+WrongWayGC Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Hopefully this is the right subforum here; otherwise I would be glad if you could redirect me to the proper place and persons to contact with my question. Thanks in advance! After talking to the owner of a non-GC.com geocache in a lake I would like to check whether this geocache could be listed with GC.com in the future in order to make geocaching more prominent amongst SCUBA divers. The existing box is in a lake and can be reached by underwater navigation from a well-known point with a given course. So far so good, getting the GPS coordinates for the starting stage is no issue. Now for the (wet) final: according to the rules, each ordinary geocache needs a logsheet. As this is a box in the lake, the logsheet would most probably something similar to a DINA4-sized plastic plate, so divers can log with an appropriate pen. However, this kind of log would be non-permanent. I'm not aware of another, better solution -- if someone has a better one, please come forward! In any case, we still have the full electronic log. The idea here is to really have the final in the water and not on land. This is more demanding and a lot of divers find that to be more interesting than having to later find the box on land after the trouble with getting out of your equipment and going on the hunt. Is there any problem with my aforementioned type of log for review of a possible listing? Thanks for help and insight, WrongWayGC Quote Link to comment
Tahosa and Sons Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Minus 30 need a wet suit and tanks though. I haven't dove in over 40 year and doubt I will ever get to look for it. But its there. Quote Link to comment
+Bear and Ragged Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Narcosis 1 - The Fun Continues! (Scuba Cache) http://coord.info/GC3558Y (Also lists a few other diving caches.) Try searching for caches with the attribute The other option for the log is to have the coordinates in the water, with the final on land, or close enough that you can take the cache to the surface/land and write in the dry log book. Quote Link to comment
Pup Patrol Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 GC2R8DW Sleeping with the Fish(s) http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=a8602aff-4b0d-4cd6-841a-fd83e350ed28 Quote Link to comment
+WrongWayGC Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 (edited) To clarify my situation: The box is only for SCUBA divers. The box is on ground at around -8m. It is big (kind of treasure box) and stays there. The log stays in the box, you don't take it to the surface for logging. You cannot quickly ascend, sign the log, then descend: if you don't know what I mean here, you are probably not a certified diver: your ascend will take around five(!) minutes; around two minutes for the ascend and three minutes for the safety stop at -5m ... assuming that you will usually visit the cache on your way back after a deeper dive to visit the rock drop-off zone nearby. So: what kind of logbook or logsheet would be sufficient? Edited October 9, 2011 by WrongWayGC Quote Link to comment
+frinklabs Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 This one went four years before a FTF: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC13AZA Quote Link to comment
+wiseye Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Just use a regular dive slate (plastic) that you write on with a pencil. Put it in the box or tie it to the outside. If it gets full just erase it to start over. No big deal, no one exspects you to keep a log forever.You will have to give the surface coords. Quote Link to comment
+GorgeHiker Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 (edited) What worked perfect for me was some white styrene sheets cut to size (Evergreen brand. found at hobby stores) and a Irwin brand "strait-line" grease pencil #666042 (found at home improvement store). It actually writes underwater and can't be erased easily. I drilled a small hole through the grease pencil and another hole through a corner of all the sheets and attached everything together with some strong fishing line. Edited October 10, 2011 by GorgeHiker Quote Link to comment
AZcachemeister Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 [*]You cannot quickly ascend, sign the log, then descend: if you don't know what I mean here, you are probably not a certified diver: your ascend will take around five(!) minutes; around two minutes for the ascend and three minutes for the safety stop at -5m ... assuming that you will usually visit the cache on your way back after a deeper dive to visit the rock drop-off zone nearby. Well, you didn't describe the depth of the cache, so how would anyone know? A simple plastic sheet that visitors could sign with the (hopefully provided) appropriate talking stick should be fine. If it fills up, I would suggest memorizing the signers before erasing the slate and send a PM to the owner mentioning who signed (or most importantly who didn't). Quote Link to comment
+WrongWayGC Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 Thank you very much for your feedback, it was helpful. The box is in 7m depth, not much, but nevertheless the dives will usually be deeper before visiting the cache. The reason for me asking that some German reviewers had issues with the plastic logsheet as they don't deem it persistent enough. But since there are already caches working the way I would like to operate the box, the listing is now on its way. Let's see ... Quote Link to comment
+Walts Hunting Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Just use a regular dive slate (plastic) that you write on with a pencil. Put it in the box or tie it to the outside. If it gets full just erase it to start over. No big deal, no one exspects you to keep a log forever.You will have to give the surface coords. I don't know why you would have to give the surface coords. You can do a cache on land with a starting point, a bearing and distance. He said he would lay a course from the start to final which would seem the same. Quote Link to comment
Dj Storm Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 [...] You will have to give the surface coords. I don't know why you would have to give the surface coords. You can do a cache on land with a starting point, a bearing and distance. He said he would lay a course from the start to final which would seem the same. It's quite impossible to keep the bearing underwater with enough precision to reach the cache; measuring the distance traveled is very difficult, almost impossible. That unless there is a "trail" underwater that needs to be followed, but even then it's better to provide the surface coordinates, the same way you'll do in a forest. As a hider, taking a good reading of the final coordinates is essential. Just "estimating" the reading on the compass and the distance traveled is a recipe for disaster. Tried doing that with a buddy, after ~100 meters we were about 30 meters apart, and the cache remained unfound. Quote Link to comment
+WrongWayGC Posted October 13, 2011 Author Share Posted October 13, 2011 (edited) It's quite impossible to keep the bearing underwater with enough precision to reach the cache; measuring the distance traveled is very difficult, almost impossible. That unless there is a "trail" underwater that needs to be followed, but even then it's better to provide the surface coordinates, the same way you'll do in a forest. As a hider, taking a good reading of the final coordinates is essential. Just "estimating" the reading on the compass and the distance traveled is a recipe for disaster. Tried doing that with a buddy, after ~100 meters we were about 30 meters apart, and the cache remained unfound. True, but in this case it is really easy as the description will hopefully tell: you just need to follow the natural slope at 7 to 8m depth and then you'll find it. Even I with my limited UW navigation abilities stumbled upon it when I did not search for it. In addition, there is more help: if you happen to dive too deep you will find an old wooden boat; following the rope attached to it will bring you up to the box. The original non-GC.com description is already this way; that should be reused. Even on another dive I managed to visit the cache without any problems, as the natural formation of this site is really helpful. BTW ... very beautiful dive spot if you like diving in cold water (drysuit advised). As I won't be the cache owner I'm now waiting for the real owner to put his listing into review. I just helped him clearing some question before filing the listing. Of course, this would then be my first GC.com underwater geocache. Edited October 13, 2011 by WrongWayGC Quote Link to comment
+DazeDnFamily Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I scanned over this semi fast, but if I missed this, I apologize. So long as you, or the poster marks it as a terrain 5, and state that SCUBA gear is required, it shouldn't be an issue, assuming permission to place and everything else is in order. Equip the container properly, and I see no reason not to. Just my .02. Later! Quote Link to comment
+dfx Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Dive slate, yes. I had the same reservations about log permanence under water originally, but after having found http://coord.info/GCPRAC just recently, I was surprised to see that the dive slate still had all those old signatures on it! So even with a container that's nowhere near airtight to begin with, a plain old dive slate that can be signed with a regular pencil sure seems good enough to hold signatures for at least several years. Quote Link to comment
+HHD Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 You could do a box on land that has dive cards that are waterproof. You sign your name on the card and then dive down the the cache and deposit your card. Quote Link to comment
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