Madison Blue Questions

[tomhauburn]

After having a good day of diving at Madison I had some questions.

At the end of the cross under tunnel it attaches to a line going left and right. Is there an opening on either end of these lines that is easy to reach and how approx how far is it? We turned the dive after taking a right hand turn for a short distance and returned. I heard there is a sink across the street from the park?

After the Rocky Horror tunnel there is a tunnel on the right that has an end at least for us, of twin 9" high tunnels about 12-14 inches across. A little bigger than a tank but not by much, where the line goes on through it. Who put that line in there? Where does that tunnel end? Woody J?

On up from that tunnel on the right down the main line there is place where the line is t'd and a line goes down through a small opening in the bottom of a depression. There is a spider hanging on the line in this area. What the name of that tunnel and is it sidemount only. We went right for about 500 ft past that point and the tunnel looked like it continued. I noticed on the map at the park that it looked like it ended. There was a lot of pretty tunnel in that area.

I appricate any help you might give either here on PM.
Thanks
Tom Hundley

[Gary]

At the end of the cross under tunnel it attaches to a line going left and right. Is there an opening on either end of these lines that is easy to reach and how approx how far is it?

Which split? I know there is a split only about 200' in. If you go right and out to p960' you get to a strait down drop into another passage that generally runs 95-120' deep .

After you drop down the well to 100'+ The "left" (upstream) I understand goes all the way to the courtyards via an extremely long route.

The "right" (siphon) side goes at least another 500-800' but probably much farther. My dive log from 1996 says: "penetrated to 2000 ft (markers jump from 1900 to 4000 - side passage to left at ~1900 ft). Passage shows no signs of tappering off."

The distance markers have probaly changed since 96 and the last time I was there (2003) the flow was WAY down and it was cold with a lot of silt and tannic intrusion. If that lower tunnel clears watch out for the siphon it used to have very good flow.

[tomhauburn]

Thanks Gary. We noticed the vis was less on the deep section and we did notice the syphon. The line is tied off on that bottom secion now. That bottom tunnel was about 115 where we went and was pretty silty. I did not see any areas in it where pull and glide would work. Does it change on the right or stay the same as you go that way?
Tom

[Gary]

When I first went it was fairly free of silt, big tunnel with flow. When last I was there it had a lot more silt. One direction (downstream) seemed to continue for a while like that but had a lot of intrustion. The other direction got a bit lower in some spots but otherwise pretty much the same.

[ARY]

... We turned the dive after taking a right hand turn for a short distance and returned.

Hmmm, i thought we turned left from the T where crossunder line joins the Big trunk tunnel? We swam upstream about 100-150' and turned. VR3 says 116, Veo200 says 115ffw. Flow was strong. Crossunder also had a pretty good downstream suction not something like July spring but still pretty good.

...
After the Rocky Horror tunnel there is a tunnel on the right ...

I only have a map i'v got from NSS-CDS shop, according to that map the tunnel we took was ZUMGOOD but the max depth at ZUMGOOD is 90', my computer registered max depth of 80' so i don't know... It was single line marker on a main line and line to the side tunnel on the right was tied to the little outcroping on a floor where the loop is very easy to untie. Line looked old and lots of clay silt powder on it as we observed later. Overall tunnel is too low and too silty for normal people enjoyment.

Further way we went upstream on the map is called Rotorooter but i was unable to identify the place of T with the Bug, where some crazy line goes in a floor crack through the hole that most probably will require to remove one sm cylinder to squeeze. It would be insteresting to hear the story about making that line.

[Ward Beecher]

Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 10:22 pm Post subject: Madison Blue Questions

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After having a good day of diving at Madison I had some questions.

At the end of the cross under tunnel it attaches to a line going left and right. Is there an opening on either end of these lines that is easy to reach and how approx how far is it? We turned the dive after taking a right hand turn for a short distance and returned. I heard there is a sink across the street from the park?

The sink across the street connects with a tunnel that is gapped half way between the cavern and the crossunder. When it T's, the left tunnel goes to the courtyard. The right tunnel goes about 7K and is still going. The last I heard, Wayne Head had the EOL.

Ward Beecher

[tomhauburn]

... We turned the dive after taking a right hand turn for a short distance and returned.

Hmmm, i thought we turned left from the T where crossunder line joins the Big trunk tunnel? We swam upstream about 100-150' and turned. VR3 says 116, Veo200 says 115ffw. Flow was strong. Crossunder also had a pretty good downstream suction not something like July spring but still pretty good.

...


After the Rocky Horror tunnel there is a tunnel on the right ...

I only have a map i'v got from NSS-CDS shop, according to that map the tunnel we took was ZUMGOOD but the max depth at ZUMGOOD is 90', my computer registered max depth of 80' so i don't know... It was single line marker on a main line and line to the side tunnel on the right was tied to the little outcroping on a floor where the loop is very easy to untie. Line looked old and lots of clay silt powder on it as we observed later. Overall tunnel is too low and too silty for normal people enjoyment.

Further way we went upstream on the map is called Rotorooter but i was unable to identify the place of T with the Bug, where some crazy line goes in a floor crack through the hole that most probably will require to remove one sm cylinder to squeeze. It would be insteresting to hear the story about making that line.

Thats an understatement ... somebody but line through those holes( Where we stopped) in zero vis though.



This is not good...us remebering it different. Maybe your memory is worse than mine since you were diving 21% but then again I'm almost 50 and your not. On the Big tunnel cross over I had 118 ft and 68 degree water. If you remember there was a black arrow on the left side and I put a marker on the right side. I accutally dropped it and you retreved it before it floated up. Anyway its not good we did not agree. The Crossunder tunnel was really nice though in any case.

Interesting tunnels that are fun to explore and it looks like some get little traffic so they are not so beat up. Nice to see something more pristine.

[ARY]

If you remember there was a black arrow on the left side and I put a marker on the right side. I accutally dropped it and you retreved it before it floated up. Anyway its not good we did not agree...

Tom, it was large orange or yellow, the arrow in the Main Tunnel. In accordance with a map and Gary's description upstream is left and we did do it upstream (there is no way i would go downstream without extra gas).

The black arrow with Steve written on it was before the T where the Bug was hung.

Any way i love Madison, so many corners to poke in, and Main Tunnel is just awesome. Especially when you swim and think that it starts from nowhere and ends in who knows where...

[Gary]

Tom, it was large orange or yellow, the arrow in the Main Tunnel. In accordance with a map and Gary's description upstream is left and we did do it upstream

I'm not sure at all about "left" and "right" As far as I'm concerned a T off a nearly strait down drop through a hole "left" and "right" are dependent on what direction you ended up facing at the end of "down".

I do think the upstream had the low spots but comparing dives in no flow in 2002 and vs good flow out in 1996 I wouldn't swear that my left and right were consistant between the two dives - my directions could be backwards.

Still my guess is they are correct. The tanic on the downstream side I would figure backed in from the river which would make my (10 year old) memory of the downstream passageway consistant with what I expected.