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To Serve and Protect
WKPP recognized by Governor's cabinet for exceptional volunteer serviceThe group’s dedication received special recognition from the Florida Government in March. During a Florida Cabinet Meeting at the Capital, the WKPP was presented with a resolution in recognition of their exceptional volunteer service to the State of Florida. Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink sponsored the resolution while Governor Charlie Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson unanimously passed the motion.
In addition to the resolution, lawmakers made clear that WKPP contributions have been instrumental in furthering the understanding, and ultimately the protection, of the cave systems beneath the Woodville Karst Plain, including Wakulla Springs. Exploration, survey and scientific support in addition to first-hand observation, photos, video and testimony have been the basis for policy decisions and multi-million dollar land purchases covering large tracts of land above and adjacent to Florida cave systems. Direct support of various research initiatives, including dye-tracing efforts, have proven extremely valuable in protecting Wakulla Springs from nitrate pollution due to increased use of artificial fertilizers an land cultivation. In fact, these efforts encouraged the City of Tallahassee to invest at least $220 million to upgrade water treatment facilities. As a result, the City of Tallahassee along with Wakulla and Leon Counties signed a ground-breaking agreement pledging a coordinated effort to protect ground water supplies including Wakulla Springs.
The long-range, deep-cave dives conducted by WKPP divers involve a dedicated support team of volunteers; these individuals are critical to the WKPP’s record-breaking underwater cave exploration. The team is led by explorers Jarrod Jablonski and Casey McKinlay, Gainesville residents, long-time friends and dive buddies for nearly 20 years.
Casey and Jarrod routinely carry out dives lasting more than 24 hours. Some of that time is devoted to exploring the miles and miles of passageway, and some is spent carrying out obligated decompression – but all of it is underwater.
The team’s most recent accomplishment required a dive to 25,000 ft. in an unexplored, underwater cave at a depth of approximately 300 ft.—a dive that could take nearly 30 hours to complete. The goal was to connect two of the world’s longest caves, Wakulla Springs and Leon Sinks. The discovery linked a total of 28 miles of explored passageway, establishing the system as the longest underwater cave system in North America.
Both Jarrod and Casey are quick to point out the entire project wouldn’t be possible without the remarkable group of divers that make up the WKPP. “There is no question that these accomplishments are team accomplishments - in my opinion this is a team of the very finest individuals ever assembled,” Jarrod said. Team contribution is entirely voluntary, resulting in thousands of hours, and dollars.
Dives of that magnitude require gear specifically designed to handle such long exposure. The Halcyon Rebreather provides the primary source of gas for the divers, although they also carry additional bottles for safety. In order to travel quickly, they utilize underwater scooters, and because the battery will not last the entire dive, they must tow extras. Prior to the dive, a setup team also places additional stage bottles and scooters as safety precautions.
The preparation is reminiscent of a large-scale, scientific expedition deep within the arctic. Most people imagine that world-record accomplishments require significant preparation, and when that world record involves highly technical dives designed to support a broad conservation and research agenda, the scale of preparation increases exponentially. Extreme Exposure in High Springs sponsors the team and their efforts. The devoted staff regularly takes on the task of preparing dozens of divers for the most elaborate dives ever conducted. For example, the staff are regularly tasked with filling hundreds of tanks, knotting thousands of feet of guide line, testing and installing prototype equipment, rebuilding dozens of regulators, repairing a wide range of equipment and making custom modifications and repairs to team dry suits; of course these tasks are in addition to their daily routine of operating one of North Florida’s most vibrant adventure centers.
The WKPP is a non-profit affiliate of Global Underwater Explorers (GUE), headquartered in High Springs. For the past 10 years, the WKPP has partnered with GUE to increase public awareness of the intimate connection among dozens of surface streams, sinkholes and cave systems, which is vital to the protection of these critical resources.
For more information: visit Woodville Karst Plain Project, www.wkpp.org; Global Underwater Explorers, www.gue.com; Extreme Exposure, www.extreme-exposure.com; or Halcyon Manufacturing, www.halcyon.net.