my rebreather and don't like to push it when working hard.

[hunabku]

I dove it on Sunday swimming upstream and I'll concur with everything Jordan said. We made it about 400' up from catfish too. I ended up in a curve that was concentrating the flow and was kicking hard and making no prgress so I thumbed it and enjoyed a lazy drift out.

It was our first time there and I am glad I went, but would not care to do the same dive again in the current conditions. It was all work and not much to see.

I was impressed with how huge it was. Pretty stark contrast between the tranquility in catfish to what is going on in the cave.

[Jont]

but I'm a wuss

+1

but in all seriousness it is a scooter dive, I was with Jordan when he was diving without a scooter, my two friends on a viper and UV26 were kicking on full throttle to get through some of the restrictions, of course I didnt have that problem

manatee is where it supposed to be, all of the newbee's like me were spoiled last year when there was peackock like flow and 200' of viz.

but it's still one hell of a great dive.

JonT

[TracyN]

Going in through Friedman's and drifting down is the only way you will get to see much of the cave and even then you won't see much. Visibility isn't very good at all. I dove it on Monday with Paul and one of his students. Forget about swimming against the current at Catfish. When Paul got lost and the student had to find him we had to swim against the current and even pulling and gliding on the bottom was work. It took all my might to make any headway.

[jcook]

Of course Tracy was with Paul.....

[bpcfire1]

Thanks for all the info, we have moved our dive to a diff system...

[JamesK]

Thanks for all the info, we have moved our dive to a diff system...

Where?