A great dive that went bad really quickly

[bamafan]

A few weeks ago I was coming out of a cave and noticed a lead with flow coming out of it. I tied in and ran 100' of line or so. I could see that it was getting small but definitely going. Well today I finally get back there with two buddies. One of them has been working a passage a little bit before my new lead. The other buddy who I will call Zorro asked prior to going in the water if he could lay a little line even if it wasn't much. I told him where to go in so that he would hit my existing line and I would survey it on the way out. I had 3 stages and they were each diving two. I dropped my 3rd stage at the start of my new line and because of this met Zorro on my line. I went under him and all seemed okay.

I had dropped down in a little hole that I had to wedge myself into to tie my line into a hole in the rock on a previous dive. So I tied my reel into this tie off and took off. After I had run just a little line I felt the tension change on the line. I thought surely he didn't cut the line I am on. I then told myself that it was probably just a wrap coming off. I continued on following the flow. After a couple hundred feet I came to a little room swam around it and couldn't find any flow. I dropped back down and started following the flow again. It soon came to a silt mound that I was going to have to plow through to get to the other side where I could see it opened back up. I decided to tie off and survey out. As I just had a bad feeling about the line. I am surveying out and about 200' from the main line I come to a loose end of line laying next to the line I just laid. I thought where did this come from? I quit surveying and started wadding up the loose end of the line. I soon came to the rock with the hole in it that I had tied to on the previous day and no line going any farther. This passage is knee high and silty so the viz was a foot a best now. I grabbed my reel and tied in to the rock with the hole. I went in the direction I thought was out and the viz didn't improve and there was rock and silt everywhere. I thought well this is getting really bad. I backed back up to my rock and decided to let thing clear up a little.

After what was a few minutes but seemed like forever things started clearing up a little bit and I could see 5 feet or so. I started in what I thought was the right direction. The rocks are covered in silt and I could soon see some places where the silt was knocked off. I am now starting to feel a little better at least someone has been through here before. I go a little further and can see the line in the silt from where the line had been laying in it as it went downhill. Things are now improving a whole lot. A little ways farther and there is the rock I had wrapped the line around on the previous dive. And thank goodness there is new line. I have never been so relieved to see line.

The dive out was very relaxing as I pocked around in a few more holes. I don't think I have ever enjoyed coming out after a dive as much as this one. As I finally finished my deco and got to the surface Zorro was definitely glad to see me. And apologized over and over again for accidently cutting my line. It seems that he had his zknife out to cut his line and tie into mine when he said all of a sudden my line moved and landed on his knife where it was cut. The line then went down into the silt cloud I had created as I went down into the smaller section. He said things started to clear and he almost had the line when it just took off. I am guessing that while I was tying in my new line I got the line hung on some of my gear and since it was cut the line followed me as I swam into the cave. I really feel bad for my buddy as I think he was more shook up than I was.

I am posting this so that hopefully someone can learn something from thinking about what they would do in a broke line condition and having to go a ways to find the end of the line. Staying calm and looking for signs of where to go by reading the cave definitely helped me out I hope no one has to do this but I hope others can learn from my incident and I am glad I am able to tell the story.

[snakedoc]

A few weeks ago I was coming out of a cave and noticed a lead with flow coming out of it. I tied in and ran 100' of line or so. I could see that it was getting small but definitely going. Well today I finally get back there with two buddies. One of them has been working a passage a little bit before my new lead. The other buddy who I will call Zorro asked prior to going in the water if he could lay a little line even if it wasn't much. I told him where to go in so that he would hit my existing line and I would survey it on the way out. I had 3 stages and they were each diving two. I dropped my 3rd stage at the start of my new line and because of this met Zorro on my line. I went under him and all seemed okay.

I had dropped down in a little hole that I had to wedge myself into to tie my line into a hole in the rock on a previous dive. So I tied my reel into this tie off and took off. After I had run just a little line I felt the tension change on the line. I thought surely he didn't cut the line I am on. I then told myself that it was probably just a wrap coming off. I continued on following the flow. After a couple hundred feet I came to a little room swam around it and couldn't find any flow. I dropped back down and started following the flow again. It soon came to a silt mound that I was going to have to plow through to get to the other side where I could see it opened back up. I decided to tie off and survey out. As I just had a bad feeling about the line. I am surveying out and about 200' from the main line I come to a loose end of line laying next to the line I just laid. I thought where did this come from? I quit surveying and started wadding up the loose end of the line. I soon came to the rock with the hole in it that I had tied to on the previous day and no line going any farther. This passage is knee high and silty so the viz was a foot a best now. I grabbed my reel and tied in to the rock with the hole. I went in the direction I thought was out and the viz didn't improve and there was rock and silt everywhere. I thought well this is getting really bad. I backed back up to my rock and decided to let thing clear up a little.

After what was a few minutes but seemed like forever things started clearing up a little bit and I could see 5 feet or so. I started in what I thought was the right direction. The rocks are covered in silt and I could soon see some places where the silt was knocked off. I am now starting to feel a little better at least someone has been through here before. I go a little further and can see the line in the silt from where the line had been laying in it as it went downhill. Things are now improving a whole lot. A little ways farther and there is the rock I had wrapped the line around on the previous dive. And thank goodness there is new line. I have never been so relieved to see line.

The dive out was very relaxing as I pocked around in a few more holes. I don't think I have ever enjoyed coming out after a dive as much as this one. As I finally finished my deco and got to the surface Zorro was definitely glad to see me. And apologized over and over again for accidently cutting my line. It seems that he had his zknife out to cut his line and tie into mine when he said all of a sudden my line moved and landed on his knife where it was cut. The line then went down into the silt cloud I had created as I went down into the smaller section. He said things started to clear and he almost had the line when it just took off. I am guessing that while I was tying in my new line I got the line hung on some of my gear and since it was cut the line followed me as I swam into the cave. I really feel bad for my buddy as I think he was more shook up than I was.

I am posting this so that hopefully someone can learn something from thinking about what they would do in a broke line condition and having to go a ways to find the end of the line. Staying calm and looking for signs of where to go by reading the cave definitely helped me out I hope no one has to do this but I hope others can learn from my incident and I am glad I am able to tell the story.

Zorro...and naturally, he had a z-knife. I like that. I wonder if Gizmo from the other thread might have been wearing a G-string under his drysuit.

[TracyN]

For the record I was not on this dive, lol! On that note I'm glad you made it out OK. A less experienced diver may well have perished. Great cave awareness. That's nearly a nightmare situation.

[TONY CHANEY]

...apologized over and over again for accidently cutting my line. It seems that he had his zknife out to cut his line and tie into mine when he said all of a sudden my line moved and landed on his knife where it was cut. The line then went down into the silt cloud I had created as I went down into the smaller section. He said things started to clear and he almost had the line when it just took off. I am guessing that while I was tying in my new line I got the line hung on some of my gear and since it was cut the line followed me as I swam into the cave.

Thanks for the posting but I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this. Z was going to cut his line (why?) and your line "moved" into his Zknife which he accidently cut. Why did Z not tie in right there and follow you hoping to find you or at least wait for you at your entry site? ?

There is only one time in a cave where I had to cut any line and that was because the jump could not be removed fast enough and time was running out.

I will state that I am nowhere near others level of diving but...

[Webmaster]

Thanks for the posting but I am having a hard time wrapping my head around this. Z was going to cut his line (why?) and your line "moved" into his Zknife which he accidently cut. Why did Z not tie in right there and follow you hoping to find you or at least wait for you at your entry site? ?

There is only one time in a cave where I had to cut any line and that was because the jump could not be removed fast enough and time was running out.

I will state that I am nowhere near others level of diving but...

Things happen. When you're laying line you end up cutting something at least once a dive usually. If you don't empty a reel you have to cut it and tie off, or if you're splicing or repairing damaged lines, etc... .

If when he cut it, he still had extra line I think I would have run line after him until I caught up to him or the line or ran out. I wouldn't want to leave someone knowingly hanging like that.

Listen to your gut I suppose. Glad you made it out ok.

[bamafan]

Yes he was tying off. The passage he was in was sidemount and the passage I went into right past him was knee high at best and zero viz from me going in. As far as waiting on me I took 3 stages and lp 120's vs his 108's and 2 stages. There is no way he was going to have enough gas to wait on me. It is easy to say you would have gone in but it is small passage and there aren't many people I would want in there with me. I posted this so others could think about it and decide what they would do if this happened.

[Aotus]

Man, glad you're ok, Eric.

[TONY CHANEY]

Yes he was tying off. The passage he was in was sidemount and the passage I went into right past him was knee high at best and zero viz from me going in. As far as waiting on me I took 3 stages and lp 120's vs his 108's and 2 stages. There is no way he was going to have enough gas to wait on me. It is easy to say you would have gone in but it is small passage and there aren't many people I would want in there with me. I posted this so others could think about it and decide what they would do if this happened.

Damn you are good! Four tanks: two stages plus 120's" in a knee high passage with zero vis. Freaking great. I really am glad all turned out well.

[bamafan]

The stages were dropped along the main line. I just had 120's with me. Hopefully though I will be needing a stage in there soon.

[nakatomi]

Wow, what a story! I'm so glad all of you are doing fine and it's just been another free learning lesson.