Mexico ~ 2010 ~ Part 1 of 3

24 12 2010

Sunday, November 28th, 2010 ~

We were up and at ’em, out the door by 4:20am, and headed to the airport. We got through security fairly quickly, and while sitting in the lounge, heard them on the loud speaker.. “Last boarding call for Blake Wilson. Blake Wilson, final boarding call.” Doh!

We grabbed a quick bite at Timmy’s, and waiting for our flight to Toronto. Once there, we had an hour and a half wait for our connecting flight.

Once we arrived at the Cancun airport, we found all of our luggage, exchanged some deneros, then went out in search of our rental car company. Apparently, there are two with similar names.. EZ Way and Easy Way. The EZ Way guy tried to convince us that he was our guy, but we found the other fella behind him. Well.. he didn’t seem to have our names down, but I did have my print out from the net, so all was well.

We were taken a short drive to the rental car place, where it was not exactly on the main path. It looked a little scary, but our fears were eased quickly. They were very quick, friendly, and  honoured our online pricing.. which had been cut off on my print out. We were given a nice little Toyota SUV, that turned out to be the coolest dive mobile. We loaded it up with our suitcases, and started off for PA. The Climate Summit was going on as well, which led to a ton of military personnel everywhere… Trucks everywhere, machine guns on top of trucks, personnel hiding in the bushes.. all while burning cans of fuel, to block off lanes.

Rental car place…

Once we arrived, we really had no idea which condo we were in. We did some deduction, and figured it out. We went up the stairs, to the door, and there didn’t seem to be anyone around. Hummm…

Just then, Ralph came up the stairway, and it turned out that we were in the right place! w00t! We went in, ditched our stuff, then headed down to Gringo Daves. Mmmm.. chicken nachos. It made a nice snack to share, since we hadn’t eaten lunch.  Jen knew we were arriving today, and she had wandered a bit, then into Gringo Daves. Yippee!

We then headed over to The Pub with Jen, Ralph, Gina, Ed, Piotr, Chris, Olof, and Kathy. It was great to see everyone! We had another bite, and a couple of drinks, before heading back over to Gringo Daves, for a bit of Karaoke. Of course, I had to sing a couple of songs. It was alot of fun!

Monday, November 29th, 2010 ~

Let the diving begin!!

We made our way to Zero Gravity, where we met alot of the gang. We decided to head over to El Eden for the day’s diving. It turned out that Blake just made his flight, but he wasn’t too sure about his luggage. 🙂

Dive 1 ~ River Run Clockwise
Bottom Time ~ 38 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 46′ (Avg. 37′)
Water Temp. ~ 78
Visibility ~ Clear!
Steve, Me, Blake

Dive 2 ~ River Run Counter Clockwise
Bottom Time ~ 28 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 50′ (Avg. 34′)
Water Temp. ~ 78
Me, Blake, Steve

Dive 3 ~ River Run Counter Clockwise
Bottom Time ~ 38 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 50′ (Avg. 33′)
Water Temp. ~ 77
Me, Jen, Blake, Steve

Dive 4 ~ Cavern Line
Bottom Time ~ 36 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 38′ (Avg. 22′)
Water Temp. ~ 77
Jen, Me, Blake, Steve

We had some pretty awesome dives, and it felt really good to be back in the caves. We also saw Fred there, who was teaching a Cave 1 course.

There was some discussion about all of the Rock Boat sightings in the River, as well. 😉

We then went back to the shop, dropped off our tanks for fills, then went to get some groceries, in Playa. Dinner was at The Pub with Chris L., Tom K., David R., Bob S., Chris M., Piotr, Blake, Jen, and Lamont.

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010 ~ Happy Birthday, Jen!

Today, we were going to Nahoch. Steve and I had still not been there, so we were really looking forward to this dive. A great one for Jen’s B’day too!

We packed a lunch, picked up our tanks, and packed the cars. A taxi pulled up, letting out a fella and his gear… “Are you guys going diving? I need a buddy!” He arrived just in the nick of time, and he filled Jen’s car with his gear. Hassan, nice to meet you!

We arrived at Nohoch, and we did make the first trek down with our doubles on our backs, but lowered our second sets down the rope. Thanks to the guys for that one.

Steve and I buddied up, Jen, Hassan, and Lamont were a team, and CMal and Piotr too. Ralph, Ed, and Gina were there ahead of us.

Wow.. what a stunning cave. I swear, it was like we were swimming through a Halloween movie. The stalactites, stalagmites, and columns were just incredible. There was one room that looked like there were a hundred different chess pieces from a scene out of Alice In Wonderland. Some broken, some just waiting to be played with. Call me crazy, but that’s what came to mind. In our swim through “Halloween-land,” it seemed like each room had a different gothic theme to it. Heaven’s Gates.. also amazing. This is definitely the coolest freakin’ cave I have ever been in.

Jen, Lamont, and Hassan were ahead of us, and them lighting up the cave for us was absolutely amazing. Thanks, guys!

One section had what looked like a giant pipe organ, with what could have been melted candle wax all down the sides. Another, was a giant section of more candle wax, sliding down to form the shape of a grand piano. There was even a shape that took the shape of what looked like Hobbes, from “Calvin & Hobbes,” columns that looked like stripper poles, even a giant slab of rock that looked like a boat ramp, and shapes that looked like religious figurines.

On the third dive, my light was flickering a little bit. I turned the dive on gas, and my light appeared to be fading a little. Just as I thought of pulling out my Heser backup to compare them… poof… my primary light went out. Heser, it is. I guess the battery was tired after three longer dives.

On the way out, both Steve and I were making animal shadows with our hands, and when I had my light turned, Steve would shine his light towards me, making a shadow of a giant “me,” ahead. That was cool!

Dive 1 ~ Main Line
Bottom Time ~ 57 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 24′ (Avg. 13′)
Water Temp. ~ 77

Dive 2 ~ Main Line
Bottom Time ~ 66 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 24′ (Avg. 13′)
Water Temp. ~ 77

Dive 3 ~ Parker Line
Bottom Time ~ 70 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 17′ (Avg. 12′)
Water Temp. ~ 77

After our dives, we dropped our tanks off, and headed back to the condo to hang up gear. We headed to The Pub again, meeting up with the usual suspects, as well as Maren, Dirk, Jesper, Thomas, and Jacob. It was great to see Jacob again!

We also noticed that at the entrance to PA, the security checks alot of the empty taxi cabs.. back seats and trunks. Interesting.

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010 ~

Up and at ’em again, to the shop. Not before having my All Bran with Raisins, and Steve, his Zucaritas! We ran into the Florida crew, who had arrived the night before, and were also getting ready for some Diving Goodness.

Myself, Steve, Chris, Piotr, Jen, and Hassan headed down through Tulum, and over to Car Wash. Steve and I hadn’t been there before, and were looking forward to it. There were rumours of a croc in the basin, which I didn’t really need to see. Jen had seen him the week before.

Part of the basin…

Jen led us on three out of four dives, as she had been there before, and the lines were not that easy to find. We did the Upstream line twice, then to the Chamber Of The Ancients, then the Downstream line.

The Upstream line was pretty cool, but I think my favourite was the Downstream line. The Upstream line was darker cave, with alot of depth change. Luke’s Hope was pretty neat to swim through, as we passed through giant schools of fish. The Chamber Of The Ancients was also very cool. Jen found the line quite easily, which was sweet! We dropped through the halocline to enter, and once we had gotten in and looked around a bit, we noticed a couple of lights at the entrance of the room. At first, I thought that there were two divers, but then noticed that it was a primary light and a helmet light of one diver. It appeared that whoever it was, had followed us in.  As we turned to exit the room, the diver left in front of us, and was out of the water when we surfaced. He did come up to us afterwards though, to thank us for letting him follow our line…

The Downstream line is probably one of my favourites, so far. There was SO much to see! So many formations, columns, stalactites and stalagmites. It all looked like candle wax.. just stunning. I think I liked this line as much as I liked Nah0ch!

After our dives, we goofed off a bit, in the basin. We did not see the croc at all, but we did see a few turtles. Steve and Hassan were blowing water rings, while Piotr demonstrated his wonderful trim.. upside down, and fins pointing upward. 🙂 Jen and I resorted to somersaults. Thank goodness there were no other people there.. They probably would have had us all committed.

Dive 1 ~ Upstream
Bottom Time ~ 42 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 52′ (30′ Avg.)
Water Temp. ~ 77
Jen, Hassan, Steve, Me

Dive 2 ~ Upstream
Bottom Time ~ 52 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 52′ (27′ Avg.)
Steve, Me, Hassan, Jen

Dive 3 ~ Chamber Of The Ancients
Bottom Time ~ 33 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 88′ (50′ Avg.)
Jen, Hassan, Me, Steve

Dive 4 ~ Downstream
Bottom Time ~ 47 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 60′ (32′ Avg.)
Jen, Hassan, Me, Steve

After our dives, we headed back through Tulum, where we were slowed down by the military check point, then back to drop off our tanks. Kirill and Julia had arrived!

We went back to the condo, and readied ourselves for yet another night at The Pub. More people had arrived, and the tables grew. What an awesome day!

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010 ~

We continued with our morning rituals, then headed to the shop. AM and JP met us there too. A gaggle of us headed over to Sac Actun/Grand Cenote. This would be another first for Steve and I.

There were some pretty amazing formations, large rooms, and some incredible ceilings. Some of the formations looked like incense cones, covered in candle wax. There were some really neat looking passages off of the main line, that looked really cool too. So many nooks and crannies that longed to be peeked in. One day!

We made it to a very short gap, that is at another cenote. Apparently, this is the only place where a Cave 1 diver is allowed to put a spool  in, to continue through. There is open water there, so it is permitted. This was pretty cool too. We went a short distance past this gap, then headed back. We decided to leave the reel in, as we were going to do another few dives.

After our second dive, we came up to switch tanks around and have some lunch. We ended up having a much longer lunch than we had planned, so we only ended up doing one more dive. We made it past the gap this time, and into a HUGE room. What a wicked freakin’ room. We turned the dive, right before the restriction, and brought the reel in.

Dive 1
Bottom Time ~ 48 mins.
Max. Depth ~ 39′ (Avg. 29′)
Water Temp. ~ 77

Dive 2
Bottom Time ~ 48 mins
Max. Depth ~ 39′

Dive 3
Bottom Time ~ 67 mins
Max. Depth ~ 38′

During our lunch break, we chatted and took some pics of the animals…

Again, we headed back to the shop, dropped off our tanks, chatted, checked e-mails, then back to the condo to shower and change.

For dinner, we went to Tu Parador, across from PA. What a great place! The owners were very friendly, the food was awesome, and the drinks were even better. They had so many variations of different fruity smoothies, that you could have with or without alcohol. They were all freshly made, and were incredible! Even Piotr’s wierd Onion concoction was good!

Next… GUE Conference begins!


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Categories : It's 2010!

2009 In A Nutshell…

11 01 2010

The year was another fun-filled and adventure packed one, as far as diving goodness goes.

We started off the year with our annual New Year’s Dive, then with many friends visiting for ice diving. Our ice diving party in January was a cold one. Picking Richard up at the airport, and hearing his story about him pleading for them to let him into the country, was absolutely hilarious. It didn’t help that on the coldest night of the year, and a full house, the power went out. Some of the gang slept through it all, but we know they were grateful for the propane heater we stuck in the basement for them. The rest of us gathered by the fire, through the wee hours of the morning. Then, of course.. we went diving.

The river started to break up in March, and we made our way down for a dive. The water was still 35, and we did have failures, but at least we managed them. It was good to get back in the rivaaa!

The free divers came back to the quarry, and it was fascinating to watch them and photograph them. Some of my shots ended up in their magazine as well.

Beneath The Sea was so much fun again this year. It was great to meet up with people that I don’t get to see very often, as well as friends that I hadn’t seen in about 20 years. It was really fantastic to catch up, Dave!! We also got to hang out with some of the pioneers of our sport, which was something I could never have even imagined. What an amazing experience. Becky and David, it was great to finally meet up with you!

We spent alot of time this year, looking for a few things… New entry points along the river, and that elusive truck. I can’t even count the hours we spent looking for that darn thing. No.. we still haven’t found it. Another journey for 2010!

Greg Mossfeldt came to hang out with us too, which was alot of fun!

Here is a link to Greg’s account of one of our dives, and his slideshow of pictures…

http://www.mossmanscuba.com/articles/kinghorn-st-lawrence-rockport-ontario

Mooring day in Kingston was an adventure. Jen and I were buddied up on Mooring Day 2, and although the seas were rockin’, I kept my cookies in check. On one of the wrecks, we had thrown in a shot line, and the two of us were going in, to see if we could find the line. There had been a report from another charter operator, that the line was missing. The shot line was right beside the wreck, and we found the mooring, which seemed in good condition. Vinnie James and Sean were right behind us, and had the lift bag to throw it up. Away we went, circling the wreck, for some fun. Jen and I went in one direction, and the other two went the opposite way. After doing a turn of the wreck, we made our way to the shot line, to pull it a little farther from the wreck. Once we did that, we turned around, and the mooring line had disappeared. We wondered if we were in the same place or not, looked around, and decided that we were. When Vinnie and Sean came back around, they were also in disbelief that there was no line. We looked for a minute, then out came the thumbs. We ascended alongside the shot line, and upon surfacing, were also boatless. It’s amazing how quickly a boat attached to a mooring line that isn’t, can float away. Anne quickly realized that the numbers she was on were different than the coordinates she was supposed to be on, so she made her way back to us. What an adventure! I think I was better off floating in the water, than in the rockin’ boat though…lol. Although I was green, I kept it together. Still, a great day, and a great adventure.

We had many trips out to the Jodrey, with friends from all over North America joining us. It was a really great opportunity to meet some more amazing people, and build new friendships.

We also were able to build on friendships we already had.

Through Steve’s journey to become a GUE Instructor, we met even more fabulous people along the way. One friendship that has become important to both of us, is with Guy Shockey. I don’t want to go on too much about him, as he might get a swelled head, but he is definitely one heckofafellow, and we are both glad to call him our friend.

Then came the Canadian Invasions. What started out as a half joke about people coming to dive with us, and camping out in our back yard, has turned into a two weekend diving extravaganza, with even more awesome people. Our first weekend in Brockville, and the second weekend in Kingston, with both Recreational and Technical charters, and scooter dives. This was the first time that we had added Ktown to the bill, and we are looking forward to it again in 2010!

After the Invasions, Harvey came to visit us, and a few of us had signed up to do the Naui Tech 2 course with him. It was great fun having Harvey along, and we had alot of fun during the course.

In November, Steve and I headed down to High Springs, for the GUE Conference, and the IE. We met more amazing people, and finally got to check out the Florida caves. The Conference was well worth going to, and the caves.. well, one word… WICKED!

All of the events planned were alot of fun, and it was just fantastic to meet up with other GUE folk from around the globe. It was even fun to have a little spot for “DIR Ontario” on opening day, at the Conference.

It was especially cool to meet JP and Anne Marie near the Ear at Ginnie!

Special thanks to Sheila and Steve, for putting up with me on my virgin kayak trip… 10 MILES!! Another special thanks to both George and Jeff, for showing us around the wet rocks! We loved it!! It was really wonderful to finally meet some of our friends face to face, instead of our internet meetings! Two words.. Amanda rocks.. 🙂

I still think our version of the Peanut Tunnel is amusing…

This is one of my favourite pictures from the trip, taken by Amanda Cotton…

We also got to take Flat Stanley cave diving in Little River. Picture taken by Jeff Schrieber…

On the last day of the conference, Steve, myself, Guy, and Dan decided to go up to Madison, for a couple of dives. Yet another amazing day.

I am not sure how many “incredible” words I can come up with, to describe how great this trip was. Um… can we move?

Upon returning home, we were greeted with snow and much colder temperatures. While the quarry was still open, it didn’t take long before it was frozen over.

We definitely had an extra spectacular year, and we are definitely looking forward to the adventures that 2010 will bring!

Double kudos to Steve and Guy, for becoming GUE Instructors!! w000000000t!! 😮

I have also done a Three Part picture video set, of some of the year’s photos!


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GUE Conference 2009

30 11 2009

Friday, November 13th, 2009 ~

It was finally time for the conference, and being ejected from our hotel room, due to a BMX event going on this weekend, Steve and I had made arrangements to stay with some friends. We had all of our gear and luggage stowed in the SUV, and headed over to Gainesville.

We had to get there early, as I had been elected to be in the “Poster Sessions” for DIR Ontario. It was a last minute thing, so Kady had helped me put together a poster to use. Thanks Kady!

I also had the GUE calendar up, showing my ice diving shot in January, a laptop showing the “We Go Down” videos, my netbook, showing a slideshow of pictures, and some DIR Ontario caps and shirts. I spoke to a few people, then the conference was to begin. Jarrod gave us an intro and “Welcome to the conference” hello, followed by Todd Kincaid, talking about Project Baseline.

We then heard talks on Conservation Efforts, the Smithsonian Scientific Diving program, then a meet and greet with WKPP members, and a closing with Jarrod.

From there, we headed downtown Gainesville, for Blues Night in the park, then dinner in a nearby restaurant. We actually all fit in the same room! We ended up sitting with some really fun people, and had a great night!

Dancing in the park…

Saturday, November 14th, 2009 ~

Being a bit late the previous night, Steve and I actually missed part of the conference on Saturday morning. We wanted to be there, but also needed a little bit of sleep, so we arrived for the very delicious buffet lunch.

We then watched Brett do a presentation on the KISS RB, then Phil Short, on the Sentinel. I have to say that I was absolutely mesmerized by Phil’s knowledge and experience. I really enjoyed listening to him, and wanted to know more more more… lol…

Then there was the Jutland project which was equally fascinating. Some incredible footage, and some great wrecks.

After a break, we listened to Practical Data Collection, and one of the most amazing things was 3-D Imagery in Scientific Inquiry. All anyone could say was, “Wow!” Amazing technology.

After Jarrod’s closing, we headed over to the Rhea’s house for Mardi Gras! There was fun, food, and Tina fed me S’mores!! There was even a pinata, filled with goodies for everyone. We had an amazing time.

Free for all!

Thanks to the Rheas and Sonya!!

Sunday, November 15th, 2009 ~

We arrived bright and early for the prearranged breakfast, down the road from EE/GUE. Then, Phil Short had the conch again, and was discussing CCR Safety Procedures, which I found even more fascinating than the previous day’s RB information sessions.

We then heard about some of the GUE curriculum changes, followed by a Q & A. While we listened, we were approached by some fellow, telling us that we had to go diving. We didn’t argue… When Dan MacKay tells you you’re doing something, you usually do it! 🙂

Steve, myself, Guy, and Dan headed over to Madison for a couple of dives! Dan and Guy went in first, and Steve and I followed. It was nice to do this system again, and have a nice, relaxing day of diving goodness.

When we surfaced, we were smiling and laughing, as usual, and there were a couple of people making their way down the stairs, who were really happy to meet other happy people. They said that they didn’t always see people laughing around there, and that it was great to meet us. Very nice couple!

Steve, Dan, and Guy…

Me, pointing at the new, superstar cave diver…

Guy, myself, and Steve…

This would, sadly, be our last day of diving in North Florida paradise. We tore our gear down, and brought it back to the hotel to dry. We were attending the last conference function, which was a really nice dinner, to close off the festivities. Awards were given out, speeches were made, and of course, jokes all around.

This was the first conference that we had attended, and I felt that it was an absolutely amazing experience, and loved the family atmosphere here. Steve and I didn’t want to leave!

Monday, November 16th, 2009 ~

We headed over to EE to return tanks and pay up whatever bills we had left, then to GUE, to bid our farewells and wish we were stayings. We had decided to drive to Orlando, and spend the night there, then fly out in the morning. We figured we’d take advantage of being there, and went to Universal Studios. Well.. we tried… we didn’t arrive there until 3pm, and it didn’t really make much sense to spend that kind of money for three hours of park time. So.. we did get dinner and a movie there. We had a meal at the Hard Rock, then went to the Universal Studios theater to see Paranormal on the IMAX screen.

We found a really nice little hotel for the night, and spent our last night in Florida. We had such an excellent time, and I know we’ll be back soon!

Thanks so much to all of our friends, that helped to make this trip such an awesome one!!


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Day Two Of Cavezz ~ Peacock Springs

23 11 2009

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 ~

Today, we travelled to Peacock Springs, where we were going to meet up with Jeff and Amanda! George had his vehicle, JP and Anne Marie also had a vehicle, and Steve and I followed in ours. The three fellas who had just done their RB80 training were also coming.

The entrance to Peacock Springs…

George, Steve, and I went for a walk around, and George showed us the Pothole…

We prepped our gear, and in came Jeff and Amanda! The internet meeting saga was finally over! I was able to see real, human faces!

George was going to show us around, then continue on his dive with the RB80 fellas. He was also toting his video camera. Amanda also had her camera with her!

We opted to do Orange Grove first, and do a second dive at Peacock 1. Orange Grove has alot of duckweed at the surface, and we all looked like green monsters in the water.

Jeff and Amanda went in first. We gave them a few minutes, then George, Steve, and I descended. We got past the tree branches, made our way into the cavern zone, then reached the “Stop” sign. George fired up his lights… one… Two.. um.. two… Uhh ohhh… I see bubbles… and a big thumb. The three of us turned around, and headed back to the surface. By that time, the RB80 fellas were making their way to the water, so Steve and I were going to recalculate our gas, and go ahead, so that George could go out with them, and do a Cave 2 dive.

Steve and I went back in, passed the cave sign, and met up with Jeff and Amanda! I thought it was cool to see Amanda’s shadow behind me, click clicking away, with her camera.

What a relaxing dive. The flow was near to non-existent here, and it was really nice to have a look at the cave, and see the differences between the Florida and the Mexico caves. I really enjoyed this one.

Steve and I reached our turn pressures, and on our return, met up with George, Kirill, Liam, and their 4th buddy.. who I cannot remember his name. George had the video camera running, and I could not help but give the “Rock On” signal as Steve and I passed by.

Click below for video!

I think my reaction, when we surfaced, was, “That rocked!” We got out, left our suits on, and drove up to P1 for our second dive. Amanda had to get going, so we took some pictures, had a few giggles, got soaked from the leftover rain from “Ida,” and said our goodbyes to Amanda, for the day.

Amanda’s cool sock…

Amanda and I, with my face still pocked with duckweed…

Taken by Amanda’s robot camera.. 🙂

Steve, Jeff, and I geared up again, and took the route through the Peanut Tunnel. What an awesome dive! I loved this one! I think I could do this cave 100 times in a row, and wouldn’t get tired of it.

Entrance at P1…

After our dives, we went for a walk along the boardwalk, where we saw Sheck Exley’s Memorial…

We headed back to our hotel, bringing Jeff with us, and we went out for a bite to eat. The restaurant happened to have big bowls of peanuts on each table, so we were able to recreate our dive…. in the Peanut Tunnel…. 😀


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Into The Cavez!

11 11 2009

Monday, November 9th, 2009 ~

Meeting time was 9am at EE, and Steve, myself, and George drove over to Ginnie Springs. This would be our first time in the Florida caves, and we were looking forward it. Our Cave 1 course had been in Mexico, and conditions in each place are very different.

Entrance to the water…

Hawk, guarding the entrance…

George debriefed us on the parts of the cave that we would encounter, tips on how to avoid being directly in the flow, and he would run the reel… Thank goodness for that, as I learned very quickly, that descending into the Ear at Ginnie, should not be done in trim… I have to admit, the flow kicked my butt! I had to really work, to get myself down there, and I know that I huffed and puffed a “bit.” Once we were down, George tied into the main line, and we ascended to the ceiling. We made our way along to the lips, and through the keyhole, and made it a bit further, when I turned the dive on gas. On the way out, George pointed out a few of the side tunnels to us, which was pretty amazing!

Now… to get out. Ay carumba… I guess I was in a funny position, and I felt the flow pushing my butt end straight up. I swear, I was going to flip over…lol. George gave me a little shove to make sure I didn’t… Thank you, George! Once I got past that little spot, I was able to brace myself a little bit better. When we surfaced, I couldn’t help but feel that I got my butt kicked… but… I still enjoyed doing the dive, and learing more. I wondered if I wanted to go back in or not, and decided that the only way to get better at it, was to get back in.

Entrance to the Ear, where the orange marker is…

We recalculated our gas, and went back in. This time, I went head down, and had a much easier and faster entrance into the cave. We had left the reel in, so we were a go. I found it so much easier this time around, as I knew what to expect in different areas, and was able to look at even more of the cave this time. We actually went farther this time, having less penetration gas. Coming out was a bit easier this time around as well, When we surfaced, I was happy that I had done the second dive, and I look forward to going back!

Two other divers were in the water, and when I heard my name, we saw Anne Marie and JP! We had hoped to run into them at some point, and did so right away!

What a fantastic day of cave diving goodness!


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