Cow Springs 5/2/08

[Line Squirrel]

Upstream: Visibility, I would call it 40-50, there is a lot of particulate still in the water. Flow is significant, I used the ski rope on my way out to slow me down in several spots The cave, as most of you know, is dark anyway. Currently there is a dark fuzz on all the walls from the flood making it even darker.

The gold line in the upstream section of Cow Springs is dirty but perfectly intact as is the ski rope up to Not My Fault. My team turned it there so I can't report upstream of that.

Downstream: I didn't have time to get in and look at either one of the downstream lines. I'm sure some of you instructors that use downstream would like a report so I'm sorry I couldn't get that for you today. Hopefully I can do that Sunday and report back.

Mike McAuliffe
NSS/CDS Cow Springs Safety Officer

[ajimmythekid]

Thanks Mike

[curtschu]

Mike can you comment on what must be everyone's question about Cow? Did the Flood effect the vandalizm in any way?

Curt

[Line Squirrel]

Great question, I wish I had great news. I didn't swim up to it but from the mainline it looked to me like the "sharp" edges on each letter have been rounded off or smoothed but only slightly.

Bottom line is it's still there along with the Z looking shape. That never looked all that deep to me so I was hoping at least that would disappear, it did not. The vis wasn't as good there as it was in other parts of the system so it really was hard to tell from the ski rope.


Something else, particularly to those that have not been in Cow or may only have few a dives in Cow. The "fuzz" I described on the walls is actually all over everything, including the floor. Be very careful if you intend to pull & glide, what looks like a hard pan floor may be soft clay covered with this fuzzy river crud that got sucked in during the flood.

[Serota]

Sounds like swim and use the ski rope are the responsible ways to move upstream in Cow. I may check it out tomorrow and that is how I will proceed.

[chimie007]

Great question, I wish I had great news. I didn't swim up to it but from the mainline it looked to me like the "sharp" edges on each letter have been rounded off or smoothed but only slightly.

Same on this. Dove it last night. Looked as bad as it was before. Cow is quite a different dive right now. A big change from pre-flood. Flow is way up. Milky. Silt isn't that bad at all but still there is quite a bit more of it than before. Almost looks like a different cave to me.