September 14

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Rain

Thursday, September 14, 2000 –
Have you ever noticed when you are on a quiet little three quarters of a mile hike through the jungle and it starts to rain, how the humidity seems to rise a bit? Well, it has rained on us almost all day. Fortunately, it doesn’t rain underwater. We enlisted the aid of a few local workers to act as “sherpas” to help us get our cylinders back into the jungle. This allowed us to get ready and in the water approximately 30 minutes earlier than yesterday.

On the upstream side, we sent in two teams – Mark Corkery and Tony Lee went in to the point where we had begun yesterday and surveyed the old line out to the basin. Terrence and Kyle went to the end of the line that they had put in yesterday and continued to push farther in past the room Terrence named Allison’s Room. They laid approximately 800 more feet through large passage that seems to have countless side passages and surveyed this line on the way back out. Except for about 100 feet of line in the middle, the upstream side has been surveyed with approximately 1800 feet of line. The cave has an average depth of about 60 feet and a maximum depth of just over 70 feet.

The downstream team (Grant Graves and Karl Shreeves) continued off the lead they were working yesterday. The lead was left in a small phreatic tube off a bedding plane room. It was a quick retrace of yesterday’s route to the end of the lead. Karl tied into the end of the line. Not fifteen feet from the tie in, the passage opened up into a huge breakdown room. It was a beautiful surprise after a long wait. The toughest choice at that point was to pick what direction to run the line. Karl named the room Shawn’s room. He said, “Like its namesake, it was worth the wait.”

The team continued forward following the water flow. Deeper into the cave, the team passed by three other breakdown rooms. Additonal leads remain to be explored. Grant’s comment after the dive was, “There is just cave everywhere.” There appears to be a trend for the downstream passage to go to the north. Also, there appears to be several areas where there may be cave going at a shallower level.

The team was following a large lead with going passage, when the dive was turned due to gas supply. Generally, cave divers reserve 2/3’s of their gas supply for the return trip out of the cave. Just in case there is an emergency, each diver has enough gas to supply their buddy on the way out. (For more information about cave diving, check out the NSS-CDS or the NACD websites. If you are interested in learning how to cave dive, check out Benthic Technologies, Inc. website.) Grant surveyed the new line on the return trip out. After a short deco, the team surfaced in the cenote cracking jokes and laughing with the locals that were helping the team with the equipment.

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Send questions or comments to the trilobite.

Questions and Comments To the Trilobite

Hi all!
I can’t believe you are able to do updates on this one! Looks great and I like the update photo on the cover page to get into the updates. I miss you all (mostly Kyle) but don’t regret missing the heat, the mosquitoes and the spiders. Luck to you all.
Cindy

I miss you terribly as well. As for the updates, what did you expect? I’m doing them.

Hi,
Cenote Camilo looks nice but Cenote Las Grutas looks buggy. Does anyone there call the cenotes “cee-no-tees”? You probably need that.

Only those of us from Texas.

Dear Explorers,
As a sad and dry office explorer, I thought I would remind you all how gosh darn lucky you are to be traipsing through the jungles. Please send Grantius Maximus my love and pick up a few Mayan sculptures for me.
xo,
a tall dry wannabe
Andrea

Grant seems to have misunderstood. He is trying to pick up a few Mayans for you.

Hello Kyle. Hope all your work in Mexico provides you with a bountiful and safe journey home. We will continue to stay posted on your web site. Harry hopes that you don’t have to practice lighting any fires for the sake of those at the resort (ha ha ha ). Godspeed!!
Peige & Harry Rose

Well, fortunately I found some matches.

Thanks for the birthday flowers (that you probably didn’t know you sent)! Finally had a chance to read through your field notes on the Monitor. Sounds like that went pretty well. I hate to show my ignorance, but what exactly is a cenote? I love to read the notes of what you are doing, but it does cause me to worry. Diving — and now rappelling?!? Take care! Looking forward to your coming to Texas. Has it been as hot in Mexico as it has been here?
Love from your Mom

I remembered on the flight down and called and asked Cindy to send the flowers. It has been stiffling hot and muggy! Click here to read about cenotes. And by the way, Mothers are supposed to worry. You should call Cindy, Sarah is about due and Johnna has one coming soon, also.

I read with great trepidation the adventures that you have encountered. I for one would not do it. Personally, I would elect to “rappel” into a cenote and “repel” mosquitos. Semper Fi!!!
signed ====> you know who…

OK. So my spelling is a little off – I was in the Air Force, remember.

Keep up the great work. I’m sorry not to be with you. I plan to be in St. Petersburg on the 9th to the 12th of October staying with Gene Shinn. He had a great news release on his dust studies in the St. Petersburg Times two days ago. I’m sending the web page to Cindy so she can save it for you.
NOW DO NOT FORGET TO collect a stalagmite with its depth if you find one [deep]. Sounds like you are all doing what you all do so well.
Good Luck to all and Cheers from desk bound Bob Dill

Thanks Bob. We look forward to talking with you about going back to Belize next June.

Great to follow your expedition via the internet. Keep up the Good work. See you in October.
Paul Kuiper
Michigan

Thanks. We’ll be warmed up for the dives.

The reason you didn’t find it the first day is you let Terrence lead. You guys have been around him long enough to know that he cant find his way out of a paper sack. Be careful, good luck and happy hunting.
Chad

Since you are an old Navy diver, I guess you would understand those paper sack problems.

The pictures are great. It looks like ya are having a great adventure. Really Enjoyed the updates. Thanks.

The updates are what the Foundation is all about – getting the message out – Education. We are all glad you enjoy them. We do, too.

Good work men. I hope you all get wet soon. I am on my 6th week in Albuquerque, NM. This isobaric life is tough. I may practice rappelling from my fourth floor room with no rope. Just kidding. Good luck, have fun and safe diving.
Ken Schneider

Hey haven’t your heard? Work is over-rated. You should be here with us.