Forum for private cave discussion

[phillip1]

That's why we have vehicle accidents, hunting accidents, boating accidents, skiing accidents, etc. etc that far surpass anything in cave diving.

I know I have asked this before and it is totally off subject but how many (very roughly) cave divers are there in FL.
I don't have a concept at all, is it thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds.
How many cave dives are done each year? I am asking this to kind of get a sense of how many accidents per participants there are more or less and get an idea of how cave diving compares to other sports.
If this needs to be moved to another forum I understand.

[FW]

....Last, we have been predicting escalating accidents, destruction of caves, and the demise of the sport as we know it since the mid 90's when cave diving began being discussed on the internet. None of it has happened yet....

I am not so sure that it hasn't happened. The Lips, Henkel, Half-hitch, and Peanut "restrictions" are hardly restrictions anymore. There used to be big red-brown limestone flakes in the Cornflakes area. The walls (all of them) in Devil's Eye used to be black, but now, they are mostly white for the first couple thousand feet, and along the major scooter routes.

[FW]

I know I have asked this before and it is totally off subject but how many (very roughly) cave divers are there in FL.
I don't have a concept at all, is it thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds.
How many cave dives are done each year? I am asking this to kind of get a sense of how many accidents per participants there are more or less and get an idea of how cave diving compares to other sports.
If this needs to be moved to another forum I understand.

That is a difficult question to answer. There are probably about 1,000 more-or-less *active* cave divers. Some dive a few times a week, others a few times a year. The parking lots at Ginnie, and Peacock stay pretty full most weekends, but not so much during the week. It would be good information, though.

[Kelly Jessop]

I am not so sure that it hasn't happened. The Lips, Henkel, Half-hitch, and Peanut "restrictions" are hardly restrictions anymore. There used to be big red-brown limestone flakes in the Cornflakes area. The walls (all of them) in Devil's Eye used to be black, but now, they are mostly white for the first couple thousand feet, and along the major scooter routes.

Lips entering into the Peanut tunnel was not discernable,that is the reason for the mistake,Peanut restriction was a real restriction.

[Kelly Jessop]

. Second, I agree with the previous statement that landowners will view it as a negative and begin to wonder what we are really up to.

.

Mike,you and I have both done things to promote landowner relations,and still have concern for this. If you look at The Deco Stop and some other technical dive forums,you must be a registered user to view the forum,and special request for subforums,but I don't think anybody sees this as hiding anything,but just a standard part of the operation. The CDF allows an unregistered user to view the forums,so I am no longer sharing with people who know the rudiments of diving,let alone cave diving. I am just proposing a forum,where we know that the viewers and participants are only cavern/cave divers,nothing that isn't done in other places.

[Diverlee]

I am just curious. Are there really that many land owners, with caves on their property, that spend all their free time reading our forums? Or even understand cave diving? Just curious, don't want to get in any debate.

[Jim Wyatt]

Are there really that many land owners, with caves on their property, that spend all their free time reading our forums?

Not all their free time, no. But I know for a fact that they look and also have people reporting to them regarding the contents of these forums.

My phone has rung more than once from "Landowners" asking me about stuff they read here or on other forums. I attend meetings where "Landowners" are present and ask about what is going on in regards to various postings on this & other forums.

You may be surprised at who all actually reads this stuff & it does not require all of their free time.

[phillip1]

Just another reason to make some topics private, a forum post could cause a big problem if misinterpreted.

[aainslie]

Kelly,

Why not simply do what TDS does, and require people to register before reading?

[FW]

Kelly,

Why not simply do what TDS does, and require people to register before reading?

Some of the forums are already like that. The Accident Analysis forum is registered only, as are the Gear Exchange and Fill Station. All the special forums at the bottom require special admission. The problem is, people are dragging the discussions out to the main forum.