Good cavern dives for beginners?

what is the correct procedure for descending into strong flow like that, do you simply swim into it head down, or do you kind of overwieght a little and drop down into it?

Pretty much head-down, pull-and-pull. I've tried getting very negative and going down feet-first, but unless you point your fins EXACTLY into the flow, your feet will be blown upward, either behind you or in front of you.

Russell

[andrebasso]

what is the correct procedure for descending into strong flow like that, do you simply swim into it head down, or do you kind of overwieght a little and drop down into it?

Pretty much head-down, pull-and-pull. I've tried getting very negative and going down feet-first, but unless you point your fins EXACTLY into the flow, your feet will be blown upward, either behind you or in front of you.

Russell

That is great advice and makes perfect sense, I wish I knew that before I tried the Devil's Ear. I think my left fin smacked me in the face a few times. lol.

[Genesis]

Yeah, feet-first doesn't work into that kind of flow, nor does a "horizontal, perfect trim" descent. Think "torpedo"

[andrebasso]

Morrison sounds incredible for a beginner cavern diver, I can't wait. Btw, I heard from many different people that the cave entrance is slowly opening, would they close it back up if it did open? Also, I know Ginnie Cavern is gated off, are there many other cave entrances that have gated access now that used to be divable. Just curious, I won't be going there with a torch or anything.

[Genesis]

I doubt it.

Such intentional destruction is no longer considered "cool". There are a couple of people who claim to have passed the restriction at Morrison. I'll believe them when I see them do it - you'll understand the first time you dive there why I say that.

[Steele]

A friend of mine here at work claims to have dove Morrison before the closure with a milk carton for buoyancy and other 'primitive' equipment.

From what he remembers it was an incredible cave system.

[CaptainSpeleo]

If I recall before it was dynamited and sealed off, it dropped to almost 300' in depth.

[Steele]

Wow, that is fantastic! Can you tell us more about it? Maybe something that you remember specifically, like a room or formation unique to Morrison? I know it's been a long time ago, though.

My friend doesn't remember much at all.

[curtschu]

So if I understand correctly Morrison is just a cavern dive now due to the A$$ Holes from the 60's BTW there is a great dry cave on the UF campus they did the same thing to. What are the chances of opening this up giving mother nature a little help?

[Cave Ranger]

I was at Morrison about 5 years ago back when you had to pay $18.00 to dive it. I was still relatively new OW Diver but I was already showing symptoms of the early stages of "Cave Madness". My buddy who was Cavern certified at the time led the way with a Dive Rite primary reel and we swam our way thru the resident Eels to where the cave entrance used to be. I had already read the story about the cave being dynamited so I wasn't surprised to see the blockage. Seeing the sand and rocks bubbling up and dancing around in the outflow was quite entertaining. Even back then I thought that it was a shame that someone thought that they were doing a public service by blowing it up. I fantasized in my fiendish little brain about taking a giant suction hose and removing all of the rubble so as to reopen the cave passage as nature had intended it to be. The larger boulders could be pulled from the passage using a Crane. I'd imagine that would be one world class silt-out though.
Maybe we could get Shop-Vac to sponser the project.