Updates from Cave Country.

[tcjtn0]

Howdy from Cave Country.
The fires are FINALLY starting to settle down.  It was pretty NASTY there for a while.  Kudo's to all those who fight those fires.  My hats off to ALL OF THEM!
The drought down here is getting really severe.  The rivers are approaching record LOW LEVELS!

The flow in the caves is WAY DOWN now.  Even Manatee is divable (like , NO SCOOTER NEEDED).  Little River is hardly work either.  Just did the Harper Tunnel on Sunday.  BEAUTIFUL in there. (sigh)

Anyway , we need RAIN down here SO BADLY !!!
Send some our way.
But Hurrican season starts this week so ...   :o
First time I really HOPE we DO get a Tropical storm to dump some rain.

Other than the drought , the conditions are JUST AWESOME for caving!
Vis is spectacular and the flow is WAY DOWN!

And there was close to a record turnout for the NSS-CDS gathering this last weekend (Memorial Day).  The shop I hang out at hosted the social.
Good times had by all!

Take care all you Freshy-Lakers.

I'll see you down here in the Caves !!!

I'll still miss you guys Something Fierce!  I even get a craving for a good Wazee or (get this) a dive in Square Lake!   ;D
Really...I do. 
(OK , I am still the same old Jean I used to be.)   

Jean N.
AKA Jeano Beano
Fort White , Florida

P.S.  Getting ready to start sidemounting... UFFDA   

[Kirk]

I love the Harper Tunnel.  My favorite part of Little River Cave System. 

Hey Jean.  Sorry I missed you last time I was down there.  I went down there with Garry and Jay for a quick trip in late April.  We spent 3 days diving the Mill Pond (Jackson Blue, Hole in the Wall Cave, and Twin Cave), 2 days at Ginnie Springs Devil's System, 1 day at Little River Cave, and 1 day at Manatee Springs.

Yeah...., Manatee Springs is diveable without a scooter....  I don't know....., even with a scooter, that cave kicked my ass (note, I chose to exit via the Head Spring instead of Cat Fish Hotel...after having my belly pinned to the ceiling for the longest 8 minutes of my life....,  that cave tried to spit me out into global orbit....). 

Hope to see you next time I'm down there....  Though currently gainfully employed, so it might be a little while.  - Kirk 

[tcjtn0]

Kirk:
Just let me know when you are going to be down here next.
I did the Syphon exit at Manatee about 2 weeks ago.
Held at the 50 foot mark , watched the 1st person go thru , swallowed hard (my 1st time thru) , Put Air in the wing , and proceeded to play PING-PING with the rocks , the logs and the bottom!
Finally , grabbed onto a log and whipped around to the right of the hole.
Man , what a ride!
I can understand getting pinned to the ceiling.  When we did it , like I said before , the flow was DOWN , so even though I thought it was rough , it was probably NOTHING like what you went thru.

Take care and see ya SOON !!!

Jeano Beano
Fort White , Florida

[systematic.entropy]

Wow, is this Jean and Kirk? The Jean and Kirk, my buddies and I met at Rich Dreher's back in January? Four words: "Ducky Fuzz, Fuzzy Duck".

Good to see you guys are enjoying cave country.

John Schrader
Milwaukee, WI

[Kirk]

Three more words.  Bok... bok... BGOK!!!    - Kirk