After enough good weather in the Hepste valley in South Wales Andy and Colin thought Tucks Rift might be in condition. This is a long term project that has resulted in us finding about 100 m of previously unexplored passage and one aven with an impassable surface connection. At the end of this passage there is a possible dig site but it is beyond a couple of interesting constrictions so we have been looking at other possibilities in the system. Our chosen site is at the end of downstream sump 2; originally explored by Martyn Farr the known limit of the sump is described as being low over cobbles to a sharp right hand bend to a tight rift.
On the day we found that the dry spell had been long enough for the vis to clear and that the bad weather so far this year had done considerable damage to the dive line. Repair work on the line through S1 and the start of S2 took us to the point where our last dive in the cave had been halted by flood debris. The latest floods had washed the passage clear and line was laid into the continuation of S2 in good vis until the dive was turned on air margins after 45 minutes. All old damaged line was removed and both divers noted a booming noise at one point in the sump which could indicate a water surface being hit by a waterfall.
The picture was taken in the air bell between S1 and S2 with a bundle of old line in the divers right hand.
Couldn’t you have just taken a big breath in this air bell (pictured) to have got past the “air margin”? ๐ฎ
Only on a rebreather. ๐ก
I was joking – so a re-breather attempt is next then is it?
Oh, and BTW, another great piccy! ๐
Not sure about this joking thing…
No need for a rebreather, although we turned on margins we were very conservative. The dive could have been longer. Once the line is sorted out there will be plenty of air available for digging.
Do you only look at the pics ๐
Hmm, yes your pictures are great – Laetitia and I were only saying this AM how amazing they are!
But no I don’t just look at the pictures, as you can tell from this thread of comments I read the text too, otherwise I wouldn’t have quoted margins an stuff… ๐ณ
Not sure about this ๐ฏ
๐ก
Maybe Tish reads them to you ๐
Thank you Tish. I’ll try and make the next post pictures only so you can have the evening off.
LOL – I have been so busy I didn’t even manage to read this until today ๐ณ
Pete is always telling me off for not replying to the blogs – I’m sucha bad girl ๐
… and now I see your blog has suddenly been pushed to the previous logs page by the ever busy Pete.
I’m going to ask Pete for a new smiley design just for people like you ๐
Don’t worry about Pete pushing my post off the page. It just confirms what I have always suspected. Pete is a git ๐
So, I’m a “git” yet you think I might provide you with a new smiley huh?
Correct โ
HA, I can now exclusively reveal that “the diver” whose hand the “bundle of old line” is in, is in fact Colin himself!!!