Whatever happened to that cow was an Udder Disaster!
If you see a herd of cows spread out then you know it is going to be a nice day. If the cows are clustering together you know something is up. Here’s something that man has never noticed before - but thanks to Google Earth - now knows: cows tend to face in the north-south direction of the Earth’s magnetic field and tend to point north. And finally, their back side. The little rhyme for this is: "A cow with their tail to the west makes weather the best; a cow with their tail to the east makes weather the least". Despite all this I have my own opinion on how cows face…… Mark knows it….. and today….. on the way to Ginnie Springs……..all the cows were facing the road. This is not good. It’s like an apocalypse…… it is not good.
I was late. How I missed the alarm doesn’t matter but I was just barely going to make it. We were diving the Devil System again, and not Peacock because of the threatening thunderstorms, and the rain, and the tornado warnings…… the apocalypse……
We gear up in the rain and I am distracted, without a doubt, can’t decide whether to take my tanks under the pavilion or just assemble them in the rain and so I put them together with no wing. And I gear up and slip into my harness and I have captured my crotch strap under my plate and again I reassemble. All of the duct tape have wrapped around my fingers has fallen off 3 or 4 times and I have abandoned all hope for using it. And so we hike down to the water and down the stairs and I step off into 12 feet of water with my fins in my hand and float around like a big old pool toy while I pull my fins on, instead of gracefully stepping into them on the last step. I then do an S-Drill with the instructor and just stick my long hose in his hand instead of offering it in a manner an out of air diver would appreciate. The entire time my mask has not stopped fogging. Not good. Not drowning on this dive becomes a goal for me, I have to concentrate.
Today we are going into the caves via Devils Eye. The Eye lies just off of the steps and you drop over the edge into a large hole and down to a short wide hole in the rock wall. From here you pull yourself down and over the limestone rocks through a winding passage until you reach the gold line of the cave. I was supposed to run the reel in but due to my auspicious start it was thought better that I just follow this dive. And follow I did.
With some minor bumping and my nerves a bit on edge we made our way back into the cave. Light awareness was the task for Doug and I needed to pull things together. We moved rather quickly and not sure if it was me or just the leader on a fast pace, I struggled to keep up. I feel a bit better when I catch Doug heading down a side passage and off the line and signal him to stop. I guess I am not all bad. Doug does a lost line drill this time and I rest out of the flow as I wait for him to finish. Back out and to the bottom of the hole ….. we do a 3 minute stop and head up.
Dive #2 will involve some skills for me, Lost Buddy to be exact. Back in we go and back into the cave. I relax just a little and notice small black fish swimming along the cave floor. This is the first time I have seen any fish inside the actual cave…..out of ALL 4 TIMES no less. I know poking them is not an option and I continue on my way hoping not to chew up my little fingers too much in the process. On the way back out I am signaled “Where is my buddy?” and begin my drill. Stop, think, cover my light, mark the line, search, tie in a safety reel and search the side passage. Decent job I am thinking as I try to untie my reel….and try……and try…. and it is now thoroughly fouled and I pull out my knife and before I cut it from the line the instructor steps in and does it for me. Probably a good thing because if I had cut the gold line…. Well my day was just going that way…. You know….
Out we go and as I hover at my 15 foot stop I see my computer going berserk….. the mix was not properly set I have sent it into a hissy fit of unfathomable magnitudes. And I hear water sloshing in my boots. Time for a lunch break.
My computer has locked me out, I lost the little ball from the end of my reel and I have 2 inches of water in my suit. Quitting has never looked so good.
I drive back to the trailer with my car heater going full blast, get dry clothes, and a spare little ball thingy, and my spare computer, and my spare mask, a box of band aids for my fingers and I drive back. I am not ready to just jump right in and the team goes on ahead and does a dive while I fix my gear and take some steadying breaths. I know if I don’t gear up and go down to the water they will finish the day without me and I will just give in, but I take my time and get it all together and march down the stairs and sit on the bottom step and put on my fins and contemplate those damned cows as I wait for the rest of the group to surface.
Back down to the Ear we go and pull ourselves along the rocks and through the tunnel and into the cave. We get back to the Lips and I am called on for a Lost Line Drill. Blackout mask on and I am turned around and let go. I find a rock and unclip my safety reel and begin to wrap line when…… the reel fouls. I fumble with it for what seems forever and with the blacked out mask can not find anything. I secure it and clip it off and take off my second reel. The flow is having its way with me and I straddle the rock to stay in one place and pull out some line and wrap it on up. Pull out about 5 feet of line and set out to do a sweep and find the line. Feeling for the direction of flow and acclimating myself to where the line should be I continue but I am not having luck and am afraid that the tie off has come undone. I continue and stop several more times to be sure I have the flow right, head up to find new rock and finally…… after what seemed an eternity ……… I grasp the line. My mask is given back and I am signaled to reel in my line and lead out. I reel in ….. oh maybe a foot ….. and proceed to foul this reel also. I have had it. I wrap the line around the reel and tie it up like a present and head out.
Coming up and out of the hole and into the river water I spy a small turtle swimming along the bottom. I haven’t poked anything all day and my AAD kicks in and I chase after my speedy little friend. My dive buddy, Doug, thinks I have lost my mind and my bearings and tries to drag me back. I acquiesce and head on for the steps and out. It has been a long day. 121 apocalyptic minutes under water.
I have completed all the skills for Basic Cave in spite of myself, but am not happy with my performance today. Not my reel untying for sure, and I am a bit unconfident on my lost line skills after that fiasco. My instructor claims to have never had a student foul 3 reels in one day like that. I am special. Our team awareness could use some work too and Doug and I will extend the course one more day to work on our weak points.
Beware the cows is all I can say…… they foretell the apocalypse. For me ….. tomorrow has to be better.