Ginnie Springs Conditions

[Rick Palm]

The Santa Fe is rising, and a torrent. There's only one or two steps above water at the Eye. GSO has blocked access to the Ear, and that's a good thing. The Eye is fine, but seemed like the Long Island Expressway at rush hour yesterday. In the cave, flow is way down to the point where I could swim leisurely through the Lips. I swam the Catacombs, which were as clear as always. The Gallery is a bit smoky, and so is Hill 400. I tied a jump reel in to tour the Lips Bypass and Keyhole Bypass, but chickened out as both passages seemed awfully low and narrow (I've never been in either, and I was by myself). It was spooky at the sign, seeing zero light from the Ear. At the end of the day, the water had risen considerably from the morning. The Turkey's Roost is probably flooded by now. Still had a fun day, especially listening to two Long Island divers rave about how clear the water is: their viz up North is about 10 feet. Too bad they couldn't experience LR in the old cobalt blue days.

(It was so busy in the Eye, that an instructor (who shall remain nameless), grabbed me as I swam by, pointed to the tie-off limb, imploring me to run the reel. When I looked quizically at him, he spun me around to look for my reel, which I did not have. Finally, he realized that I was not his student, gave himself the pistol to the head sign, and let me go on my way. I laughed through my regulator the entire trip up the Gallery. For $1,000, I'll name the instructor . . .)