Report #2 of the EJIDO JACINTO PAT EXPLORATION EXPEDITION

FIRST VICTORY!

Yesterday, BRIAN KULKA (known as SECRET WEAPON) successfully makes the CONNECTION between Cenote Macco's Marvels (M1) (this area contains now contains 18,000+feet) with Cenote Kentucky Castle (or part of the SISTEMA DOS OJOS renamed SISTEMA EJIDO JACINTO PAT which has 118,000+ feet).
This now makes the entire CAVE reach over 136,000 feet. Our optimistic GOAL is 200,000 feet. According to reports, still plenty of cave to add line.
STEVE KEENE adds 400 feet in Cenote Monolito which is small, swiss cheese type of limestone which makes slow progress. Will keep jabbing away. YESTERDAY, PAUL HEINERTH, JILL RABJOHN, GARY LEMME, BILL RENNAKER, BOB GRIFFITH and RICH CHAPSKI arrived. Move their equipment out to BASECAMP today. First day already encounter minor logistics problems but now have it corrected. BIL PHILIPS, LEE GIBSON and DONN ELLERBROCK missed VAN ride back to Villas DeRosa. Hike out to Highway 307 and catch a cab! Only in Mexico! Will have two vans parked at Cenote Dos Ojos for people to get back at night.
Today's assignments: STEVE KEENE continues jabbing away from Cenote Monolito. BILL RENAKER will make dive in Cenote Hilario's Well and get familiar with downstream flow. BILL PHILIPS and DONN ELLERBROCK with work as TEAM in Cenote M1. SUE SHARPLES and KEVIN MACK will work as TEAM in Cenote M1. CONNIE LoRe and son TRAVIS LoRe will work in Cenote Kentucky Castle. LEE GIBSON will work solo with side mount in Kentucky Castle. BRIAN KULKA camped out at BASECAMP. Not sure where BUDDY QUATTLEBAUM will put him. Want to put him in SISTEMA EK BE (located two kilometers north of the Cenote High Voltage (part of Dos Ojos) and push this cave east back toward Dos Ojos cave system. 1500 feet seperate the two cave according to our data. BOB GRIFFITH and RICH CHAPSKI are set up for SIDEMOUNT so I'm sure BUDDY will put them in the M1 area. PAUL HEINERTH is set up for side mount. JILL RABJOHN and GARY LEMME are back mount and will work as a TEAM. ED GROSSENBACHER of Austin, Texas will continue pushing his lead. This guy a pleasant surprise!
Differences of philosophy began to evolve. BUDDY wants kill shots of 1000 feet laid by each team. I'm coaching the philosophy of boxing. Jab here, counterjab there. If each team lays 400- 500 feet each day (with the # of divers we have) it will QUICKLY add up. The CAVE will only give you what the CAVE has. If you don't go, YOU won't know. PSYCHOLOLOGY is a major factor in underwater cave exploration. Particularly when dealing with a large group of divers. The CONNECTION yesterday by Secret Weapon was a big uplift and put us AHEAD of schedule for at least three days. NO doubt we will encounter valleys and mountains as we go along. MAJOR OBSTACLE is handling the # of DIVERS at ONE entry is confusion and SAFETY. NO ONE DIVESITE ENTRY can handle no more than 4 - 6 divers tops during the day. BUDDY insists ALL divers dive at Cenote M1 and Kentucky Castle as there is PLENTY of cave. I agree there is plenty of cave but the entry sites CAN'T handle that many divers. WE are going to spread them out, poke and jab and NOT think GREEDY.
The line will add up! Today being the OFFICIAL second day of THE GRAND FINALE, I'm sure we will ENCOUNTER more logistical problems out at M1 and KENTUCKY CASTLE and everyone WILL LEARN from it. But, we will ADJUST, think smart and MUST learn to USE OUR limited time efficiently, effectively and SAFELY. TOMMORROW will go smoother as everyone becomes familar with the cave and figures out where they need to go! This game is NEW for most of this group. Everyone will learn. Everyone will have FUN!
Now it is COMMERCIAL TIME! WE wish to thank ALL of our WONDERFUL SPONSORS. First, Tony & Nancy DeRosa of VILLAS DEROSA/AQUATECH with providing acommodations, tanks and air, vehicles, etc.. DIVERITE - Lamar Hires with guideline. As a comment, the word I get that over 80,000 feet of guideline was either donated or purchaced from DIVERITE for this project. TOM & PATTI MOUNT with IANTD. Tom, don't worry ...... I can assure you that the investment of your donation will obtain the advertisement for IANTD. Big Thank you to RICHARD RACHEL of UltraTek - Jordan, Utah who provided 500 beautiful, large, orange arrow markers with SISTEMA EJP stamped on it. Nice. Big Thank you to BETH SOMMERS and MARK STEINGART. Mark painstakingly, made 100 beautiful, large, white arrow markers. Great Job! AMERICAN UNDERWATER LIGHTING - Arnold Jackson donated two primary lights and parts. ROB HARRIS - IT's DIVE TIME in Columbus, Ohio for donating $2,000.00 and organizing/handling the beautiful baseball project caps. NICE! OCEANIC - Barry Warner with their loaning of various equipment. Excellent! IKELITE loaned the use of TWO 300 watt Strobes. Great. SCUBA WEST - Paul Heinerth. NACD - donated $1,000.00 to our cause. (Lloyd, please sign the damn check) SPRING SYSTEMS DIVE OUTPOST of Luraville, Florida donated $500.00. Jonathan Lesh is doing a great job as DIVEMASTER and helping me as my assistant. . ...
TOM YOUNG and LANCE MILBRAND fly in FRIDAY as will BILL DOOLEY. My SWEEP TEAM comes in SATURDAY, JUNE 15th. My "Ace of Spades" that I always keep tucked in my back pocket. STEVE BERMAN, STEVE IRVING, PAT WATSON, KEITH KINARD and DAVID MINOR. All superb side mount cave divers. Well, it is close to 7:00 A.M.. Must go back into this adventure and see what happens today! ISN'T CAVE DIVING funnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????? Maintain. Be safe.
STEVE GERRARD