My First Sump Dive - Snail Shell

[sskasser]

Enjoy...I sure did!

http://www.shediver.com/trip_reports...shell2008.html

[skip]

Thanks for the report Shirley! Excellent. I was there at last....

-skip

[Mike]

Great report Shirley.
Skip's the one who made the soup.
All I did was help set things up & drank beer.
Glad you finally made it into the cave.
Heard you guys were playing musical heater with 12 people.

Great job everyone!

Mike

[RN]

Excellent report! What was the water temp in the cave?

I don't know how often I can get up to TN, but I'd love to start doing some caving in lower AL/south GA and would definitely sherpa on any trips. I used to cave in Arizona, but I haven't found there to be as many dry caves where I'm at now.

[sskasser]

Excellent report! What was the water temp in the cave?

I don't know how often I can get up to TN, but I'd love to start doing some caving in lower AL/south GA and would definitely sherpa on any trips. I used to cave in Arizona, but I haven't found there to be as many dry caves where I'm at now.

Thanks, the TN caves are definitely worth the drive if you ever get up that way.

My DC recorded 61F on the first trip through the sump, and 55F on the trip back out of the sump. Some of the others with more experience in the cave can possibly explain the variance better, but I suspect surface water temps were dropping and brought down the sump water temp. I didn't get any readings on the water temp during the surface swim, but imagine they'd be inline with these readings.

Shirley

[tomhauburn]

Very nice and glad it went well. I loved your descriptions as it made me feel like I was there while reading it.
Tom

[Walter Pickel]

Excellent report! What was the water temp in the cave?

I don't know how often I can get up to TN, but I'd love to start doing some caving in lower AL/south GA and would definitely sherpa on any trips. I used to cave in Arizona, but I haven't found there to be as many dry caves where I'm at now.

In what part of Florida are you located? If you are in south west central, central, north (basically west of the Ocala Uplift) there are a LOT of caves.

A couple of Florida grottos:
http://www.caves.org/grotto/tbag/
http://www.centralfloridacavers.com/

[RN]

Thanks, the TN caves are definitely worth the drive if you ever get up that way.

My DC recorded 61F on the first trip through the sump, and 55F on the trip back out of the sump. Some of the others with more experience in the cave can possibly explain the variance better, but I suspect surface water temps were dropping and brought down the sump water temp. I didn't get any readings on the water temp during the surface swim, but imagine they'd be inline with these readings.

Shirley

Wow, that's quite a variance. There has to be something else causing it, though. Maybe some eddies coming through?

In what part of Florida are you located? If you are in south west central, central, north (basically west of the Ocala Uplift) there are a LOT of caves.

A couple of Florida grottos:
http://www.caves.org/grotto/tbag/
http://www.centralfloridacavers.com/

Marianna. I've checked the NSS site for local grottos and haven't found anything closer than a 2.5 hour drive for me, and that's in Alabama. The next closest is in Gainesville, which is almost 4 hours. I know there are caves up here. Jackson County has dozens of caves, wet and dry, but I can't seem to find anyone that has information on the dry ones. There are quite a few in Caverns State Park, but most of those are off limits. I've also found information on a cave in the Marianna area that is open to the public, but I haven't been able to find it.

[skip]

Thanks, the TN caves are definitely worth the drive if you ever get up that way.

My DC recorded 61F on the first trip through the sump, and 55F on the trip back out of the sump. Some of the others with more experience in the cave can possibly explain the variance better, but I suspect surface water temps were dropping and brought down the sump water temp. I didn't get any readings on the water temp during the surface swim, but imagine they'd be inline with these readings.

Shirley

I suspect the 61F had more to do with the hike to the sump, not the water temp. Maybe a wrist computer reading skin temp plus air temp? It takes time for the DC to read accurate temp of water, so maybe you had to be in the water for awhile (other side of sump) before temp read correctly? The 55F is more like it. I've never seen the temp vary more than a degree or two (54-56), and it would be a rare thing here in Tennessee (from what little I know and have seen). Our water temps don't vary much.

-skip

[rchrds]

Wow, that's quite a variance. There has to be something else causing it, though. Maybe some eddies coming through?



Marianna. I've checked the NSS site for local grottos and haven't found anything closer than a 2.5 hour drive for me, and that's in Alabama. The next closest is in Gainesville, which is almost 4 hours. I know there are caves up here. Jackson County has dozens of caves, wet and dry, but I can't seem to find anyone that has information on the dry ones. There are quite a few in Caverns State Park, but most of those are off limits. I've also found information on a cave in the Marianna area that is open to the public, but I haven't been able to find it.

There is one- PM me, I cant seem to PM you. There are quite a few very active dry cavers in the marianna/panhandle area. You will need to learn to survey and hide cave

Jason