Long Dry Spell

June 14, 2003 - 11:00 AM - Eagle's Nest

A group consisting of several teams met at the entrance of Chassohowitzka Wildlife Management Area in Hernando County to assess the conditions in the cave system of Eagle's Nest. The dive site has been officially closed for diving since August 1999.

Team 1: Michael and Sherry Garman - Did a dive to the Super Room. They collected water samples and Mike and Sherry had a hydro lab on site.

Team 2: Dan Lins and Jitka Hyniavo - Did a dive to Lockwood Tunnel off the downstream passage of the cave. Both stated the visibility was the best that they have seen and saw no problems with the safety of the guideline.

Team 3: John Jones and Jerry Murphy- Did a scooter dive to Super Room in the upstream passage.

Team 4: Larry and Debra Green - Did a scooter dive to the end of the line of Green Tunnel. Circuited Kings Challenge and The Super Room on the way out. All markers and lines in place and in good condition. The visibility was good. The basin conditions were very limited visibility, but cleared entering the vertical entry chimney at 60'.

The roads to access Eagle's Nest are considerably longer now than people may have been used to traveling in the past, but a small price to pay for such a great site. Road conditions were expected to be bad because of the local rainfall, but we found favorable conditions.
Diving at Eagle's Nest is under permit only at this time while conditions of the cave are being evaluated. We are looking at public access sometime during the month of July.

Everyone should offer thanks to the diligent efforts of Michael Poucher and all who assisted this project.
I have attached some pictures from the day.

Larry Green