Cathedral Sink

Scott Byars and Cory Bell measure wood for the stairs (Kathleen Byars)

Cathedral Canyon (aka Gould sink) is part of the Cathedral Falmouth cave system and is owned by the National Speleological Society Cave Diving Section (NSS CDS) who manage and maintain the sink and are working towards improving it. The property is the furthest upstream of 18 known entrances into the Falmouth system that eventually empties into the Suwannee River within the Suwannee River State Park.

The NSS CDS held a social and work day and a host of volunteers where involved in cutting down dry tree branches, cleaning up rubbish, mowing the lawn and building the steps that will enable easier access for divers and eliminate bank erosion.

Cathedral Sink has a long history of exploration and was donated to the NSS CDS by Sheck Exley, who owned and lived on this property. Sheck established what was then a record penetration of 10,939 feet on a multi-stage dive lasting nearly 12 hours, including decompression on December 16, 1990. Over 41, 000 feet of passage has been discovered and the system is not yet fully explored.

Right: Creating the boardwalk (Kathleen Byars)

When exploration first began in Falmouth-Cathedral System, the visibility in Cathedral was often 100 feet or more. Since then, changes in the aquifer have reduced visibility to only a few feet most of the year. Occasionally, conditions allow the visibility to improve to 40 feet or so. This is a sad example of how development can impact the aquifer in a negative way.

Click on the SLIDESHOW tab above to see more images from the Cathedral workday and clean up.