Jackson Blue Question

[JDostal]

I've got a question for someone that has some experience diving JB - just got back from a dive trip in the Marianna area and we hit up JB for a few dives. On one of our dives there, we turned the dive in a room that had of all things, a stoplight in it. Among a few others...

So what's the story?

[wingman]

That stop light marks the 4th t if you continued into the cave a bit further you would have been in the trash room, so named because of the debris scattered throughout the area, on the left side is a debris pile and there's a jump that goes up into the sink hole that is the source of the trash. Physically its on the other side of blue springs road and a bit past the turnoff into the park. The stop light was a piece of trash that was found in the trash room and placed at the 4th t...i think that it might have been rob s. who found it and placed it there but not 100% on who found it and put it there. Bill Huth

I'll never forget the first time I saw the stoplight, and with wingman no less. I had been diving JB for a number of years, but having no scooter, I never got past the third T. (I know you can swim to the stoplight now, but the flow is historically low.)

On my first scooter dive there, the plan was to scooter to the third T, and then swim to the stoplight. I had seen "The Stoplight" on maps for years and just assumed it was a limestone formation that looked like a stoplight. Imagine the expression on my face when we turned the corner and there was A STOPLIGHT!

[JDostal]

Yeah, it was pretty crazy. I was the second diver and I go down this pit and all of a sudden come face to face with a stoplight. Pretty wild I really love how the cave starts to look back in there. Makes me want to buy a scooter to see more.

[OutlawCaver]

I know for a fact the light has been in the same general area since 1988 when I first dived JB. At that time there were no Tees in the line up to that point. You had to make jumps to get there. The flow was so strong that making the trash room on a double stage swim dive was a big dive. Was a 90 minute dive on air using tables which yielded a 90 minute deco on tables. Had to come by boat at night. Made for a very long night.

[JDostal]

We did use a single stage to get back there. Kind of interesting trying to stage in sidemount for the first time.

It was a really nice dive - I couldn't imagine pulling it off if the spring was at its full potential.

Thanks for the info.

[dogwatch]

I know for a fact the light has been in the same general area since 1988 when I first dived JB. At that time there were no Tees in the line up to that point. You had to make jumps to get there. The flow was so strong that making the trash room on a double stage swim dive was a big dive. Was a 90 minute dive on air using tables which yielded a 90 minute deco on tables. Had to come by boat at night. Made for a very long night.

"Made for a very long night"

Indeed!

if the spring was at its full potential.

In May of 2005 I was there, and watched a pair of divers who each had double 104s and a stage 80. They ALMOST made it to the first T, p950'.

[OutlawCaver]

In the late 80s the flow was so strong that you had to pull and pull. If you let go of your handhold you simply got blown backwards until you could grope for something to hold onto. Kicking was worthless and exhausting. It was always fun to do a finger check at the end of the dive to see who had found the best handholds. Putting in jump reels was always a challenge. The flow was managable going toward the right at what is now the 1st Tee (use to be a 30ft gap). If you didn't make the jump out of the flow, the mainline continued through Courts Squeeze and then stopped at what is now the 2nd Tee. So you had to make a jump at one end or the other. The lower section (rabbit hole 3rd Tee) was a gap at both ends so we normally always took the upper route. Coming out the flow blew you like a flag. Running air drills was exciting as you typically wound up going out either backwards or sidewards because the flow would catch your fins and spin you around.

I often wonder why the flow has never reached that velocity again.

[dogwatch]

yeah - i recall the flow was so bad then that on some dives we were running teknas wide open, driving with the right hand and pulling on the bottom with the left hand just to make headway