We used to free dive several sumps in some Oklahoma caves......while surveying one water cave; we realized that there was a submerged passage coming into the cave from one side...on the next survey trip; we brought in a mask...and by dropping under the water could see the mirrored surface of the water in a large room about 6 feet away. So we used a piece of webbing as a dive line...and someone dove through...it popped up into a large room! We realized that SOME sumps were just duck-unders in disguise. That first room led to a second, longer duck-under...it was about 16 feet long...and led to several thousand feet of virgin passage....Our technique evolved....we started rigging the duck unders with old PMI caving rope...and used the rope to pull ourselves through...that was easier than carrying flippers....and eventually we were leaving drop weights ( dive weights with brass latches) at duck-unders that we crossed frequently for longer survey trips into the cave....we used the drop weights to ballast our packs to keep them from floating up and snagging on the ceiling ( which did happen once or twice...it was a scary moment)....we were very cautious when doing these free dives......We finally found a couple of sumps that we didn¹t feel comfortable free diving...they were either too deep or too long or at the base of a waterfall...and we switched over to proper cave diving gear. I am sure that one of these days someone will get access to that cave again...and will wonder why someone would stash dive weights in such odd locations....
On 8/28/09 9:43 AM, "Andy Gluesenkamp" <andrew_gluesenk...@yahoo.com> wrote: > I love freediving: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmv84gLdSdA > > My deepest dive (resulting in the biggest fish) on the video was 60ft. That's > about 120ft, roundtrip. I can't imagine doing 395ft on a single breath but > the world record (without fins!!!!) is well over 300ft (>600ft roundtrip). > > Andy > > Andrew G. Gluesenkamp, Ph.D. > 700 Billie Brooks Drive > Driftwood, Texas 78619 > (512) 799-1095 > a...@gluesenkamp.com > > --- On Thu, 8/27/09, tbsam...@verizon.net <tbsam...@verizon.net> wrote: >> >> From: tbsam...@verizon.net <tbsam...@verizon.net> >> Subject: Re: [Texascavers] interesting news - free diving in sumps >> To: dlocklea...@gmail.com >> Cc: texascavers@texascavers.com >> Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009, 5:54 AM >> >> I did Aqua in Bath County VA in 1995 or 1996. >> >> T >> >> >> Aug 26, 2009 10:28:10 PM, dlocklea...@gmail.com >> <http://us.mc320.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=dlocklea...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> How many of you have ever been in a cave and done a "duck under" ? >>> Like maybe in Honey Creek, where you >>> hold your breath for just a second and go thru a very short sump and >>> pop out on the other side. >>> >>> Or how about free diving a very short sump where you have to swim a >>> few feet like in Carrizal or Acahuizotla? >>> >>> Well here is a very crazy guy in Austalia that went 395 feet on a >>> single breath of air thru an underwater >>> cave passage: >>> >>> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article6808538.ece >>> >>> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00605/news_dive_605008a.jpg >>> >>> >>> Here is a summary: >>> >>> >>> Mike Wells swam through Fish Rock Cave in only two minutes and 40 seconds. >>> >>> He narrowly averted disaster when his MONOFIN became trapped in a >>> narrow crevice. His son, a member of the support team, freed him. >>> >>> ³It was very hard,² Mr Wells said. >>> >>> >>> Mr Wells, who describes freediving as a ³grand madness², followed a >>> rope to dive down to the tunnel entrance and swam through the cave to >>> the pool of light that marked its exit. >>> >>> The cave, on the New South Wales coast, has an ocean surge that sweeps >>> through the narrow chambers. >>> >>> Most experts thought the cave was too long and dangerous for anyone to >>> get through without oxygen tanks. >>> >>> >>> Mr Wells¹s respiratory specialist, Professor Matthew Peters, described >>> the pressure that would be placed on his body: >>> ³During this dive, his lungs will compress dramatically, his diaphragm >>> will move up, his ribs will cave in,² he said. >>> >>> >>> David Locklear >>> >>> --------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> Visit our website: http://texascavers.com <http://texascavers.com/> >>> To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com >>> <http://us.mc320.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=texascavers-unsubscribe@texasc >>> avers.com> >>> For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com >>> <http://us.mc320.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=texascavers-help@texascavers.c >>> om> >>> >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit >> our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: >> texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: >> texascavers-h...@texascavers.com >
