The Grand Traverse - Orange Grove to Olsen to Peacock

The Grand Traverse from Orange Grove to Challenge to Olsen to Peacock I

The Grand Traverse through Olsen with above ground mapping

Peacock Springs Distances

With three dives into Peacock under our belt, we decided that we were ready to do the Grand Traverse. Everyone talks about this 4671' (1.4km) route from Orange Grove Sink to Peacock I. We had not explored the 3207' (almost 1km) from Orange Grove to Olsen through Challenge, which made the dive all the more exciting. It is much easier to make this traverse on a rebreather. Kev and I carry 4 Ali 80s with us, and at our breathing rate at 30m depth, one Ali 80 would give us 2000', so we can individually be at least 3000' away from air at any time, and together about 6000'. The average depth in Peacock is also only about 15m which is half the depth and should mean we'd only breathe out an Ali 80 in 4000', which gives us an extra margin of safety. Even if we got from Orange Grove all the way to Olsen and found we couldn't continue onto a known line and both our rebreathers failed at that point, we would still make it back to Orange Grove on the gas we carry. A person on open circuit would have to make sure that thirds could get them halfway from each side before attempting the full traverse. What also gives you peace of mind is that you are actually never more than 900' from one of the sinks or springs, and this also adds some flavour to the journey.

The mozzies at the moment are killer, and it was rainy, so we took a black plastic bag to the Peacock entrance parking lot and left shorts, t-shirts, shoes and mosquito repellant for when we climbed out and had to make the walk back to Orange Grove.

Kev leaving the mosquito repellant and bag of clothes at Peacock parking lot

Our clothes and shoes waiting for us at Peacock parking lot

Kev walking back to the car in his booties at Peacock parking lot

Then we measured the drive from Peacock to Orange Grove ... about 0.65 miles (1 km), a 400m shorter walk than the windy route we were about to swim through underground.

At Orange Grove we took our cylinders down and had a look at the extremely swampy smelling and duckweed covered sink.

Kev walking down from the Orange Grove parking lot to the sink

Platform leading to Orange Grove Sink

Orange Grove Sink, covered in duckweed and smelling pretty swampy

Beautiful swamp tree in Orange Grove Sink

Aside from the duckweed, the water beneath was dark red with tannic water. We started to get concerned that we wouldn't even find the entrance to the cave as we'd never dived here before. All we knew was that one diver had told us that if descended below 50' then we would have missed the entrance. Already nervous about this long dive, our concern sky-rocketed.

So we kitted up and climbed into the swampy, dark water. At first, and together (because I couldn't see Kev if he was more than a body length away from me), facing the steps in the water, we tried going down and following the slope to the right. After going down about 6m we came back up. Kev thought the entrance still might be there on the right, but I'd noticed some rocks to the left, so I suggested we went down left. I started down and followed the rock face until I saw a tree which I swam over and kept heading downward watching my depth gauge. Between 12 and 15m the opening of the cave yawned in front of me, large, crystal clear and blue. I then spotted a temporary reel leading into the cave from a log just outside which has been placed there to help divers in these poor conditions. We'd found it! And it was clearer than Peacock had been! Yes!

I turned hoping to find Kev right behind me, but had to ascend up a little towards the tree before I dimly saw his light and could signal him over and show him the entrance. Woohoo, we were ready to start the Grand Traverse!

I would be leading today. The dive from Orange Grove to Challenge was calm and relaxing. Orange Grove is pretty much just a solution tube with an orange looking floor of sand and clay and silt, and orange looking limestone walls that actually looked a bit like melted plastic. The water visibility seemed fantastic compared to Peacock and there appeared to be much less of the dark-red tinge in the water. But the tunnel also isn't huge and I was in front, so I didn't really notice how green Kev's torchlight was, it may just have been the distances from side-to-side and ceiling-to-floor that made the water appear clearer.

Orange Grove Sink entrance with walls and floor looking melted

Orange Grove

Orange Grove solution tube

Orange Grove

Orange Grove, really showing the orange clay bottom

At about 700' from the Orange Grove entrance we approached a huge opening in front of us, but the line hooked right at 90 degrees through the rocks and then hooked left again at 90 degrees opening out into a wide room. I waited just outside for Kev to get through and to exchange a wide-eyed "this is cool" moment.

Then we set off again, passing the 900' halfway mark where the line arrows start to count down towards Challenge Sink. As we approached Challenge the passages got more winding and narrower with lots of red silt below us and some mud banks. We also saw more and more domes where tannic water was just hanging there stagnant against the ceiling. And then we were climbing up the slope into Challenge Sink. I made my way through the sticks and debris and when I got to the end of line I saw that another reel had already been laid making the jump across the 1 to 2m gap to the other line leading out of the sink.

Kev joined me at the gap, and we decided to poke our heads out and have a look at the sink above water and breathe some forest air. It is really cool popping your head up after a long swim into some unknown opening in the forest. We had taken 50 minutes to swim the 1773' (540m) to Challenge. The sink is very small and circular with a diameter of about 3m and steep walls heading out and up into the forest. I would not like to have to try and clamber out of there! As we had a quick chat and look around, we could hear the traffic from the road nearby. Challenge Sink is actually across the road from Orange Grove and Peacock, so at some point in our swim we had passed underneath the road, and we would be passing back again at some point on our way to Olsen.

After just a minute or two we descended back down to continue our journey. After I'd dropped back down to 12m I changed the set-point on my primary back to 1.2 and checked the battery. It was already at 3.9 and we weren't even halfway, so I changed the display brightness down by pressing the right button a few times until the screen was black to my eyes. Only about a minute later I looked to check my PO2. A few presses on the right button should highlight the display again, but I pressed twice and then saw my handset turning on and displaying the start screen! Not again! I'm still not sure if this was brought about by pressing the buttons or by bumping the battery compartment a little. This is the second time my primary has switched off or restarted during a dive since the service. I was not really concerned as we've learned not to trust that our handsets stay on, so I continued the dive without even trying to show Kev what had happened.

The passages and rooms just after Challenge on the way to Olsen are, I think, the most beautiful in the whole system. The rooms are huge and white, vast and cathedral like. There are cracks and domes and crevices. It is magnificent. The visibility was excellent, I loved this part of the journey.

We hit the 700' halfway marker where the countdown starts to Olsen Sink. Just after that we hit a jump where a reel had been laid by someone else that went across to a gold line that went upwards to the right and disappeared into a small hole in a pile of sand. That had to be the Peanut Restriction. Then our line ducked left and went through a very low passage where my face was inches from the silt and my fins touching the ceiling. I hoped I wasn't making too much of a mess for Kev. Then we wound our way upward to Olsen Sink and this time without hesitating I made my way upward and out through the trees and debris into the opening.

Olsen Sink information board

Olsen sink viewing platform

Olsen Sink (we poked our heads up for the second time in there)

Soon Kev joined me. We made a bit of a mess of the pool coming out and then hunting around for the other opening that would take us back to Peacock.This time Kev spotted it and called me over and we were back on our trip. We had done this part of the line before, so it was a bit like coming home.

2h12 after setting off from Orange Grove, we ascended into Peacock. We had made it! The Grand Traverse!

Rain was pouring down which put a bit of a dampener on things :) There wasn't much point in getting into our dry clothes which we'd left in the black plastic bag. But worst of all, the mosquitoes were out with a vengeance, and the mosquito repellant just washed straight off. My forehead was bulging with bites afterwards.

Flooded Peacock Springs parking lot

Mosquito-bite head

Kev walked the flooded road back to Orange Grove while I pulled our stage cylinders out of Peacock Springs. What a day, what a dive, what a tour :)

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