Status at Ginnie

[tflaris]

I keep hearing rumors that Ginnie will enact some sort of restriction on Cave Diving (ie no exploration) or not allow any cave diving period. Any one close to Rose know any concrete info?

[Diverlee]

I dove there yesterday. I don't do exploration. Lines were the same. There are several threads on this also.

[chimie007]

Check http://www.cavediver.net/forum/showthread.php?t=9011

http://nsscds.com/Current.html

[ScubaAl]

I also dove there yesterday and on Sunday also. No problem, one thing I did find odd. Kind of like skiers that collect passes from the different ski hills. I like to hold on to my car pass. No way no how. The person at the gate on my way out took it said I could not keep it and tore it up.
Thinking back if I was a little quicker on the draw, I would say I was just going to get some lunch and then return. Then drive down the road and sell it at a discount to the next person driving in. As I'm sure this is happening at a very regular basis.
Al

[inkdiver]

I also dove there yesterday and on Sunday also. No problem, one thing I did find odd. Kind of like skiers that collect passes from the different ski hills. I like to hold on to my car pass. No way no how. The person at the gate on my way out took it said I could not keep it and tore it up.
Thinking back if I was a little quicker on the draw, I would say I was just going to get some lunch and then return. Then drive down the road and sell it at a discount to the next person driving in. As I'm sure this is happening at a very regular basis.
Al

They've been collecting passes for months now.

[bigairt]

Obviously, if managment at Ginnie could choose, they would choose to not have people die in the cave. However, based on reading incident reports I would have to think their main issue is the "scene" from the recovery effort being based on their property. So, even if they closed access to cave divers and people started diving it from the river, wouldn't the recovery still take place from Ginnie property? Or, would Ginnie management prevent (if possible) the scene that ensues from recovering a body from taking place on their property.

[guru caver]

I hear the same gossip about new rules, but I don't think anything has changed as of yet. To know the exact date or rules, I would advise just calling Ginnie and ask to speak to Rose. (386)454-7188

[caver]

Obviously, if managment at Ginnie could choose, they would choose to not have people die in the cave. However, based on reading incident reports I would have to think their main issue is the "scene" from the recovery effort being based on their property. So, even if they closed access to cave divers and people started diving it from the river, wouldn't the recovery still take place from Ginnie property? Or, would Ginnie management prevent (if possible) the scene that ensues from recovering a body from taking place on their property.

I cannot imagine the management trying to keep Sheriff Deputies or cave rescuers from gaining access too the cave from the closest shore property. I doubt they legally could. If I worked there, I would not want to be the one to tell any rescuer they would have to access the cave via a boat. I doubt anyone else with a lick of common sense would do that either.

[rchrds]

Yea, but imagine how few accidents there would be, if you could only access it by boat. (And not really an easy boat access either-) There would be so few cave divers there that it would hardly be a concern. By the time someone figured out there was a fatality, there would be plenty of time to get things organized.

[TraceMalin]

Obviously, if managment at Ginnie could choose, they would choose to not have people die in the cave. However, based on reading incident reports I would have to think their main issue is the "scene" from the recovery effort being based on their property. So, even if they closed access to cave divers and people started diving it from the river, wouldn't the recovery still take place from Ginnie property? Or, would Ginnie management prevent (if possible) the scene that ensues from recovering a body from taking place on their property.

Recoveries are a matter for law enforcement. The IUCRR and others who would be tasked with a body recovery in a cave are assisting law enforcement in doing so. While the police may defer logistics and operations to public safety divers and dive teams, legal authorities are the ones who ultimately are in charge. During my IUCRR training, we were schooled at length about working with the police, how to properly involve them in situations in which they may not be aware that their own divers may lack the training to conduct a recovery in overhead environments, how to attain their help and support for making the dive as safe as possible for the recovery divers or teams, and how to avoid or minimize attention from the family, the public, the media, and lawyers. Between the authority of the police and the fact that most of the divers who would perform a recovery in Ginnie Springs are personally known to the management of Ginnie Springs Outdoors, if Ginnie were closed to diving from the property, a recovery from the property would probably be seen as being in the best interest of all. The faster that it could be completed, the less time boats would spend on site making a scene from the river which would be just as bad as from land if not worse. The safer a diver could perform a recovery and the more professional that recovery could be for the sake of the family the better management would feel on a personal level. I'm sure access wouldn't be denied and if it was I'm sure there are several legal recourses to attain access.