The Cookie Monster

[runawaylobster]

On saturday evening this week we swam to the maple leaf and my class turned on their
third and put in a cookie so that we could do the other half of our planned circuit in the morning.

Apparently there was some kind of sesame street character about because when we
came around the other way to complete the circuit this morning, the cookie was gone!!!!

How strange I thought, that someone would remove a cookie from the line like that!!
and within hours of it being put there??

Ok, seriously...whoever thought it was their business to remove this cookie was being
somewhat overzealous don't you think??? you know that this could have completely screwed up our dive and the work put in by the class setting up this particular circuit.

most people wait for a while if they see a cookie that appears to be abandoned before
they remove it. I have never heard of such a thing before!!

anyhow, the point of this post is to remind people that even though sometimes things may
not appear entirely as you expect, immediate removal can destroy the effort of others and
even have the potential to endanger. Be sure you remove only what should
be removed.

happy diving


LL

[caverkevin]

I hear you loud and clear. High traffic area such as the Maple Leaf. I am sure some self proclaimed cave cop cleaned up a glory marker the first time they spotted the cookie. This does not come as surprise. I had one of my spools removed from Devil's. From the Hinkle Bypass tunnel to another side tunnel in less than 12 hours of being placed. It was the first dive that diver spotted it. They felt it did not belong there and took it out.

It is coming down to the point you will have to leave a note explaining why something is in the cave and when it will be removed. Something about that just does not seem right.

Cheers!!!

Kevin

[irene]

Could your cookie have come off the line? I've found a cookie or two in the ceiling . . . maybe that's what happened?

[runawaylobster]

Hi Irene, Not in this case.

Actually the student locked it on the line which was a weird
thing to do, so I know that didn't happen.

I really think that it was a person who decided it didn't belong and
took it out without waiting a week or so to make sure that it really
was abandoned.

Since it was in a very precise place almost right next to the maple leaf
gold line tie off we were able to continue the dive and complete the circuit.
However; had it been on a long stretch of line with no real identifiers we
would have had to continue looking, turn back on our third and would have
been unable to complete the circuit. I would have had to add additional dives
to the class and that may even have cost us an additional 1000 mile round
trip from Miami. Not to mention how confusing it was for the guys when
they arrived at where they thought they should be and it was gone.

I really think glory markers are silly but I still don't remove things from
the cave.


It was a good thought though (ok rant over ..)

LL

[Sludge]

maybe that's what happened?

I agree. Several weeks ago I picked a cookie up off the floor at p400' in Jackson Blue. I recognized the name on it and sent the owner a PM, telling him I left it at the beginning of the main line.

He replied that the only cookie he had left in JB was in the Middle Grounds (over 2,000' away). So I guess the flow was the culprit.

Edit: You made a post while I was posting. Maybe it WAS a cookie thief.

[runawaylobster]

Well if you find one with Jose written on it on the ceiling then I will give $20
to the finder .

oh by the way, I think I might know if suddenly 20 cookies get found

LOL

[Al]

I really think that it was a person who decided it didn't belong and
took it out without waiting a week or so to make sure that it really
was abandoned.

Hi Les,
I'm assuming that you also a reel tied in next to the cookie. That should have been a clue to whoever took it that it was not a glory marker. What you did is not unusual at all; it is quite common for instructors to set up a circuit on Saturday to dive on Sunday. Some cave divers even make it their business to have some awareness of who else is diving the cave and what they are doing, but I guess that is expecting way too much.

[OWSI176288]

Hi Les,
I'm assuming that you also a reel tied in next to the cookie. That should have been a clue to whoever took it that it was not a glory marker. What you did is not unusual at all; it is quite common for instructors to set up a circuit on Saturday to dive on Sunday. Some cave divers even make it their business to have some awareness of who else is diving the cave and what they are doing, but I guess that is expecting way too much.

There doesn't necessary have to be a reel nearby if the cookie was being used to set up a circuit. What happened to "don't mess with other divers stuff?" This just scares me!?!

[runawaylobster]

Hi Les,
I'm assuming that you also a reel tied in next to the cookie. That should have been a clue to whoever took it that it was not a glory marker. What you did is not unusual at all; it is quite common for instructors to set up a circuit on Saturday to dive on Sunday. Some cave divers even make it their business to have some awareness of who else is diving the cave and what they are doing, but I guess that is expecting way too much.

actually no,

As we got to the jump on the first dive, they did put in the reel and make the jump, but the vis was horrible at the time and close to call off the class conditions (this is another more involved story). I asked them to take it out again as we left because I wasn't sure if we would be able to dive the cave the next day. Turns out it was crystal clear next morning.

if we had left the reel in then the cookie would have been on the big room line after the jump, maybe it would have
survived there .

[L.Babcock]

Students in training must have a continuous guideline to the surface