The domestication continues: the peacock to baptize the connection
In August 2010, James Toland and Agnes Milowka made the connection between Peacock Springs and Baptizing Spring. The connection between the two springs extended the Peacock Springs cave system by more than 10,000 feet (3 km), adding significantly to its already extensive passage of 28,000 feet (8.5 km).
In this interview, Agnes and James will share the thrill of adventure and exploration as they searched for their first connection.
Many people assume that everything in Florida has been found and explored. How could they possibly be finding a new cave, even in popular systems like Peacock Springs?
James: A lot of divers in the Florida cave diving community are focusing on exploration around the world, but I think it’s important to focus on exploring in our own backyard, something I like to call backdoor diving.
There are still many caves here waiting to be pushed, and with the evolution of dive equipment and divers alike, comes the ability to go deeper and longer dives. This opens up new and exciting opportunities that were overlooked or never considered in the past.
Agnes: I think it’s about attitude. Too many people assume that everything has been aligned and explored and are more than happy to follow the lines that are already there. While there is a culture of exploration in Florida, popular caves like Peacock are not seen these days. I guess it just goes to show that the possibilities are endless and that the potential is still there, even in popular and often submerged caves.
How did you find the clue that eventually led to your baptism?
James: Ag was looking for some leads with one of his regular dive buddies and he hit the jackpot. After confirming that the lead was underway, he got going. She contacted me and said to set up a line; obviously she really had to twist my arm.
Agnes: I was actually doing a fun dive with another friend and we decided to see a section of Peacock that I hadn’t seen before: the water feature tunnel for the Peanut Line.
As it got narrower and smaller, I knew we were reaching the end of the line and was very curious to see what would happen next. Finally the line ended and, as he suspected, the cave continued. It was a little tight and quite muddy, but it was definitely still working. I tied and used the pieces of thread that I had left on my spool to see what to expect. I put 200ft (60m) of line on that dive and decided I was an assistant.
So you found the prospect and it looked promising. Tell us about your next dive.
James: A week later, Ag and I were back, and yes, we were armed with more line and more gas. The mission was simple; put the whole line in.
They graciously gave me the lead again and we got it right. One reel, two reels, and then before we knew it, the third reel was coming out. The cave decided to throw a loop into the mix and it started to break apart and split in various directions, so the T’s started to fly. We managed to add over 1000 feet of line. In the end, the dive was 280 minutes, but with an average depth of 35 feet (10 m), we only incurred 10 minutes of decompression.
Agnes: This time we had more line and we were armed with two reels each. Nothing was going to stop us this time! We knew the dive was going to be long, so despite not being a morning person, I got up early. At 8 am we were there, waiting for the park gates to open.
It was an incredible dive. We dropped reel after reel and it didn’t look like the cave was going to stop. Eventually the way forward became less obvious and we had to start researching various options and clues here and there. In the end, these didn’t go to places, but we felt like we had a successful dive. You can’t sneeze if you fall more than 1,000 feet (300 m) of line in one day.
When did you know that you were going to Baptize?
James: We started to get suspicious on our second dive. After going through the Mud Flats, the low and muddy part of the beginning of our exploration, we started to find these hairy green mats of algae flowing through the tunnels. We noticed it on the previous dive, but we didn’t think about it much. On this dive we saw it in abundance on all the new line we put up. It also went along the peanut line in very weak tufts. As we progressed into the cave, it accumulated in larger masses and more frequently. I mean, there were large groups of these things. Then we start to find dead oak leaves in small clusters. All the telltale signs of an opening.
Agnes: We knew we had to be near an opening because of all the swollen green algae. I remember seeing many at the Baptizing entrance when I first explored it. It began to make sense that we were heading toward Baptize; Where else would all the flow come from?
I still remember standing by the banks of Baptizing with James a couple of years ago and speculating and discussing where all the water was going.
Even then we thought it was headed for Peacock, but we weren’t sure if a human could physically fit in until the end. Well, here was our chance to find out.
Tell us more about the moment you went online.
James: Ag was in the lead and had the great honor of tying the lines at both ends. At the brand we chose would be the most likely, he set the reel and 200 feet (60 m) later the end of the line came from downstream Baptizing Springs. Ag tied that extreme and we continued to move forward to make sure that we had indeed done so. There was no question in our minds as we entered the well just downstream from the entrance to Baptizing. Unfortunately we were unable to get out as the already very tight entry restriction was completed due to past flooding. However, we did see daylight and after a bit of digging we opened it wide. We return the next day to make the journey itself.
Agnes: It was amazing! I saw my line above and my blue ‘Ag’ arrow and knew we had done it! I was excited. He could have done a little dance right then and there, if not physically, certainly on the inside.
It was nice to go back through old, familiar territory in Baptizing downstream. I was glad to see that my line was in good condition and not buried, even after all the floods last year. Suddenly, the cave was part of a much larger picture. Making the connection through the Baptizing inlet pool, we had suddenly joined Peacock with the upstream section of Baptizing. This meant that the peacock cave system was suddenly over 10,000 feet (3 km) longer!
The next dive, the swim, was a formality, but it was also quite exciting. To descend into one spring and out another, 4600 feet (1400 m) upstream was quite remarkable. A diver physically swimming through the passages demonstrates the hydrological link between the two springs and provides much for thought. If a diver can swim in the water, so can pollution and pollution, and it is worth noting that the water flowing through Peacock goes a long way and everything that happens upstream has an effect on quality. of the water in the park.
Bob Schulte is an important part of your team. What was your role regarding the connection?
James: The problem was that before the new Ag scan line was laid, there was a section of the line that was not knotted, around 400 feet (120 m). Ag and I tried to get the data with a tape measure that came out once, but we couldn’t due to zero visualization. This prevented us from plotting all the survey data as a map, so we never had a real perspective of where exactly we were going. Ag returned to Australia briefly, so at this point we brought Bob in for fun and games. He and I obtained the missing survey data from the previous line and examined the rest of the cave in more detail.
Bob brings some unique skills to the table. This guy is on fire with some crazy skills in surveying, mapping, and putting all our gibberish together. Bob is going to seduce the world of cave diving with his maps in the near future and he does an absolutely amazing job – he’s a must-have on any project.
Agnes: Before we did the connect dive, James and I spent a full dive blindly chasing clues. It was so frustrating; we knew we were close, but we couldn’t figure out which clue was the magic one. We found all kinds of cool things, but we were really looking for the connection.
It was only once Bob compiled the survey notes and created a map that our next move became clear. Indeed, once everything was arranged, it was simple; less than 250 feet (75 m) later we hit the mark and made the connection. The map made a difference and Bob’s map is amazing. In the meantime, just for the record, I have an ax to grind with anyone who puts a line and doesn’t knot it first!
Is this section of the cave unique? Is there something really cool there or is it all low and muddy?
James: The cave is by far one of the best snorkeling spots in North Florida. Fossils litter the passageways throughout the new exploration. After jumping off the main line, the cave takes on a whole new look. The walls have no scars. The floors are littered with all kinds of bones, from regular vertebrae, jaws, teeth, and long bones, to areas that look like a seafood buffet with crab claws and limbs sticking out of the walls. It looks like a cave should look before all its treasures are violated and diver traffic.
Passages range from a sizable pit cave with sandy bottoms to low restriction muddy clay bottoms. Some passages are almost complete from top to bottom. The flow dynamics are interesting and some areas have an exceptional amount of flow compared to the rest of Peacock. Then other areas have little to no flow, especially where the cave starts to come out like a cobweb. These areas are typically low and silty and have no visibility at the exit.
Agnes: I’m a huge Peacock fan in general. I think it is one of the most extraordinary and incredible caves in Florida. In my mind, baptizing will always be special, as it was my first foray into real and extensive exploration and I found a lot of virgin cave there. Joining these two caves and expanding the Peacock System was an extraordinary experience.
As James said, the amount of fossil remains in the cave is impressive and there is a lot of archaeological material around Baptizing Spring. It is a fascinating system on many levels. Baptizing Spring has this rich history dating back to the Timucuan Indians and the Spanish invasion in the 17th century. Then there is hydrology; there are still many mysteries surrounding the flow of water around Peacock. Finding this huge amount of new cave and revealing one more little piece of the puzzle is really cool.
But some parts of the cave are low and muddy. The entire Peacock to Baptizing run is an advanced side cave dive and while not off limits it certainly requires good gas management and a love of tight spots, thick silt, and zero visibility.
