how much do you rely on the gold/main line?

[CrawDaddy]

I agree 100% Mat, no doubt. question is if it's far up the line such as a snag....the gold line is a small, relatively thin line that could be compromised. Maybe I didn't do a good job of framing my question.

It may seem thin, but its not that thin. Gold line can handle a fair amount of abuse. If someone entangles deep in the cave, most likely they will pull the line off of its tie offs but it will still be continuous.

If someone does cut it, most likely it will be hanging free for a few hundred feet until the next tie off. If that.

Your cave training should have covered what to do in such a scenario. That's what safety reels are for. In places like Ginnie or Peacock, where you are in a fairly obvious tunnel such as Olsen, you should be able to tie off, follow the tunnel and tie in to the broken line once you encounter it in the tunnel.

[whodunit68]

thanks....also mentioned the possibility deep within a cave. that's why I clearly didn't frame it properly but entirely possible with someone cutting a line. bottom line is we all talk about redundancy all the time and there's only 1 main line. The tie-offs at Peacock and other caves help mitigate the potential risk, agreed. Anyhow, I see the recurring theme that most of you don't think it's much an issue so I'm good, thanks.
Thank you to most of you for your feedback.

[JamieZ]

I have similar scary thoughts,,,,it involves having my hoses cut in half by oversized crawfish in JB and another one where Howdy Doody jumps out from behind a rock and gets me all tangled up in his puppet strings.

[whodunit68]

It may seem thin, but its not that thin. Gold line can handle a fair amount of abuse. If someone entangles deep in the cave, most likely they will pull the line off of its tie offs but it will still be continuous.

If someone does cut it, most likely it will be hanging free for a few hundred feet until the next tie off. If that.

Your cave training should have covered what to do in such a scenario. That's what safety reels are for. In places like Ginnie or Peacock, where you are in a fairly obvious tunnel such as Olsen, you should be able to tie off, follow the tunnel and tie in to the broken line once you encounter it in the tunnel.

fair points and my training certainly covered that well and I'm comfortable with safety reels, not pushing limits, etc.
Thanks again.

[whodunit68]

welcome person with a grand total of 2 posts who has nothing to add.

[FW]

OK whodunit68, how about this, how would the drunk find his way out, if a trained cavediver couldn't? For that matter, how would the drunk find his way in, beyond the daylight zone, that any cavediver could easily see from the end of the cut line?

[FW]

thanks....also mentioned the possibility deep within a cave. that's why I clearly didn't frame it properly but entirely possible with someone cutting a line. bottom line is we all talk about redundancy all the time and there's only 1 main line. The tie-offs at Peacock and other caves help mitigate the potential risk, agreed. Anyhow, I see the recurring theme that most of you don't think it's much an issue so I'm good, thanks.
Thank you to most of you for your feedback.

According to a lot of people, the goldline IS the *backup* navigation. That isn't always so for all caveline. Goldline is only used in popular caves, generally with good visibility. If the line breaks in a silty low visibility cave, you are going to have to pull out a safety, and go looking for the broken end.

[FW]

welcome person with a grand total of 2 posts who has nothing to add.

Careful Steve, we didn't pick on you, when you only had 2 posts

Welcome to the forum JamieZ!

[Sludge]

Sludge - I worry about him all the time

Be afwaid. Be vewy, vewy afwaid.