Ideas for an underwater cache!

[Influence Waterfowl Calls]

If anyone has done an underwater cache I would like to know what went right and what went wrong! So I don't have to learn the hard way!

[+H2OBob]

I just found one that works fine. There was a pulley attached to a cement block. a rope was run through the pulley, and the cement block was sunk in an old well. You had to untie the rope, and let the cache (an waterproof ammo can) float to the top. When done trading, you pull the rope to pull the ammo can under the surface of the water, and tie it off. I liked the setup. I would suggest testing the ammo can first, as some older ones may be bent, and thus, not waterproof. Also, use a rust-free pulley, such as brass or aluminum.

[+Chuy!]

I have found about six caches underwater; two were on the boundary so that low tide would expose the caches. All but one had wet logs. The one that didn't was a waterproof Pelican case that was less than two weeks old when I visited. However, all but one had slimy film on the containers. The one that didn't was the only freshwater cache I visited, but the log was wet and the cache was relatively new - about three weeks old.

 

Needless to say, I am not a big fan of underwater caches.

[+StarBrand]

The only 1 I have ever seen was a Lock-n-Lock inside an ammocan (both very dry inside) Ammocan was a bit rusted but cache was 3+ years old. - All weighted down by a few cement blocks - hard part was putting everything back in place as the can shot up out of the water once one of the blocks got moved. In about 3 feet of water.

[+geomann1]

I have one in which I have an outer weighted (fishing weighted clued to caps) PVC container with screw ends (use teflon tape) and an inner, smaller diameter PVC tube containing the log, which in turn is Write in the Rain pages in a plastic bag. The cache is tossed in a canal and connected to land using fishing line. Had to replace once (muggled or washed away). No problem with water tightness issues. Cache was well received.

[+frex3wv]

are there underwater caches that folks scubba dive to?

[+StarBrand]

are there underwater caches that folks scubba dive to?

Yes - somebody has a bookmark list of scuba caches somewhere....

[+Airmapper]

"It's all Greek to Me" was a submerged cache in the LBL area. Unfortunately it did not last long. It was a small waterproof container weighted by a chain and with a fishing bobber floating above it.

 

I was FTF and the only person to find it. What I think happened is someone fishing either hung into the rig, or found the bobber. Collecting tackle is almost as much a part of it as actually catching fish, so I figure someone found it and pulled it in. Of course it could still be there, only without it's marker, making it really hard to find without underwater gear.

[CacheNCarryMA]

I own a cache ,Triple B-Flat Reprise (GCXBBK) which is hidden 3/4 mile out on a huge tidal flat. It is usually under 6'~8' of water but is exposed twice a day. I had another cache in that location (now archived) used a Pelican box, but it was too tempting for muggles.

 

The current cache is a log only cache using a Nalgene vitamin bottle tethered with nylon cord to a small concrete block with a galvanized ring. The log is a sheet of tyvek made from a recycled US Post Office Priority Mail envelope. The tyvek does not deteriorate even when it is submerged. Rite in Rain paper will eventually fall apart. However, it can be a little difficult to write on the tyvek with ballpoint pen.

 

Originally, there were trade items in the cache, but the salt water is too harsh.

Edited July 18, 2007 by CacheNCarryMA

[+froldt]

"It's all Greek to Me" was a submerged cache in the LBL area. Unfortunately it did not last long. It was a small waterproof container weighted by a chain and with a fishing bobber floating above it.

 

I was FTF and the only person to find it. What I think happened is someone fishing either hung into the rig, or found the bobber. Collecting tackle is almost as much a part of it as actually catching fish, so I figure someone found it and pulled it in. Of course it could still be there, only without it's marker, making it really hard to find without underwater gear.

 

There was a group of us who went out searching for this cache, and we had 4 of us who were toe-digging in the mud to find any sort of container or the chain, all to no avail. I tried making circles from the paddle we used as the GPS-located spot, and the four of us also walked off a grid.

 

I've got an idea for an underwater cache, but haven't yet found a good location for it.

[+wavector]

If anyone has done an underwater cache I would like to know what went right and what went wrong! So I don't have to learn the hard way!

 

I have an underwater cache called Swim which is under 12 to 14 feet of water. I used three layers of protection and the cache log has never been wet though water does infiltrate layers 1 and 2.

I made it a micro cache and added coords for a small cache that is nearby but on dry land. I couldn't see people actually wanting to take their GPS out into the middle of a lake so I posted 4 Reference Points, all on land, which can be used to set up two lines of sight and the cache is placed where the sight lines intersect. The first two reference points can be aligned by a person in the water but the points 3 and 4 cannot be lined up as a swimmer would be in between the two points so a helper on the land is required.

I tested layer 1 and it held up fine in the bathtub but pressure at depth means it does leak.

I made th outer container the weight by adding cement, I used floor leveling compound and filled it with steel bolts to make it heavier. I left a cavity in the cement that holds layer 2 which is a beach safe with an O-ring. Inside the beach safe I used a diabetic test strip container. Swim is very heavy, like a rock, and it sinks like a rock. When the cache is being replaced it helps drag you down to the bottom quickly.

 

I have thought about caches that are doable by people wading but I will probably stick to caches that need to be done by swimming. Our family is a swimming family, we go swimming almost every day in the summer.

[+Tsmola]

I've got one (ammocan) under a log in the middle of a small creek, only had 3 finders thus far, those that did find it loved it though and one of the cachers took my idea and used it again in one I found yesterday. Didn't have to get my feet wet luckily. It was bone dry inside.

[+team moxiepup]

I've been thinking of doing an underwater cache. I'm not going to worry about whether the cache is water proof or not, as I plan to use a diver's underwater slate for the log. You should be able to find one at any dive shop, online and ebay.

 

They come with a pencil attached by a rubber cord. My only concern is with how long a pencil will last with continued submersion. I'll probably add "BYOPOP" as a precaution.

[Uncle Travelin Matt]

Does anyone know of an underwater gps unit? Will a typical gps unit such as a GPSMAP60csx even work underwater if protected with somesort of waterproof container?

 

I'm sure I am not the only one who has pondered this, But has anyone actually tried it?

[+Airmapper]

Does anyone know of an underwater gps unit? Will a typical gps unit such as a GPSMAP60csx even work underwater if protected with somesort of waterproof container?

 

I think I heard that GPS signals cannot penetrate water, so the GPS would lose lock. The same effect is noticed under heavy tree cover, leaves contain water, which strongly blocks the signal.

[+Pirates of Post Falls]

We did an underwater cache about 2 weeks ago (which is now my husband's all time favorite) and it was great. I have listed the GC # so you can see exactly how he set it up. The cache was in about 10-12 feet of water inside of a pvc pipe inside of a dive bag (which was basically a heavy duty ziploc that he picked up at a local dive shop which was good as a little bit of water had leaked into the pipe. It looked like he used either the bottom 1/2 of a 2 liter bottle or a milk jug filled with cement for the anchor and the rope attachment was in the cement also). The log was perfectly dry and we had no problem retreiving it. Cache is called Water Water Everywhere and the GC # is GC13YDP.

 

Good luck, we are also going to do an underwater cache in the next month or so.

 

Pirates of Post Falls

[Influence Waterfowl Calls]

Anyone else? Anyone?

[+Chuy!]

This one was placed in a sunken ship, but, it's now archived as the owner never replaced it as promised.

[+GorgeHiker]

Did one and so far the container has held up exceptionally well. An "Otterbox 3000" to be exact.

 

Cache page

[+Cache U Nutter]

This one in England [Great Britain] is a 5/5 cache half of which involves a dive down to a submarine!

GCTRRP

[Mag Magician]

One suggestion that does not involve a lot of money spent in purchasing watertight containers. Any piece of white Plexiglas, can be scuffed with a sander, with 400 grit sandpaper.

A regular school pencil will write on the surface, even if under water. I have used this to my advantage as a divemaster, and created dive slates for students that did not involve spending a whole lot of time or money for a disposeable underwater writing surface. One that is still in my dive kit is now over 10 years old, and still has the original notes clearly legible on the surface.

[+Kealia]

You could email the owner of this cache that's underwater in Lake Tahoe.

 

It's on my to-do list.

[+Team LaLonde]

We have a lock-n-lock in a river that requires wading upstream against strong rapids (depending on rainfall, snowmelt, etc). The cache is in a pile of rocks in eighteen inches of water about ten yards from the bottom of a waterfall. How's that for a twist? So far the cache has been dry and well-received. Take Me To The River (GC107F5).

[+J-Way]

Another good and cheap option for an underwater cache is to make the underwater potion a stage of a multi. The coordinates (or other numbers) should be printed on a non-rotting/non-rusting surface in a permanent way. You don't have to worry writing underwater, or about careless cachers not sealing the container correctly before tossing back in.

[+dark_onyx1982]

YOu could always go to the other end. Instead of trying to waterproof the container, let the water in. Use a cut out of Tyvek (i.e. fed ex shipping envelope) as your log, this is water proof and have the swag be items water will not damage (plastics, stainless steal, aluminum, etc.) The containers used to hold bait fish would work well. Just a thought.