From Jim Coke via Peter Sprouse to you:
I would like to share a bit of great exploration news from Quintana
Roo Mexico.
Robert Schmittner connected Sistema Aktun Hu to the Nohoch Nah Chich
region of
Sistema Sac Actun. His team made this connection on 30 January 2011
to
establish what could be interpreted as the 4th longest cave in the
world. Sac
Actun is presently the longest cave in Mexico, and the longest
underwater cave
in the world. It is my great pleasure to congratulate Robbie and
all the many
cave explorers that have surveyed in the numerous regions of this
marvelous
cave.
Sistema Sac Actun was discovered in 1987. The first map of Sac
Actun and tales
of cave explorations are reported in AMCS Activities Newsletter
#17 (December
1988). Further explorations and the eventual connection of Sac
Actun to Sistema
Nohoch Nah Chich are reported in AMCS Activities Newsletter #30
(June 2007).
Explorations in Sistema Actun Hu began in January 2007.[See AMCS
Activities Newsletter 33.] Aktun Hu cave was
surveyed to include the Cenote Outland cave. Outland was first
explored by Mike
Madden in 1992. Mike's explorations were abandoned due to
logistical and
landowner issues. Explorations in Aktun Hu bloomed during 2008,
2009, and 2010.
For the enthusiasts of pure underwater cave survey, Sac Actun has a
215246m
length and a depth of -71.6m. Since a cave is a cave whether it's
filled with
water or air, the total length of Sac Actun including all wet and
dry passages
is 217363m (depth of 77.6m).
This new length for Sac Actun, 217363m, is a bit longer than the
reported
217133m length of Wind Cave (NP) reported by Rod Horrocks on the
NSS GEO2 cave
page at this date. Having a 230m surplus of surveyed passage over
Wind Cave is
hardly a significant length advantage for Sac Actun. I expect the
Wind Cave
explorers to make up this difference quickly. I also expect further
explorations to find an ever evasive connection from Sac Actun to
Sistema Dos
Ojos.
Again my congratulations to all cave exploration teams in this area.
Jim Coke
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A fearless man cannot be brave.
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