i still have sand and rock on my hair from my last two dives.  both

were at Blue Spring, Florida, this Sunday, July 31.  Here are some pictures.

          my buddy howard and i did two cave dives down to 117 feet.

now, Blue Spring is about as easy as a cave gets.  it's just a big shaft

going down to a largish round room.  the folds on the wall on the way

down are beautiful, like folded napkins resting on each other, one set

on either side of the shaft going down, down,  down...

          at 60 feet, there is the usual "go no further if untrained" sign.  not

too long ago, this was the end of the line for me.  last time we were

here, i got a $125.00 ticket (rightly so) for carrying a light without

being at least cavern certified. ("is that your flashlight?" asked the

ranger when i emptied my bc pockets onto the ground at his request.

"ah... yessir..."  ka-ching... $125.00)

ok... i guess i have to tell you about that before i can tell you about my

last two dives there... so.... here goes

    Andy gets a ticket

     flash back a year... same place... howard and i are at Blue Spring 

just west of Daytona Beach. neither one of us has cavern training.  we

decide to take a small light with us to look at the folds of  the cave

(bright light, not such a bright idea in retrospect).  but you know...

such things just make so much sense in the light of day...

     anyways... down we go, howard and i, with me providing the light.

at around 100 feet we can't see bottom (i guess the flashlight wasn't

as bright as we thought), so we turn back from a dive we really had

no business doing in the first place.

    we spent most of the rest of the dive looking around the floor, the

folds, various small openings that lead here and there.  i, of course,

stow my light since it was no longer needed.

     as soon as we break the surface, i see the ranger on the

observation post looking at us.  i didn't think much of it.  we float

down the quarter mile or so to the exit, and there, waiting for us, is

the ranger. i didn't think much of that either, though at this point it

dawned on me that carrying a light without the proper certification

in Blue Spring is not allowed. i don't recall exactly what, but i remember

thinking something like "good thing i stowed my light."

     after a short walk to the parking lot, we get our gear off.  howard

comes towards me.  "What do you think about  this?" he says, holding

his hand out.  he's holding a small bullet, probably a .40 caliber, not

particularly ancient-looking.  he got it at the entrance to the cave

zone, at around 60 feet.  he just saw it  lying there.  he had no light.

     "what have you got there?" says the ranger, suddenly next to us.

i turn to him, pretty exited.  "look, we found a bullet. how old do you

think it is?"

*wronggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg*

     Blue Spring is a protected state park.  you can't remove artifacts.  i

knew this.  but... somehow... i am holding an artifact and a ranger is

looking at me like i am the dumbest person this side of constantinople.

     thinks i: ok, i'm a moron; give me the ticket

    "do you know you're not supposed to pick up artifacts" says the ranger

     "yessir... i completely forgot about that, and my friend here just

handed me the bullet,"  says i.  i am thinking:  i'm a moron;

give me the ticket.

     "do you know you're not supposed to have lights if you're not cavern

certified?" asks the ranger

     "yessir... i knew that," says i.

     "did you take a light with you?"

     here's the moment of truth.  i'm not going to lie to a ranger.  dang it. here we go.

     "yessir, i had a light," says i.  i am thinking: i am a moron; please give me the ticket.

      "i knew you had the light with you," says the ranger.  "i could see

the bubbles coming out a particular spot, and you only get there if you

have a light.  also, you found the bullet."

     (actually, howard found the bullet without a light.  but i did have a light).

     "yessir.  i do have a light.  here it is," says i (i empty both BC

pockets for him to see i'm not carrying out Pocahonta's wedding

nosering or anything like that).  i am thinking: i am a moron; let's

get this over with; please give me the ticket.

     "ok... here's your ticket," says the ranger. 

cut to:

     howard and i get cavern certified shortly thereafter

            stay tuned for part ii: andy gets stuck in a cave