Laffeyette Blue condition

[stairman]

Went to Laffeyette Blue yesterday.First time diving it in 21 years.The natural bridge is 2 ft. above the water line.Nice big basin,then a very large cavern.Kinda dark though.The line is intact and covered with algae.We swam through the first cave and surfaced into another sink.Then waded through the knee deep run and dropped into the 2nd rather large cave.Halfway through i could see light to my left where another small surface opening was,and then we came up in another algae covered sink.Not duckweed but the slimey stuff.We turned the dive there but i understand the sysyem goes on and on.Not sure how many more openings there are.There is a lot of bottles and cans in there,and an old 50 gallon drum that doesnt belong in there.I may come back for the forum gettogether and cleanup August 19th.Id like to know how the rest of the system is laid out.It will probably silt out with everyone pulling trash up,but i dont recall any side passages,so it shouldt be a problem getting lost in the mung storm.

[Kelly Jessop]

.Not sure how many more openings there are.

23

[stairman]

Wow,I read in underwater Florida of stephens,BobcatI II andIII and Skiles.But I never imagined 23 openings.I also never here of many cavers using it.I imagine with that many openings,the caves must all be fairly short.And the traverses between them equally shallow and algaefied.I heard there are big plans for the system with cabins and entry decks in some of the other sinks.Id like to hike in the woods,and enter in one of the other holes upstream,the outflow is nice especially with the river being so low.

[Kelly Jessop]

Wow,I read in underwater Florida of stephens,BobcatI II andIII and Skiles.But I never imagined 23 openings.I also never here of many cavers using it.I imagine with that many openings,the caves must all be fairly short.And the traverses between them equally shallow and algaefied.I heard there are big plans for the system with cabins and entry decks in some of the other sinks.Id like to hike in the woods,and enter in one of the other holes upstream,the outflow is nice especially with the river being so low.

There are some places where a traverse can be as little as 75',and then there are some areas where you'll have 1500' of swimming before encountering a sink. The plans you hear about the cabins etc is for the park,that park will be turned into a bigger recreational area. Right now access in the park is from the head spring,but eventually it will be from Yana(just near the entrance gate) and this will include a parking area,and a stairs to the water. Be very cautious about hiking in the wood!!! During the summer the chiggers (red bugs) are real bad,and during the winter the area is used for hunting. The biggest reason you don't want to hike in the woods and enter a sink is because it is private property,and once a cave diver (left nameless) had a run in with a very angry landowner that held them in the hot sun in their drysuit until the sheriff came. Because of this I don't surface at sink holes,but keep swimming by.

[CaptainSpeleo]

Three cave divers(2 of them well-known and long-time cave divers) own 10 acres of property that give legal access to the Lafayette Blue cave system via Trap Sink and Kitty Sink. If they want to make themselves known, it will be their decision and not mine.

This cave system is very extensive and goes for thousands of feet and with many sinkhole openings. Visibility can vary greatly, depending on the amount of rain and the time of the year.

[Kelly Jessop]

Three cave divers(2 of them well-known and long-time cave divers) own 10 acres of property that give legal access to the Lafayette Blue cave system via Trap Sink and Kitty Sink. If they want to make themselves known, it will be their decision and not mine.

This cave system is very extensive and goes for thousands of feet and with many sinkhole openings. Visibility can vary greatly, depending on the amount of rain and the time of the year.

It is easier to enter from the headspring from the park,and the lines are in very good condition from there.

Visibility about 20'

[stairman]

Yea Im real savy in the woods in the hot weather being a bowhunter.And wouldnt want to be trudging down a trail with some cracker hunter in there groundcheckin.Im also not to fond of rocksalt so Ill start from the park.However Id have to challenge somebody giving me a hard time as long as Im movin on in the water.Ican be nice even when somebodys being nasty.Kinda let em say their peace and then tell them what they want to here.Usually an apology for the misunderstanding.