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Underwater Cache?


kathleene

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My cache Swim has been underwater about 4 years now.

It is moved to the lakeshore in the spring/fall/winter when swimming is not allowed or not possible. The winter hide is difficult to find but not as difficult as Swim.

Swim sits in about 14' of water and has three layers, a diabetic test strip container inside a beach safe inside a custom container made out of a plastic lemonade powder container filled with bolts and cement.

It has only gotten wet once, there was sand in the threads of the outer container and the previous finder had busted the o-ring on the beach safe so the water got in and some actually breached the test strip container which got the log damp but I dried it out and it is still the original paper log.

Swim is a micro but when you find Swim you get the coords for a nearby Mystery Cache which is large enough for travel bugs and geocoins.

Swim is a very challenging physical cache.

It is very popular with teen swim parties and the lifeguards at the lake found it during a training session. It is in the deepest lart of the lake so that is where they were training, they all signed the log and put it back!

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A friend of mine has a swimming cache series... he started with otterboxes, but found that they either kept getting muggled or in fact leaked (weather it actually leaked or one of the finders let water into it is unknown). He ended up switching to preforms for the caches, which are significantly less in price and surprisingly waterproof. He now swears by them for any cache that will be in or around water.

 

The latest cache in his series can be viewed at http://coord.info/GC2DHV5

 

You can check out (or buy) preforms at http://www.cachingcontainers.com/sfp/Large...cache_Container

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Sorry to dig up an old thread but at the expense of starting a duplicate one!

 

So i tried the underwater cache....

 

1st time out I tethered it to a large rock attached with rot proof rope and a rust proof carabiner. the carabiner gave way and i found the ammo can on the beach....

 

2nd time out i actually tied the ammo can to the rock itself which wasnt to be removed but rather just open the lid and take out the lock and lock that was inside again washed out and found floating on the beach.

 

the area im trying to stash it is quite tidal (its in a shallow sea cave) so any suggestions on how to keep this thing underwater?

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Chain around the rock with screw closed type chain connector links ?

 

I don't know if you are keeping the ammo can full of water or air, but if it's full of water, that may help keep it there...

 

DD

 

Sorry to dig up an old thread but at the expense of starting a duplicate one!

 

So i tried the underwater cache....

 

1st time out I tethered it to a large rock attached with rot proof rope and a rust proof carabiner. the carabiner gave way and i found the ammo can on the beach....

 

2nd time out i actually tied the ammo can to the rock itself which wasnt to be removed but rather just open the lid and take out the lock and lock that was inside again washed out and found floating on the beach.

 

the area im trying to stash it is quite tidal (its in a shallow sea cave) so any suggestions on how to keep this thing underwater?

Link to comment

Chain around the rock with screw closed type chain connector links ?

 

I don't know if you are keeping the ammo can full of water or air, but if it's full of water, that may help keep it there...

 

DD

 

Sorry to dig up an old thread but at the expense of starting a duplicate one!

 

So i tried the underwater cache....

 

1st time out I tethered it to a large rock attached with rot proof rope and a rust proof carabiner. the carabiner gave way and i found the ammo can on the beach....

 

2nd time out i actually tied the ammo can to the rock itself which wasnt to be removed but rather just open the lid and take out the lock and lock that was inside again washed out and found floating on the beach.

 

the area im trying to stash it is quite tidal (its in a shallow sea cave) so any suggestions on how to keep this thing underwater?

 

There are 3 new diving caches in Bermuda that are on sunken boats... I am hoping to do these ones in October after i have taken diving lessons, plus one diving school know about the caches and are able to help the divers with these caches.... Has anyone done Diving Caches...... I am hoping to put out a few caches in Bermuda for people who like to snorkel....

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There are 3 new diving caches in Bermuda that are on sunken boats... I am hoping to do these ones in October after i have taken diving lessons, plus one diving school know about the caches and are able to help the divers with these caches.... Has anyone done Diving Caches...... I am hoping to put out a few caches in Bermuda for people who like to snorkel....

 

So far, we've found one and failed on one other (pending retry).

 

I'm afraid you won't easily be able to list caches in Bermuda yourself here, as the reviewer would demand a maintenance plan for them, seeing as you don't live there.

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Just wondering if anyone has ever tried an underwater cache. Since most caches are waterproof anyway (i.e. tupperware), I figure it would be fun to sink one in one of our many lakes and slow rivers. Of course, there are precautions regarding wildlife, and then making sure the cace is anchored at a height that someone else can reach it, but that boat motors, etc won't get tangled. Any comments?

 

You have to either make it heavy so air in it does not lift it out or let water in or anchor it. If items inside stay wet no problem, but if you leave them in air filled dry containers like jars they'll float up. I am thinking about making a few.

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I am thinking about making a complicated one I'll call it "release the Kracken"

 

Three big parts:

cache/body

chain, and connector

anchor, linch pin

 

The cache/body

will be a boat bumper/buoy, decorated with eyes and tentackles, will have a couple containers 1 with a log book and 1 with instructions for putting it back

 

chain and connector

There will be plastic chain with small keychain float and carabiner to float the chain an connect to the body.. I am thinking chain so that you can pull it down in a couple steps rather than all at once, as this going to be snorkle accessible

 

On the bottom I will sink a simple frame the frame will have 3 jobs,

-be a big heavy anchor 50-100lbs

-provide a pull point (think pully) so that the snorkeler can hold the anchor and pull up rather than trying to swim down the very buoyant kraken

-have a linch pin system so the snorkeler can pull it to release which will allow the kraken to easily and quickly rise to the surface

 

When you find it you swim down pull the pin let it rise, then disconnect the body at the top of the plastic chain and bring it to shore to get at the log book. the plastic chain will have it's own small float so you can swim it back out easily.

 

To put it back simply reconnect the kracken to the chain, swim down and use the pully bar to pull it down then secure it with the linch pin.

 

 

Thoughts?

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I would be concerned about the finder relocating the anchor point, unless it is located near a surface feature that can be easily referenced it will be difficult to return to a chain / fixture to return the kraken after heading into shore and back.

 

You may also want to have a small float to keep the anchor chain from dropping into the mud / silt when the cache is released.

 

DD

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Okay, I'm going to hop in on this thread. Hello everyone! I'm Kevin and I'm sorta addicted to caching. I want to hide an underwater cache as well.

 

Here are my thoughts: A 25# weight with a dive slate attached as a log. I'd use fake coral and epoxy to help it blend in and all I'd have to do is go out every now and then as swap out the slate.

 

The challenges: I'm planning to hide this in a swim-through of a popular dive site on the north shore of Oahu. The cache will be scuba-only, as it will be at about 30' (well, I guess talented free-divers could snag it, too), and the north shore gets CRUSHED by 30+ foot waves in the winter. The over-head environment should provide some protection, but it can get surgy in there even with smallish waves. The weight would be lead, so no corrosion there, and the slate would be changed quarterly, so as to keep it clean.

 

What am I not considering?

 

Thanks for the input!

Kevin

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Okay, I'm going to hop in on this thread. Hello everyone! I'm Kevin and I'm sorta addicted to caching. I want to hide an underwater cache as well.

 

Here are my thoughts: A 25# weight with a dive slate attached as a log. I'd use fake coral and epoxy to help it blend in and all I'd have to do is go out every now and then as swap out the slate.

 

The challenges: I'm planning to hide this in a swim-through of a popular dive site on the north shore of Oahu. The cache will be scuba-only, as it will be at about 30' (well, I guess talented free-divers could snag it, too), and the north shore gets CRUSHED by 30+ foot waves in the winter. The over-head environment should provide some protection, but it can get surgy in there even with smallish waves. The weight would be lead, so no corrosion there, and the slate would be changed quarterly, so as to keep it clean.

 

What am I not considering?

 

Thanks for the input!

Kevin

 

Lots of scuba caches around here, the dive slates seem to work quite well.

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