Cave Country Trip Report
Thursday:
I managed a half day of work before sneaking out, picking up Jordan and heading south. Half days are very difficult to pull off but I managed to wrap up a project, send off some emails, scarf down a quick lunch and miraculously get out the door by 12:15. I ended up packing way more than I needed which tends to happen when I put off packing till the night before. But I didn’t forget anything so in the end I would consider it a success. I have packing anxiety…the need to pack anything and everything I might possibly ever need over a span of 3 days and then have an irrational fear that I have forgotten something painfully obvious.
We pulled up to Dive Outpost in Luraville, FL around 10pm, unloaded, made a game plan for the morning dive and then hit the bunks.
Friday:
Dive 1 - We decided on a nice, easy shake down dive to start the trip off. We wanted to make sure all of our gear was working properly and get re-acquainted with the caves. We cruised up the peanut line till we hit the peanut restriction then turned and headed back. Simple, familiar and relaxing.
Dive 2/3 - We went up the peanut line again but then took the jump to the Waterhole line and followed that ALL the way to Waterhole III sink. When I surfaced I saw a 3’ gator (sorry no photo evidence), Jordan freaked out, we chatted for a bit, then off we went back to the entrance. This was a new dive route for me and it was gorgeous!
After our dives we joined Paul Heinerth for dinner at a BBQ country style buffet of sorts in Mayo. This appears to be the hopping place for a Friday night in small town Florida. The food was delicious and I am not one to turn down a $8 all-you-can-eat buffet that includes ‘naner puddin’. I’ve got a little southern blood from my dad’s side mixed with a killer appetite from a day of diving.
Saturday:
Dive 4 - I convinced Jordan to step slightly out of his comfort zone (but in a good way) and dive Little River in the morning. It was love at first site and he is eager to explore the unique cave system again. We kept it simple and just cruised up the main line and turned at the T intersection. Since Jordan was no-deco we decided to keep it a short run time and enjoyed the free ride back out of the system.
{Side note: Tripping up these stairs with twin 95s on your back is painful}
Dive 5/6 - We ventured back to Peacock I for the afternoon. The game plan was Pothole line this time, then jump to the Cisteen line. We decided to surface at Cisteen to check it out. It’s a bit of a tight silty exit but cool sink hole. No aligators this time which was good. We relaxed for a bit then headed on our way back. I hadn’t been down the Pothole line in a few years and it was a nice change of scenery with the wide open passages.
Back to the shop to drop tanks and gear off then we headed to Pepe’s Grocery and Restaurant in Live Oak per the recommendation of Tim (the shop guy at Dive Outpost). Not nearly as shady as I anticipated and delicious food and ridiculous portions. I took the recommendation on the guacamole and it was indeed some of the best I’ve ever had.
Sunday:
Dive 7 - One last dive at Peacock I before hitting the road back to NC. Per the recommendation of Tony Flaris we ventured up the Peanut line, jumped to the Crossover tunnel then jumped to the Olsen bypass. This was also new territory for me and I really enjoyed the zig zag passage. It was quite silty and was a good test of our skills for the last dive of the trip.
Map of our dives in Peacock I - Dive 1 (red), Dive 2/3 (blue), Dive 5/6 (green), and Dive 7 (yellow)
We stopped by a friends house on our way out of town. It’s always nice to visit the Evesques and say hi to their furry “children” (dogs).
We were then back on the road for the LONG drive back. It’s about a 9 hour drive and just goes on and on and on. It’s definitely worth it for a weekend of exploring underground passages, gorgeous parks and a little taste of slower paced country life style.
