Posted by John on December 17, 2001 at 17:47:30:
If you have ever driven north on I75 then you have crossed it. You may not have known it at the time, but just north of the Bruce B Downs exit lies a large area of swamp through which courses a small creek. This is the very Cypress Creek for which many areas throughout the north end of this county are named. Now you probably know that these beautiful little swampy creeks are so rich in life that the water turns a rich tea color. So dark in some cases that the water becomes as black as ink. Well this creek is no exception.
It is in these black inky waters that many strange and wonderful creatures lurk the likes of which many have never seen. There are of course the alligators and every kind of frog and snake. But also here, you can find the likes of leeches, diving spiders, the extremely rare sturgeon, and even the gigantic alligator snapping turtle, which can grow to half as long as a man with jaws powerful enough to sever your hand in one bite.
Well, as some may know, my heart holds a place for this very type of environment like no other on earth. It was in these jungles that I was born and raised. Now I know that they may seem like impenetrable tangles to alot of people, or dangerous and spooky beyond reason, and it may seem foolish to love them so much, or to even consider the things which I'm about to say, but I'll save my reasons on that for another time. Suffice to say it's my place, and that's that.
Now as I was saying, some of you may have noticed it there as you whiz north on the great highway, but I'll bet you never thought what kind of things may go on down in that swamp. Well if you follow that creek upstream aways you'll actually find a little wooden bridge that lets an old grassy road pass on it's way to the house of a man who lives back there and watches over all that swamp. Now if you drove on that dirt road it would take you about two miles to reach that little bridge from the point where it last leaves pavement. And on this little bridge a man named Abe has been trying his best to hang a sampler to track how much water, and what condition, is flowing through there. For months now he's tried everything he can to dangle this cord into that creek. The problem you see is that when that creek gets to flowing it carries with it huge clumps of floating plants with their beautiful blue flowers. When these plants hit that cord they start adding weight and eventually yank the probe right off the bridge. So Abe has been brainstorming for ways to get that probe into the creek and avoid the vegetation. He's tried poles, but even those bend under the weight among other problems, so at last he tried to sink the thing on a custom made mount that was strapped to a concrete block. This way the cord could lay across the bottom and under the floating mats. But upon his first attempt the ropes snapped and the mount sunk to the bottom next to his pole and several other failed versions of this ongoing trial. Normally this would be no matter, but Abe was tired of this game and that custom mount was hard to come by, so he mentioned in passing that he thought of diving for it, but was a little nervous. Well this was an opportunity that couldn't be passed up. I volunteered right there.
So several days later we drove out there with my gear in hand. One look over that bridge and I said, "uh-oh". I had expected tannic water, but this was absolutely BLACK! To make matters worse no sun penetrated the canopy to give even a little help. Abe offered to go get his rifle since he had seen alligators take his fishing bait right off the hook on that bridge, but I said that wasn't necessary. I was more concerned that I couldn't see a thing! I'd come too far to back out without trying so I geared up in my dive boots and mask, avoiding fins so as not to stir the silty bottom. Abe stood on the bridge to keep a lookout and to reference where the objects had fallen, and I slunk down the bank next to a big cypress tree. I cautiously placed a foot in the blackness and it disappeared WAY too quickly. I took a breath and slid down still holding the bank. My feet hit a root, or something, that kept me from sinking past my neck, so I let my eyes fall under. Now I've dove at night, and I've swam black water. But diving black water is an experience that will quicken your pulse! I could see about two feet down, but if I stretched out my arms, they flat disappeared like they weren't there. If you can imagine peering down into a tall glass of heavily brewed sweet tea, you sort of have the picture.
Now I know you may be afraid of alligators, but they don't scare me since they really don't bite all that often. Especially when they are well fed. They'd see me coming and casually slip off the other way. Snakes too, they and gators stay at the surface most of the time, and I could see that. What really had me worried was the snapping turtles. I couldn't see them, and they live on the bottom for extended periods of time. If I dove down and stuck my hand in front of one...well, I'd only know it by the seering pain and the lack of a hand. Still, I breathed a quick prayer, checked my mark, and as I took in a large breath... What was that little silver flash? CRAP that's my wedding ring! I lunged for it, but it disappeared into the blackness. My split-second hesitation had cost me the time I needed to catch it. I raised my head and told Abe. He just looked shocked. Usually I wear it around my neck on a chain, but since I work in an office alot now, I got into the habit of wearing it on my finger and forgot it was on. In the chill of the water it got loose and off it came.
More to come later.