Solo Diving in FL State Parks

[Benderr]

I would be happy if they just opened up solo at p1. You could just swim the grand traverse if you wanted to go to OG. The reason they never even consider changing the solo issue is because it's only individuals asking one at a time. If a large chunk of the cave diving community asked, maybe they will actually seriously consider it. The answer very well may still be no, but then at least we tried. I still don't see how a few politely worded letters/emails with an attached signature sheet is "poking the bear." 100 different cave divers asking the same ranger the same question might be. I'm suggesting we organize as a community and write to the higher ups in the state government and parks department. The only way for them to take us seriously is if the agencies back the idea that solo cave diving is safe.

We did that for requesting access to Wakulla. It included a public meeting held in Crawfordville, and letter writing by the nonlocals. It wasn't successful, and a reason was risk management for a place this deep. Solo diving as Forrest alluded to is not recognized as an activity that the OW agencies condone, in fact buddy diving is heavily promoted. If solo diving is not allowed in OW basins like Troy, OG, etc, what likelihood will it be allowed with cave diving. The state in my opinion does a great job of managing recreation and they do things that make sense. For example,as I mentioned,why not allow all the people wanting to fish to come over to Peacock 1,with those nice steps and catch those Sunfish? But the state knows that there are divers there and they don't allow fishing. Anybody remember the jumping platform at Madison? The removal of that angered locals, and even decreased some attendance. But how many of us want a person jumping from the platform and landing on us. I am sure there are people who would like to jetski between P1 and P3. If people want to expend their energy on this,good luck,but there are so many ways that we can expend our time with some real positive gains

I don't always agree with Kelly on access issues, but ignoring his opinion on such matters is a good way waste your time, money, and energy banging your head against the hardest part of a wall.

The cave diving community currently enjoys a decent relationship with DEP. That relationship exists because both sides (mostly) work together to achieve reasonable goals. Should we (as a community) invest our efforts and good will trying to change the solo diving policy at one park? How many cave divers will this help? What small percentage of overall users want to dive Peacock solo?

I'd much rather have another system opened.

[inverted_bear]

I'm a college student with some time on my hands. I wouldn't mind writing letters making the case for both. Which sites would be "reasonable" to ask for that would benefit the whole community? I'm still in the reasonably shallow tourist cave only phase of diving.

[Sh0use]

Newly trained cave divers and solo diving.... interesting combination.

[floridabob]

Ride down to nest and try your hand solo down there, that site hardly ever gets any bad press...gack yourself there so we can fight to keep a decent cave open. At least the energy will be well invested.

Maybe your letter writing energy would be better spent finding cave diving buddies to help you decide where best to invest your energy.

Thinking out loud here...
Bob

[Sh0use]

I was patiently waiting for Floridabob to add to this discussion. It was worth the wait.

[Brent]

Newly trained cave divers and solo diving.... interesting combination.

75 posts so far but this "one sentence" from SHOuse sums it all up!

I'm no longer a member of the BOD or the CDS Training Committee so I can't speak on their behalf but I will go out on a limb and say to you ( inverted-bear ) that you have a snowballs chance in hell of getting any of the cave agencies to ask our Florida Park system to allow solo diving. At one point, solo diving was even considered as an addition to the current five rules of accident analysis so, to say once again, NO agency is going to jump on this request. You, as an individual, along with all your buds can write all the letters you want but don't look for ANY support from the organizations who try to do all they can to make diving safer.
Mods, you might as well close this thread out because there's no place else for it to go!!

[floridabob]

I used "energy" three times in a short post.

I'm out of practice and I apologize.

Bob

[Kelly Jessop]

I used "energy" three times in a short post.

I'm out of practice and I apologize.

Bob

I am envisioning an Eveready Bunny with a stacked lithium DPV pack. Yeah, you are on the money,apologies not needed.

[patpicos]

considering that most of my cave dives are solo, I wouldnt mind being able to dive peacock solo and check out areas that most people dont visit. If Little river can allow solo, why cant peacock do the same (i know there are differences between state vs county..) JB allows solo/dpv (county), Little River allows solo/dpv (county), Manatee allows DPV (state/limitations)

Will i get hell bent on not being able..no.

Perhaps a compromise to allow solo on certain occasions or even DPV (like a few days a month, quota system). I would even accept providing a dive plan to the park to trade for such allowances. Opening solo & dpv would likely open flood gates for people who have been waiting for it..hence managing some restrictions. However, the state is unlikely willing to manage such an overhead.

anyway...my 2c

[Kelly Jessop]

JB allows solo/dpv (county), Little River allows solo/dpv (county),

FWIW is not a matter of these sites allowing the activity,more than they aren't acutely aware of the activities that transpire there. Little River is a sleeping giant,because there have been a couple occasions that place has been threatened to be closed down by the county. A couple solo diving accidents would make them wake up, and possibly regulate the activity. Because the place isn't Ginnie with hired staff to check ccards, and they more likely wouldn't hire a staff member to check in cave divers, I will let you use your imagination to determine how they would resolve the problem.

I remember when DPVs were allowed at Peacock, and banning them may have been one of the best things for the cave. Some people lack a valuable skill called common sense, and wouldn't limit scootering to main conduits that were big. We had people scootering wide open on the OG line, Nicholson tunnel, and Waterhole line-which blew out the tunnels, and caused scooter shroud marks on the floor. Heck we have trouble with keeping swim divers in large passage between P1 and Olsen from not contacting the floor with their hands, how is the cave going to handle low and flat areas with a DPV. I know we could have a rule to only scooter certain area,but how is that working for the other side of the Heinkel.