Vortex, beyond the grate

[RN]

You can always call Vortex and ask them to look at the map on the wall. IIRC, though, after the gate it starts getting deeper pretty fast. You won't make it very far on 32% if you plan on staying within MOD. If you do scooter in there, make sure you hide the scooter inside the gate. Otherwise you're likely to come back and find some OW divers scooter the basin. BTW, you can plan on about 2 minutes on scooter before the gate, not enough to really assess it. And if you're there on a weekend, it may not be safe to scooter the basin with all the OW checkouts happening there. Get up an hour earlier and drive to Marianna.

[Spd 135]

You can always call Vortex and ask them to look at the map on the wall. IIRC, though, after the gate it starts getting deeper pretty fast. You won't make it very far on 32% if you plan on staying within MOD. If you do scooter in there, make sure you hide the scooter inside the gate. Otherwise you're likely to come back and find some OW divers scooter the basin. BTW, you can plan on about 2 minutes on scooter before the gate, not enough to really assess it. And if you're there on a weekend, it may not be safe to scooter the basin with all the OW checkouts happening there. Get up an hour earlier and drive to Marianna.

As for the scooter, I can swim it to the cavern if I have to. It is mostly trimmed out but I made an adjustment and never dived it after since we swam Hole. 2 minutes will be fine and I even thought about padlocking it to the grate (lol). I may blow air on what is left in my bottles and work with that. It should give me about a 26% mix with will give me a little more depth. The big deal is I want to dive beyond the grate because there isn't a lot of traffic there and what I saw before was pretty. I also want to bring my daughter and son so they can swim. There is plenty of time to dive the Mill Pond. This is a loose end for me and to me life is about a lot of small adventures and to see where they go. BTW I think we met at JB around Thanksgiving or Christmas, by the ladder. Thanks for the info.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Its much nicer beyond the grate than before... I dove there this weekend.

Hit 117' before the third(long) restriction. Eduardo says its about 120' at the end of the third restriction. Third restriction is backmountable, but you'll need to put your belly in the sand. The room afterwards is 135' at the bottom, another restriction, which will go down to 150'+ IIRC what Eduardo was saying.

Its about 300' to the grate, then maybe another 350' to the third restriction. The third restriction is another 200', so 850'p-ish to the room that drops down past 135' of depth.

We dove at JB on Saturday and just topped off with air, put me at 30% for diving at Vortex.

[jason]

Here is a map of Vortex. Mike and Sandi Ferrara (for some reason) are not listed on the map, but they were a tremendous help as support divers.

Jason

[Gary]

I am gonna make a day-trip next Saturday (04-26What the depth is beyond the grate

Its a single tank swim to the grate - with no rush. It's about 110' at the grate and about 120' just beyond.

I don't know what it is set up like now but when I did it there was sort of a permanent line. It wasn't obvious right away but the line stopped at the grate - where there is a sharp slope down into the next room. So bring a reel and make sure to run it from the grate if it doesn't continue.

Things change. My memory was from ~1991 - so who knows.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

There's a rubber hose that acts as a guideline to just shy of the grate. 36# line starts about 10' upstream of the gate and continues on.

There is also a large 4" pipe running down the cave right now, it could act as a permanant guideline to the cavern. It runs from the cavern, through the cave(and gate) and past the third restriction.

[Spd 135]

Thanks for the replies.* Like I said before, I have dove there many times and have been a few hundred feet past the grate on backmount quite a few times.* My interest is past there,....... depth, distance, etc. so I can figure a decent nitrox mix and dive it.* I plan on being there between 11 and noon Saturday.* I will be in a pewter Chevy with La. tag.* Last three numbers are 666............................................... .* Mark

[Ben M]

Last three numbers are 666............

Maybe that explains the asterisks.

[Spd 135]

Maybe that explains the asterisks.*

I don't know why they are there.* Maybe you're right

[Ken Hill]

The back to back arrows past the third restriction are for SIDEMOUNT ONLY. Doubles need to backtrack in order to get out. 32% may be to hot of a mix with O2 deco. /Ken