Falmouth

[jpdiver]

Does anyone know what the average conditions are like at Falmouth upstream? Sheck Exley's book describes excellent conditions 20 years ago but I hear they have degraded. I am looking to try a new system.

[Rich]

Does anyone know what the average conditions are like at Falmouth upstream? Sheck Exley's book describes excellent conditions 20 years ago but I hear they have degraded. I am looking to try a new system.

Here's some site info......

http://www.nsscds.org/Divesites.htm#Cathedral%20Sink

http://www.nsscds.org/cathedral.htm

Safe diving,

Rich

[Kelly Jessop]

Does anyone know what the average conditions are like at Falmouth upstream? Sheck Exley's book describes excellent conditions 20 years ago but I hear they have degraded. I am looking to try a new system.

The system will be 20 +/- for viz. I've had one of the original explorers tell me that viz can improve with a high pressure front. I don't know if that is true,but i've gone in there and had 40ft of viz,and returned the next day and had 10ft. Be prepared to carry several gap reels with you. There are quite a few sections of line burried in the bottom,that don't reemerge until they are greater than an arm length away,so it is necessary to treat them like a gap.

[Kenny P.]

Does anyone know what the average conditions are like at Falmouth upstream? Sheck Exley's book describes excellent conditions 20 years ago but I hear they have degraded. I am looking to try a new system.

jp,
You might contact Todd Leonard or some of his group. They will perhaps set a new world penetration record there someday. The work Sheck did there for so many years, has been added to by Todd and his team. The conditions change quickly I've heard, as others have stated.
Good / Safe Diving,
Kenny P.

[traveler]

Falmouth is probably the best entrance for folks who are interested in checking out the system for the first time. The boardwalk and steps make for easier access than Cathedral, it's a little shallower, and as you head upstream it's kindof cool to check out Aquarius from below.

Max depth between Falmouth and Cathedral is in the 130-135 ballpark. I would strongly encourage the use of helium to mitigate narcosis. We use 18/45 for the whole thing. TAKE THIS SYSTEM SERIOUSLY. I can't tell you how many otherwise competent divers go in and feel uneasy the whole time because of the bad viz, stained walls, and the insidious narcotic range in which the system falls. Way too many people think they're immune to that due to experience or general studliness, and as you might infer I think that's pretty ridiculous given how easy it is to address with helium.

If you make it as far as Jewel, PLEASE pay close attention to the lines, which were a little squirrelly last I saw them. Mark your exit. (A buddy and I plan to address this shortly.)

I agree with Kelly's assessment about the viz trends and line conditions. Every time the system floods the lines need attention, and I'm sure that's the case now. I last stopped by Falmouth on 1/9, but did not get in. The water still looked pretty tannic, perhaps a few feet of viz, but it was flowing in the right direction at a decent rate. It may be swimmable now, but most divers probably won't enjoy it until the viz improves a bit.

Our long dives were from Cathedral, which is the farthest upstream entrance (known) in the system. End of the line is a little beyond 17K now, and the cave appears to still be going strong. We're eager to go back and see what happens. Once we can scooter again, we have a laundry list of things to do before the next push. It takes quite a bit of prep work to set up. There are safeties out to around 12K, but we know some are bad at this point. The hurricanes and resultant rise in the Suwannee really nailed us, unfortunately, but that's just the nature of the beast.

- Todd Leonard

[Kelly Jessop]

Falmouth is probably the best entrance for folks who are interested in checking out the system for the first time. The boardwalk and steps make for easier access than Cathedral, it's a little shallower, and as you head upstream it's kindof cool to check out Aquarius from below.

Max depth between Falmouth and Cathedral is in the 130-135 ballpark. I would strongly encourage the use of helium to mitigate narcosis. We use 18/45 for the whole thing. TAKE THIS SYSTEM SERIOUSLY. I can't tell you how many otherwise competent divers go in and feel uneasy the whole time because of the bad viz, stained walls, and the insidious narcotic range in which the system falls. Way too many people think they're immune to that due to experience or general studliness, and as you might infer I think that's pretty ridiculous given how easy it is to address with helium.

If you make it as far as Jewel, PLEASE pay close attention to the lines, which were a little squirrelly last I saw them. Mark your exit. (A buddy and I plan to address this shortly.)

I agree with Kelly's assessment about the viz trends and line conditions. Every time the system floods the lines need attention, and I'm sure that's the case now. I last stopped by Falmouth on 1/9, but did not get in. The water still looked pretty tannic, perhaps a few feet of viz, but it was flowing in the right direction at a decent rate. It may be swimmable now, but most divers probably won't enjoy it until the viz improves a bit.

Our long dives were from Cathedral, which is the farthest upstream entrance (known) in the system. End of the line is a little beyond 17K now, and the cave appears to still be going strong. We're eager to go back and see what happens. Once we can scooter again, we have a laundry list of things to do before the next push. It takes quite a bit of prep work to set up. There are safeties out to around 12K, but we know some are bad at this point. The hurricanes and resultant rise in the Suwannee really nailed us, unfortunately, but that's just the nature of the beast.

- Todd Leonard

Good advice Todd,and I've enjoyed hearing about your exploration in that system. One thing more I'd add is that downstream Falmouth is more of the same,just worse.

[Kenny P.]

Falmouth is probably the best entrance for folks who are interested in checking out the system for the first time. The boardwalk and steps make for easier access than Cathedral, it's a little shallower, and as you head upstream it's kindof cool to check out Aquarius from below.

Max depth between Falmouth and Cathedral is in the 130-135 ballpark. I would strongly encourage the use of helium to mitigate narcosis. We use 18/45 for the whole thing. TAKE THIS SYSTEM SERIOUSLY. I can't tell you how many otherwise competent divers go in and feel uneasy the whole time because of the bad viz, stained walls, and the insidious narcotic range in which the system falls. Way too many people think they're immune to that due to experience or general studliness, and as you might infer I think that's pretty ridiculous given how easy it is to address with helium.

If you make it as far as Jewel, PLEASE pay close attention to the lines, which were a little squirrelly last I saw them. Mark your exit. (A buddy and I plan to address this shortly.)

I agree with Kelly's assessment about the viz trends and line conditions. Every time the system floods the lines need attention, and I'm sure that's the case now. I last stopped by Falmouth on 1/9, but did not get in. The water still looked pretty tannic, perhaps a few feet of viz, but it was flowing in the right direction at a decent rate. It may be swimmable now, but most divers probably won't enjoy it until the viz improves a bit.

Our long dives were from Cathedral, which is the farthest upstream entrance (known) in the system. End of the line is a little beyond 17K now, and the cave appears to still be going strong. We're eager to go back and see what happens. Once we can scooter again, we have a laundry list of things to do before the next push. It takes quite a bit of prep work to set up. There are safeties out to around 12K, but we know some are bad at this point. The hurricanes and resultant rise in the Suwannee really nailed us, unfortunately, but that's just the nature of the beast.

- Todd Leonard

Todd,
Thankyou for the post. I second Kelly's thanks for your reports on your dives and the information about the system. Your dedication and hard work are paying off big time. Godspeed on your and the teams future exploration. Looking forward to your reports.
Kenny P.