The first week of the 2009 Weeki Wachee diving season was successful in many ways.  In the middle of the week, KUR had a team of divers verify the integrity of the guidelines and re-aligned some of the abrasion protectors that had gotten shifted out of place.  They also confirmed the anchoring tie-off was still in good condition and in the cave, they relocated a rock to raise the downstream line to keep it from gouging a clay bank.  Divers reported that the visibility actually looked a little better than last year - a little less white hazy (but the haze is still there).

On Saturday we had familiarization dives for several new KUR divers.  They learned the "ins and outs" of Weeki Wachee.  We were all happy with their ability to navigate the natural hazards associated with Weeki Wachee's difficult entry and exit.

Lastly (on the diving front), a new piece of debris has been found at the bottom of the fissure leading to the cave.  This debris is a metal sign and will be extracted next week as it is a hazard to the safety of the divers. 

The image to the right show water levels we placed inside the theater during the 2007 exploration season.  From the picture to the left (taken by Becky Kagan of Liquid Productions), you can clearly see that the water level in the basin is already at the level it was during the last dive of the 2007 exploration season (7-14-2007).  One can also see how quickly the basin level raises after the rains begin (8-14-2007 & 8-28-2007).  It is bittersweet to be able to dive Weeki Wachee as it means that our aquifer is suffering horribly.

Many thanks go out to everyone at Weeki Wachee and the Florida State Park system for making this year's exploration project as easy as it has been so far.