P3.SpringTunnel

[ARY]

Unrolled the map that i won in lottery last Saturday and of cause now i want to go there. I have questions: what are usual conditions (restrictions, silt, line condition, gaps) in Spring Tunnel and is it possible to swim to the end of it with doubles or staging is necessary? Can someone tell about it? I visited P3 last year before hurricanes but we only traveled the mainline.

[mcmacken]

Unrolled the map that i won in lottery last Saturday and of cause now i want to go there. I have questions: what are usual conditions (restrictions, silt, line condition, gaps) in Spring Tunnel and is it possible to swim to the end of it with doubles or staging is necessary? Can someone tell about it? I visited P3 last year before hurricanes but we only traveled the mainline.

The vis is usually a little better than the rest of P3 as it is a water source. A very beautiful tunnel with lots of interesting bacteria. The first 100 feet is tight and silty with the line badly placed; take a good look at it as you go in. After that it opens up and stays fairly shallow. I wouldn't take a big team in. Lots of silt with the potential for zero vis. - John

[Moonfuzzy]

The walls could be white, or brown, depending on the last flooding. THe passage looks a lot like the Olsen line in areas, but smaller. There is usually more fine silt than heavily traveled passages and a few bacteria colonies in the corners also. Because it is pretty shallow you can get far with just doubles, last time I went I dropped my stage at the jump to the spring tunnel and swam off the end of the map. I don't see any reason to carry a stage into the spring tunnel itself.

If you go please treat it kindly ; )

[Gary]

It's usually a bit better then the rest of the P3 system for vis. When I swam past there 3 weeks ago the spring tunnel didn't look any better then the main line but it's probably cleared out by now.

It goes quite a distance. Past the end of the map about p2600' there is a sidemounty low "split and rejoin" and it comes to shallow room about p3000'. The line continues past there as well. Lots of ups and downs, cracks and domes but it stays pretty shallow overall.

[Neptuno]

It's usually a bit better then the rest of the P3 system for vis. When I swam past there 3 weeks ago the spring tunnel didn't look any better then the main line but it's probably cleared out by now.

didn't look better before of after you went in..

yes, that is a nice tunnel, the entrance and a few hundred feet after the entrance are quiet low and very silty, after that is quiet open.

like moonfuzzy said, be gentle..

[ARY]

Thank you ladies and gentlemen! Got my diving itch and drooling over that route now. May be on Feb 11 or 12...

[Gary]

didn't look better before or after you went in..

Nah - we we diving Henley's that day (two days after the accident). Just peeked under the entrance to see what vis looked like and was surprized to find it poor.

I dove Bonnet later that same week and vis there wasn't very impressive either. Still it's clear so infrequently you can't really complain.

The vis in Mexico was astounding even with no flow caves. Must be the nitrates and over mining of the aquafer here. I'm convinced now that the vis in FL 10-20 years ago was much better.

Anyone done Bonnet or Spring Tunnel in the last few weeks? Any improvement? (20'-40' vis at either when I went)