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Andy Stewart
Guest
Has anyone done the connection between Oxlow and Giant's recently? I had a look from Poached Egg Passage last weekend and found the water to be stinking and horrible? 
Brains
Well-known member
?Usually been fairly fresh in there, even with some draft if the tide is out enough. Do you mean polluted with diesel or cowsh, stagnant, full of bacterial goo or what? There was a lot of bacterial growth in Peak a while back from allegedly paper waste spreading on the moor, is it a return of this type of problem?
Or is it just the Chamber of Horrors has scared the previous cavers too much? :twisted:
Or is it just the Chamber of Horrors has scared the previous cavers too much? :twisted:
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Andy Stewart
Guest
It was a stagnant, horrible kind of smell, and my mate noticed an oily film on it. It put me off going any further even though I was only lying in a couple of inches of it. There was no evidence of polluted water in any other part of the cave, and we spent 6 hours mooching about last saturday. I am interested in doing the trip, but I would be loathe to immerse myself in it if it's like this for much of the way.
Brains
Well-known member
something along lines of long hands and knees crawl (From Oxlow/Maskhill) followed by long flat out crawl with squeeze to a flooded section. 2 or 3 sumps may become ducks in drought. Airbells are low. float through gently on your back so you can breath without making waves to swamp your face in the bells. squirm out into giants.
Classic is to do maskhill to east canal, and back same way.
sounds simple doesnt it
Classic is to do maskhill to east canal, and back same way.
sounds simple doesnt it
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Andy Stewart
Guest
Has anyone been through St Valentines sump recently? There was a thread a few months back, but was it possible to bail the sump into the drain hole or not? :?: I'm prepared to take a long hose pipe if that's what it needed.
Katie
Active member
Have a look at the derbyshire section for stuff on St Valentines... about a trip last week and i think one planned for toinght.
We did chamber of horrors from giants and back. Its 'grim' cos its quite small, the ducks are fairly restricted and there is not much airspace. I was lucky (being small) so didnt displace too much water and was able to keep airspace all the way, however at times only my lips were out of the water with my eyes being underwater!
The people i was with werent so small so all lost airspace and had to hold their breath for bits of it.
But its definatly good fun! bit of adrenelin....
We did chamber of horrors from giants and back. Its 'grim' cos its quite small, the ducks are fairly restricted and there is not much airspace. I was lucky (being small) so didnt displace too much water and was able to keep airspace all the way, however at times only my lips were out of the water with my eyes being underwater!
The people i was with werent so small so all lost airspace and had to hold their breath for bits of it.
But its definatly good fun! bit of adrenelin....
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Andy Stewart
Guest
Thanks for the info. I was reading the wrong date for the thread on St Valentines. Did they do the trip though?
You did the connection in August which sounds like a better option than January. The thought of stagnant water doesn't appeal though.
The plan is to bail St Valentines this saturday unless the weather is too good to go underground.
You did the connection in August which sounds like a better option than January. The thought of stagnant water doesn't appeal though.
The plan is to bail St Valentines this saturday unless the weather is too good to go underground.
Cave_Troll
Active member
I'm assuming that Rob didn't go down to Valentine's last night
bubba
Administrator
It has always been on my hit-list, but I think I've gone too soft for it nowdays - just your lips out of the water just sounds downright nasty.
I've heard tales of people smashing their noses up on the roof as they clawed their way through in a panic
Does it every dry out to allow sensible airspace?
I've heard tales of people smashing their noses up on the roof as they clawed their way through in a panic
Does it every dry out to allow sensible airspace?
SamT
Moderator
Andy Stewart said:
See St Val's thread - You will not be able to bail the sump - the old drain hole is completely and irrevocably blocked . If you have a decent bilge pump (double diaphragm) and can sort something out to connect it to a 3/4" (approx) int. dia. hose (of the yellow compressed air type) then you could try and syphon it.
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Andy Stewart
Guest
Right- I have a pump, but how far is it to siphon back to? There was a drain hole that took water last saturday. Or would it have to go back to the Eating house to drain the sump?
Rob
Well-known member
Andy Stewart said:Has anyone done the connection between Oxlow and Giant's recently? I had a look from Poached Egg Passage last weekend and found the water to be stinking and horrible?
Went through from Maskhill today. The stream, all the pools leading up to the duck, and the duck itself were absolutely fresh. However, emerging from the duck just before breaking out into the main passage, is a short pool which absolutely stank. Not sure if it came from a whole load of cows directly above or a human who got a bit scared, but it definately was not nice! Especially when the tackle bag got stuck just at that point!
Suppose it was better than getting stuck 15 meters earlier!
