National Speleological Society-Cave Diving Section

Project Reports

August 13, 2005

Suwannee River State Park Project Update:  2005

Karst Terrain Explorations

In February of 2004, Karst Terrain Explorations applied for and received a permit to explore the karst features ofSan Felasco Hammock State Preserve and Suwannee River State Park.  This first year is now complete and has been an outstanding success. The goals of the project have been to collect as much information as possible concerning the underwater caves and karst features of each park through re-survey, historical data, and new exploration and provide this information to the DEP.

Karst features were identified, surveyed, and photographed.  A year end report was compiled for the DEP containing survey data, completed maps, photographs, Power Point presentations, and GPS location data for all karst features. Excellent working relations were maintained with park managers and state biologist. The permit has been renewed for another year and work has continued unabated.

Suwannee River State Park

Cathedral / Falmouth Cave System:

A re-survey of the Cathedral / Falmouth System has been accomplished from Lime Sink to Giradot sink.  Other entrances have been explored and this data has also been collected.  The focus of the resurvey was to verify for the DEP the existence of a connection between Lime Sink Run and several sinks on the park and just outside of park boundaries.  The re-survey began in Lime Sink and continued through Tower sink, Giant Hole, Deer Sink Cyclone sink, Big Bamboo and Giradot.   Lime Sink is located at the head of Lime Sink run and completely within park boundaries.  Tower, Giant, Deer Sink Big Bamboo and Giradot are located on private property.  Cyclone Sink is abutted to the northeast edge of park property.   Current resurvey total is 4080 ft

In addition to providing the DEP with data on the resurvey, we were also able to obtain permission from the surrounding private land owners to enter sinks located within this system to facilitate the connections.  GPS data was obtained for sinks up to Fowlers Horror Hole.  Additional GPS data was obtained for Jade Sink, Falmouth and Cathedral. This allowed the accurate overlay of the cave system on Delorme 3D topo Quads to gain a better understanding of the current trend in cave passage for this system.  Through observation of water levels and flow conditions, it was concluded that the majority of water passing through the Cathedral Falmouth System was not being discharged through Lime Sink. The current historic version of the map shows the resurgence of this system at Lime Sink ( aka Ellaville on original map).  During drought conditions in June, no flowwas observed from Cyclone sink down to Lime Sink.  Also during this time frame, Cyclone Sink acquired a 3 foot thick hydrogen sulfide layer beginning at approximately 70 ft.  The Lime Sink run had dried up completely in places owing up to its historical name of Dry Run.  However, Falmouth Sink continued to generate flow and the visibility improved to 40 ft.

At this time we began to postulate on the disposition of  the flow and possible resurgence sites along the Suwannee, orthe Withlachoochee  We had suspected that perhaps the main outlet for this system was at Edwards Spring resurgence, just south of the SRSP boundary.  Several dives were made at Edwards and some resurvey was accomplished with help from John Moseley.  As per conversations with another Jason Richards we learned of a restriction at the furthest penetration distance in Edwards. This restriction had been passed but with difficulty and no survey was gained beyond this point.  We shifted our focus to possible upstream sinks that could be connected via unexplored passage.  We obtained permission from the landowner of Fowlers Horror Hole and did some initial dives to verify a lead in an area where we believe an unexplored passage would lead toward Edwards.  Unfortunately, we quickly realized how appropriate was the name given to this sink.  Many logs jammed the entrance and a body-sized tube had to be negotiated down to a depth of 160 ft to enter the system from this point.  The difficulty and danger of access to the system through this sink forced the plans to shift once again to the possibility of a push fromGiradot sink, located 2500 ft. downstream from Fowlers. The logistics of these dives will require more help form other dive teams.  We are currently discussing the possibilities with Todd Leonard and his team as they are pushing the upstream Cathedralpassages. With additional support, we believe exploration dives downstream may reveal additional passage and a possible connection to the Edwards / Suwanachoochee System. We hope to compile data at a later date and produce an updated map to include this additional footage.

Sheck Exley’s survey notes from the original exploration of the Cathedral / Falmouth System were requested and obtained from the CDS.  These notes verified some of the hypotheses we had as well as adding additional information that was helpful on other systems in the area as well.

5-Hole Cave System

:DEP biologist Dan Pearson requested information on this systemlocated within the boundaries of SRSP.   At that time biologist Tom Morris, gave us historical information on the early exploration of this system.  No survey was published or provided to the DEP. Tom Morris, John Moseley, Ron Simmons, and Guy Bryant had all explored in this system at different times.  The system resurgence at the Suwannee River is a large cavern opening which at times of low water, can be traversed in low air space through a total of 5 sinks all within the first 250 ft. of passage.  The terminus of the 5 th sink is the beginning  of the exploration line.  Work began on this system in April of 2004 with the first dives surveying the existing line upstream to the 8 th sink, aka “Skull Sink”.  This is the last known sink in the upstream section and the remaining survey dives were staged from this sink.  Over the next several months we pushed upstream to a maximum penetration of 2835 ft. In addition, we connected three more sinks on loop tunnels below Skull Sink. Total surveyed passage to date including side leads = 3856 ft. Maximum depth = 133 ft.

Little Gem Spring

This small spring resurgence and associated sinks,  lie completely within the boundaries of SRSP.  The DEP had no data from this system and no map.  We began a re-survey of this system up to 800 ft of passage and a max depth of 140 ft.  From the entrance, the passage quickly becomes side-mount only, and several restrictions have to be negotiated as the fissure trends down to the bedding plane at 140 ft.  Upon publication of a project update in the CDS members manual, we were contacted by the one of the original explorers of this system.  Guy Bryant had explored and mapped Little Gem and Line eater in the early 80’s.  The historic name for Little Gem was Little Suwannee River Springs and was mapped by Guy Bryant and Lamar English.  We are not sure of the origin of the current name but it may have been renamed by previous park management. Mr. Bryant has been quite helpful with the history of the first explorations of Little Gem and LineEater.  Subsequently he has provided us with copies of the original large versions of Little Gem and the LineEater Cave Systems. In addition, he also provided us with some historic information in the form of correspondence with Sheck Exley and sketch notes from Paul Deloach and Court Smith. Our future plans for Little Gem include pushing the back pit area for a possible connection to Lime Sink Run or Edwards. Currently, we have provided the DEP with the historic map of Little Gem and have no plans to resurvey that portion of the system. Guy Bryant is now an active team member on the SRSP project efforts.

Turtle Shell Spring

The location of this small spring, located within park boundaries on the Withlachoochee river, was provided to us by one of the SRSP rangers.  Exploration line was encountered on the first dive.  Tom Morris informed us he had done the original exploration but had not surveyed this system.  We did a total of 5 survey dives at this site and completed the current map, adding an additional 120 ft..  Total passage surveyed = 470 ft., max depth = 125 ft. The final map and additional data was provided to the DEP biologist.

Continuing explorations

SRSP99

In addition to conducting our survey dives in the systems located on SRSP, we also took time to systematically ride-walk areas of the park with high probabilities of new sinks and  karst features.  We located and recorded GPSdata for many additional dry sinks and karst features.  In January 2005, during ridge-walking activities, we discovered a previously unknown sink in a remote location of the park. Discussions with the park manger, rangers and biologist confirmed that this sink was previously unknown to the DEP.   The sink was located further from the river than any other sinkhole entrance to the known systems in that area.

Initial observations indicated this sinkhole may be a possible karst window to an unexplored system.  Access to this region of the park was severely limited and a seldom used park boundary road had seen extensive damage from the recent hurricanes.  The park has limited resources to devote to the maintenance of this road and several large oaks were blocking various sections of the road.  Upon approval from the park management, several trips were made by KTE with chainsaws to remove the oaks and clear a new road to gain access to this area of the park.  Although we were able to clear to the entire boundaryroad, we still remained 1000 ft. from the sink.  On the next few trips we cut a trail to the new sink from an interior park road.  This allowed closer access but we still carry gear 900 ft. the waters edge on each dive.

On February 6, 2005, Cindy Butler and Brian Williams made the first exploration dive. The 100 x 80 ft. sinkhole is steep sided with a 15 ft. slope down to waters edge where the surface area is approximately 65 ft x 45 ft.  The water had a green tint and visibility was around 20 ft.  Several large logs filled the sink and a tie-off was made just above the surface on one of these deadfalls.  Size 21 line was used as the cavern line and secondary tie-offs were established along with deco loops at 20 ft.  The initial cavern area was explored to a depth of 45 ft where a small opening was blocked by deadfall.  One large procambrus pallidus was observed in this area.  A large log was removed and the subsequent opening was entered where a fissure was encountered with going passage. The fissure was explored down to a depth of 110 ft. as it narrowed to 2 x 3 ft.  Going passage was observed.  The team then exited and checked tie-off points and secured loose rock and logs.  The fissure and cavern area was examined to determine if any debris had become dislodged on the initial dive.

On February 13, 2005, Alan Heck and Brian Williams made the second dive into the system, finding going horizontal passage at a depth of 120 ft.   A total of 300 ft of line was set on this dive and survey data was gathered back to the fissure.  Heavy silt percolation was expected and encountered, but cleared during the dive.  While obtaining width information in the first room, an upstream tunnel was encountered with significant flow.  A “T’ was placed in the line and survey data collected.

The next dive on February 22, 2005, Alan Heck and Brian Williams continued on the upstream passage.  A smaller downstream side passage was also encountered, a “T’ was set and additional survey taken.   Also on this dive a “deco tree” consisting of polypropylene rope and small pvc triangles at 10 ft. increments was installed in the sink.

One additional dive was done on February 8, 2005.  Alan Heck and Brian Williams encountered high water levels and reduced vis in the sinkhole.  Upon reaching the 120 ft depth and the beginning of the horizontal passage, a 10 degree temperature drop was encountered along with an increased flow.  Visibility dropped to 1 ft.  The exploration line was followed upstream but no clear water was encountered.  Downstream was followed but exploration was not practical due to the low vis and high flow conditions.  It is an indication of river intrusion from upstream and we have postulated where this water may be entering the system.  Further exploration upstream may confirm this theory.   For now, we know this is an unexplored system with high potential for large downstream passage.  The geology of this cave is somewhat different than others encountered in the area.  Many of the systems encountered in this area along the Suwannee River will start with a fissure and drop to 120 ft. + where bedding plane is then encountered with going passage.  This system is somewhat unique with alternating high fissures and low bedding planes between rooms.  We are excited about this new discovery and will concentrate our efforts in this area for the next few months as conditions permit. The sinkhole and cave systemremains unnamed at this point.  Total passage surveyed to date =980 ft. Maximum depth = 140 ft.

Additionally, Karst Terrain Explorations developed a Power Point presentation on CD for DEP officials and park management.  A presentation was given at the 2004 NACD conference.  Another presentation was given to the Florida Trails association in February of 2005, and an additional presentation was given at the Florida Trails Association meeting in Gainesville in May.  A project poster was created and delivered to SRSP displaying photos and information to the public regarding the ongoing work inside the park.

The former manager of Suwannee River State Park, Kevin Jones, has accepted a park manager position at St. George Island and has been replaced by Edwin Higgins.  Mr. Higgins is a former district official from Tallahassee has been particularly cooperative with Karst Terrain Explorations in our continuing efforts at SRSP.  Additionally, the rangers and staff at Suwannee River State Park have been extremely helpful, supportive including:  Larry Arrant, Frank Mooney and others.

Karst Terrain Explorations has received funding from the NSS/CDS and the Extended Range Foundation. Additional information and photos can be seen at: http://cavephoto.com/KTE/index.htm

Many people have contributed to this project and we would like to recognize them:

Karst Terrain Explorations     2005

Cambrian Foundation's 2005 Akumal Expedition.

Subject: After Action Report for the Cambrian Foundation's 2005 AkumalExpedition.

Project: Sistema Camilo

Dates: March 12-26, 2005

Project Directors:
Renee Power
Terrence Tysall

Principal Scientific Investigator:
AmyGiannotti

Project Dive Team:
Bob Giguere
Andrew Pitkin
Michael Poucher
Sandra Poucher
Renee Power
Karl Shreeves
Terrence Tysall

Surface Support:
Thecia Taylor
Linda Wooddell

Summary:

The Cambrian Foundation conducted its seventhexpedition to Sistema Camilo in the Akumal area of Quintana Roo, Mexico.  The Cambrian Foundation outlined three major goals for the 2005 project.  The first of our intended goals was the continued exploration and mapping of Sistema Camilo.  Our second goal was to conduct scientific research in two separate disciplines -- environmental science and dive physiology.  And finally, the Cambrian Foundation's most important goal was to provide a hands-on learning experience for young people.  This was accomplished through the incorporation of seven high school students from the Fuqua School in Farmville, Virginia, who participate in their fourthconsecutive Cambrian Foundation expedition.  This marked the second international expedition that involved student participation and continues to be truly an educational endeavor.

Exploration and Mapping:

During the 2005 expedition many of our objectives were met with regards to exploration and mapping.  These included continued exploration in some sections of the system that have eluded us inthe past.  Approximately3300 feet of passage were newly explored, surveyed and added to the existing map. Non-directional markers were placed on some new and existing lines.   Initially, all arrows originally placed in the system pointed exit to Cenote Camilo.  Now, with several system entrances available, arrows are turned to mark exit tothe nearest cenotes. All of the T's in the northern section of the system have been neatly cut back to jumps making navigation simple. Using KLS techniques, the Cambrian Foundation is in the process of producing a high-quality map of the system to the limit of current exploration. The major goal of this effort is to present the landowners, the NSS-CDS, and the NACD with this map.  It is hoped that this information, pending approval from the landowners, will be disseminated to members of the general public.

Environmental science:

Nine surrounding karst formations associated with Sistema Camilo were analyzed daily for pH, conductivity, temperature, nitrate-total nitrogen, total dissolved solids, salinity, and dissolved oxygen.  All data were collected in triplicate at each sampling site to increase the reliability of each measurement.  Data from this study will be used to further evaluate the potential interconnectedness of these systems and will be particularly useful in determining which conduits (that may be impassable to divers) may have similar geophysical properties and indicate a likely hydrologic connection.  In addition, these water quality data will also provide critical clues as to the type of bedrock that has been dissolved, a crucial piece of information in the study of water flow patterns. For now, these data serve as a baseline to which future measurements can be compared and seasonal changes in hydrologic features recorded.

Dive physiology:

As in previous years, the Cambrian Foundation dive team participated in the Divers Alert Network (DAN) Project Dive Exploration (PDE).  The Cambrian Foundation is working cooperatively with DAN to enhance dive safetyand augment the knowledge concerning dives of this nature.

Hands-on learning:

The exploration team consisting of volunteer divers, scientists, and students contributed to scientific research by collecting water samples and hydrologic data from the caves. The goals of our educational/expedition immersion component were threefold:  First, by incorporating high school students into a working field expedition, we provided an unparalleled opportunity for hands-on experiential learning.  Students learned to preserve these delicate systems not only by spending time with the Cambrian Foundation research team, but also by attending daily lectures and field trips that educated them concerning a variety of topics from terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity to cave survey techniques to the ancient Mayan culture.  In addition to mapping existing cenotes in Sistema Camilo, expedition team members and students explored the surrounding jungle in search of new recharge areas and Karst features that supply this watershed.  Students also assisted in the survey of an unexplored cave located on private land, and they also assisted in the production of a map highlighting these surveyed passages.  Each day closed with activities and lecture sessions relevant to topics connected withthe expedition.  All of these involved experts in their respective fields.  Second, we focused on teaching the local population about the importance of water protection, conservation, and proper use by talking with several landowners in the area and sharing what we have learned in the previous years through our research and providing real world helpful hints on what they can do to positively impact their local region.  Third, by having our students update the website ona daily basis, they educated people throughout the world about the serious issues facing this and other groundwater systems.

Overall, this year's expedition was a tremendous success.  Goals were met or exceeded in all facets of the project.  Landowner relations were heightened again as we presented the landowner of Sistema Camilo a map of the system.  He invited us back at any time. Exploration will continue in the Camilo system and all mapping data will be given to the Qunitana Roo Speleological Survey (QRSS) to assist them in their work locally.  We believe in the importance of impacting young people with educational experiences and we will continue to incorporate them in our research endeavors worldwide.  The mission statement of the Cambrian Foundation states we are dedicated to research, education, preservation and exploration of the aquatic realm.  Our fulfilled mission has impacted not only those locally, but those abroad by providing education and research data to assist those living in the Akumal, Mexico area.