Yes, I got written up at Peacock.

(This is as much an admonishment to others as a mea culpa.)

seems to be taking great delight in telling folks about my mistake (two different divers came up to me and said she had told them), so I think it's fitting that I let others know that the staff at Peacock takes their rules seriously.

I had nobody to dive with me on Thursday, so I approached two guys and asked if I could accompany them on their second dive. They said sure, and that they would be getting back in the water as soon as they finished eating lunch. As I was considering a minor modification to my sidemount hose routing, I said I would go into the cavern and wait on them.

Ten minutes became twenty minutes, and then thirty, and they hadn't entered the water, so I got out, only to be greeted by a terrible rainstorm. I went to their truck to find that they were waiting out the rain, and then to my truck, to find I was being written up for solo diving.

Ranger Rick was absolutely doing his job. While I had not considered fooling around in the cavern waiting for a dive buddy to be "solo diving," the State Park system does. And I am very fortunate that the Head Ranger told him that this is to be my "last warning," and I was not banned from the park.

The State Park system considers it solo diving whenever a diver isn't accompanied by a buddy AT ANY TIME. If you get out of the water early while your buddy completes his deco, he's solo diving.

Again, I consider myself very fortunate that I was given a warning, and not banned. Peacock Springs has the best rangers in the state.

Russell

[Cindy]

Now that is funny! Glad you didn't get banned. Cindy

[Herbie]

Sludge you have made it " cave divers most wanted ". Join my friend Gabry who also made PSSP's sh!t list for an hour solo dive. In fact him and I almost made it a double by surfacing 30 minutes after posted park hours on another occasion. Only the graciousness of the volunteer gent saved us from fines, sheriffs etc... That and the fact Doctor Death had him in a gullotine choke on the lower steps at P1, at least thats my version. Kidding aside the PSSP Rangers do the job by the book which is greatly appreciated by most cavedivers. I doubt takes any pleasure spreading your misfortune but in that neck of the woods thats big news. WANTED: Dead or Alive - aka "SLUDGE" foul violator of sacred anti solo law.

[JE]

notta

[pdoege]

We really need to get those silly state solo rules overturned.

Peter

[Rich]

We really need to get those silly state solo rules overturned.

Peter

I second that motion

Safe diving,

Rich

[Signal 20]

We really need to get those silly state solo rules overturned.

Peter

I second that motion

Safe diving,

Rich

I'll 3rd it

I cannot even count the number of solo dives that I've made over the years in Peacock/OG/Olsen & Bonnet.........

Jack, I think it would be appropriate for you to point out that these solo dives took place in the 1970s, before the area was a State Park.

Russell

[MikeH]

We really need to get those silly state solo rules overturned.

I wish we could....they really don't serve a good purpose, IMO....but, those are the rules, and we have to abide by them. I prefer to make many of my dives solo....not just the small cave/low vis dives.

Having the state take over property with caves on it is a double edge sword. On the good side, it generally allows us access to the caves(in about half of the cases), but on the bad side, we have to follow some pretty inane rules.

Mike

[Gary]

We really need to get those silly state solo rules overturned.

I second that motion

I third it!