Underwater Geocache?

[+mruttle]

HI Every one I am pondering setting up an underwater geocache.

 

Yes its winter and I will not be doing this for some time but would like to start thinking about it.

My intent is to have this be accessible by boat with a short swim.

 

Location: In the water Near McRae Point Provincial Park.

I have looked online and it seems that you only need to contact and ask a Provincial park (Ontario) if its on their property and I do not plan on doing this.

 

Any tips on how to make Geocaches water tight?

 

Morgan

[+wmpastor]

HI Every one I am pondering setting up an underwater geocache.

 

Yes its winter and I will not be doing this for some time but would like to start thinking about it.

My intent is to have this be accessible by boat with a short swim.

 

Location: In the water Near McRae Point Provincial Park.

I have looked online and it seems that you only need to contact and ask a Provincial park (Ontario) if its on their property and I do not plan on doing this.

 

Any tips on how to make Geocaches water tight?

 

Morgan

Even if they're watertight, they need to be opened. No water issue if the log is like a noteboard that scubadivers use to communicate below. Short caching season (6 months?) for Canadian watercaches, right?

[+NeverSummer]

HI Every one I am pondering setting up an underwater geocache.

 

Yes its winter and I will not be doing this for some time but would like to start thinking about it.

My intent is to have this be accessible by boat with a short swim.

 

Location: In the water Near McRae Point Provincial Park.

I have looked online and it seems that you only need to contact and ask a Provincial park (Ontario) if its on their property and I do not plan on doing this.

 

Any tips on how to make Geocaches water tight?

 

Morgan

Are you serious that you're not going to ask for permission? I'll assume this was a typo.

 

From there, a good underwater cache will need to be watertight--not just waterproof. This means, in the successful cases that I have seen, that you have an exterior container that is waterproof/watertight that is anchored below the surface. Inside of that container is the actual geocache. The geocache was also a watertight container.

 

Depending on the depth you intend to sink this cache, you will need to assume the additional pressures on the exterior and interior containers. Do not assume that your container is watertight! Redundancy is best--Watertight container, watertight interior cache box, ziplock baggie, write-in-the-rain logbook.

 

You can simply anchor the cache to the bottom with a length of rope/p-cord to keep it at a certain depth, use a pulley system to raise and lower, or even a remote-controlled submarine to raise and lower the cache.

 

Also, prepare your anchor redundancy in the same manner as one would for a climb--more than one anchor point, and more than one anchor line. Plan for rough weather, depth appropriate for the swimmer/diver, and depth appropriate for any passing boat/ship traffic.

 

Decide how you will mark the cache location for ease of finding. Will there be a surface bouy? A submerged bouy? An underwater audio/visual beacon?

 

First and foremost, get permissions. Second most important, collaborate with your local Reviewer to cover any possible issues before you place the cache. Lastly, be prepared for the inevitable cache maintenance trips to this cache. You must be willing to deal with the fickle nature of an underwater cache, and be able to respond to maintenance needs in a reasonable amount of time, as per the guidelines.

[+TriciaG]

There are several (I see at least 2 traditional and 1 multi-cache) underwater caches in that area. I highly recommend finding them and learning the good and bad from them before placing one of your own.

 

EDIT to add map link: http://www.geocaching.com/map/#?ll=44.57956,-79.33206&z=14

Edited January 11, 2014 by TriciaG

[+mruttle]

Are you serious that you're not going to ask for permission? I'll assume this was a typo.

 

@Never Summer

You just missed interpreted, Since this will be an under the water cache located at my favorite swimming alcove and not in the actual park on their property no permission is needed. Open water is free rain correct?

Never Summer thanks for the tips.

 

@Tricia If you can believe it I actually picked out and found one of the local caches when I was on the water last summer. Before I even started geocaching. I definitely plan on finding a few before placing this one but Simcoe is a little frozen right now. Will be a few months before ill be diving into the water.

[+mruttle]

Even if they're watertight, they need to be opened. No water issue if the log is like a noteboard that scubadivers use to communicate below. Short caching season (6 months?) for Canadian watercaches, right?

 

Yes the Canadian watercaches can be limited for less than 6 months. Makes it that much more challenging!

[+NeverSummer]

Are you serious that you're not going to ask for permission? I'll assume this was a typo.

 

@Never Summer

You just missed interpreted, Since this will be an under the water cache located at my favorite swimming alcove and not in the actual park on their property no permission is needed. Open water is free rain correct?

Never Summer thanks for the tips.

 

@Tricia If you can believe it I actually picked out and found one of the local caches when I was on the water last summer. Before I even started geocaching. I definitely plan on finding a few before placing this one but Simcoe is a little frozen right now. Will be a few months before ill be diving into the water.

I would, just for the sake of following protocols, check with your Reviewer prior to creating the cache page to see if there are permissions that need to be addressed before you publish.

 

The park may have jurisdiction over the water--not all bodies of water are "free rain" as you say. Public and private entities can have ownership over water and the surrounding area.

 

I'd just send a casual email to your local Reviewer to see what they might know about land ownership or land manager conversations that have happened, or will need to happen for your cache to be placed.

[+briansnat]

Instead of worrying about making the cache watertight, why not sink coords on something waterproof like a metal tag, piece of plastic, etc. that point searchers to the cache on dry land. That way you get the underwater element without worrying about making a waterproof container.

[+macatac1961]

Instead of worrying about making the cache watertight, why not sink coords on something waterproof like a metal tag, piece of plastic, etc. that point searchers to the cache on dry land. That way you get the underwater element without worrying about making a waterproof container.

Or instead of a whole coordinate string, maybe an easy to remember 2 or 3 digit number that can be added to a coordinate string you post on the page that lead to the container on land.

[+RIclimber]

Instead of worrying about making the cache watertight, why not sink coords on something waterproof like a metal tag, piece of plastic, etc. that point searchers to the cache on dry land. That way you get the underwater element without worrying about making a waterproof container.

Because after the FTF, all others will be given the final coords and then it won't be a water cache.

[+NeverSummer]

Instead of worrying about making the cache watertight, why not sink coords on something waterproof like a metal tag, piece of plastic, etc. that point searchers to the cache on dry land. That way you get the underwater element without worrying about making a waterproof container.

Because after the FTF, all others will be given the final coords and then it won't be a water cache.

How do you figure that?

[+Irishflea]

I assume he is referring to similar problems virtual caches have--spoilers, etc.

[+Graculus]

On the subject of permission, here is the Ontario geocaching wiki which is worth reading through.

 

Chris

Graculus

Volunteer UK Reviewer for geocaching.com

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