Merlin Mine - 8ft Sump..?

[matthewjc]

Had a bit of a jolly down Merlins with friends on friday evening, made it to Gimils Dream & Pool Chamber containing the downstream end of sump 1 for the first time, it was very wet down there with water almost waist deep & sump 1 being a long way from being open (i guess it has to be pretty dry for the sumps 1 - 5 to open up..?). We had a look at, but decided not to try the duck with the rope leading off to the right (what the master survey shows as the '8ft sump') as it was sumped and sounded like there was a lot of water flowing on the other side.

Just wondering if the duck is ok to do when fully sumped, ie is it straightforward following the rope & coming up the other side or is it best left until water levels lower..?

Cheers
Matt

 

[mulucaver]

Had a bit of a jolly down Merlins with friends on friday evening, made it to Gimils Dream & Pool Chamber containing the downstream end of sump 1 for the first time, it was very wet down there with water almost waist deep & sump 1 being a long way from being open (i guess it has to be pretty dry for the sumps 1 - 5 to open up..?). We had a look at, but decided not to try the duck with the rope leading off to the right (what the master survey shows as the '8ft sump') as it was sumped and sounded like there was a lot of water flowing on the other side.

Just wondering if the duck is ok to do when fully sumped, ie is it straightforward following the rope & coming up the other side or is it best left until water levels lower..?

Cheers
Matt

It's staightforward going in IIRC (30+ years ago). Coming back there's a bit of a dogleg which you have to remember. It's best to wait for the water to drop though. We've already had one fatality down there.

 

[T pot 1]

Yep I concur with Mulu Caver best left alone until dry, I was on the rescue he mentioned, the victim was me mate at the time

T pot

 

[matthewjc]

Thanks both, advice taken. Also waiting for a dry spell would give the chance of the upstream sumps 1 - 5 being open as well, which sound well worth a visit from the descriptions i have read.
Anyone here pushed the sumps recently in a dry spell or is it usually dived now, i noticed a thiner diving line leading in to sump 1..?

Cheers
Matt

 

[JonP]

Sump 1 was wide open late summer last year i.e no water in pool chamber. Did'nt push it.

Shag's sump was bone dry in through all of the rifts leading in.

 

[John B]

It doesn't have to be especially dry for the Merlin Streamway to open up to Sump 5:  just not raining for 20 consecutive days in July.  We got to Sump 8 in August 1990 after an exceptionally dry summer, and it stayed open for some weeks. This was during a very long spell of relatively dry weather, because in September 1989 we surveyed dry to Sump 4 in P8! Hard to believe now, after three consecutive crap summers.