Sunday, November 22, 1987

Divers Bringing Light To Cave's Dark Mystery

A team of the world's foremost cave divers are venturing into the granddaddy of Florida's underwater caves, discovering clues about Florida's geologic evolution and testing cutting-edge exploration technology.

Halfway through an 11-week expedition at the Wakulla Springs cave in North Florida, the divers are in the thick of an adventure that leaps beyond any of the Tarzan movies filmed here a half-century ago.

For decades Wakulla has been a mystery, but with each exploratory dive a few of the cave's secrets are beginning to surface.

Until last month, divers thought the cave stretched out like a gargantuan throat from its underwater mouth -- a long, watery tunnel. After several weeks of penetrating a half-mile beyond the cave's mouth, divers have found a vast limestone labyrinth that forks off in at least three directions. Each prong of the fork has offshoots heading into even more uncharted territory.

Sunday, November 22, 1987

Divers Bringing Light To Cave's Dark Mystery

A team of the world's foremost cave divers are venturing into the granddaddy of Florida's underwater caves, discovering clues about Florida's geologic evolution and testing cutting-edge exploration technology.

Halfway through an 11-week expedition at the Wakulla Springs cave in North Florida, the divers are in the thick of an adventure that leaps beyond any of the Tarzan movies filmed here a half-century ago.

For decades Wakulla has been a mystery, but with each exploratory dive a few of the cave's secrets are beginning to surface.

Until last month, divers thought the cave stretched out like a gargantuan throat from its underwater mouth -- a long, watery tunnel. After several weeks of penetrating a half-mile beyond the cave's mouth, divers have found a vast limestone labyrinth that forks off in at least three directions. Each prong of the fork has offshoots heading into even more uncharted territory.