Second Roaring River dive nets artifacts, photos of “Colossal Dome”
The photo above was taken inside the “Colossal Dome,” an air-bell within Roaring River Cave which can only be reached by diving below surface waters. Photo courtesy of KISS Rebreathers.
June 23
Sheila Harris
When the team of divers from KISS Rebreathers (of Fort Smith, Arkansas) made their second park-sanctioned diving exploration of Roaring River Cave over the weekend, they made a startling discovery. At a depth of 225 feet below the surface of the water - the point previous divers had reached in 1979, then again in the early 1990s - a second opening into the caverns beyond had formed near the narrow opening discovered by previous divers. Through these two small openings, at impressively strong discharge rates, pours all of the water that feeds Roaring River.
“This is an exciting find,” KISS owner and head diver, Mike Young, said. “That second opening wasn’t there when we made our dives in May.”
Young surmises that the high water-discharge rate experienced during spring flooding led to the formation of the second opening. At one point during May that rate reached over 2,000 cubic feet per second, according to USGS statistics. By the end of May, the discharge rate had dropped to less than 250 cubic feet per second.
Not only is the discharge rate less prohibitive, the water clarity has increased as well.
Young feels confident that if the favorable water conditions continue throughout the summer, that he and fellow divers will be able to breach one of the openings and discover what lies beyond. If successful, they will navigate underground territory where no known person has gone before.
According to Young, who made several dives into the mouth of Roaring River Spring over the weekend, the second, newer opening is partially covered by loose rocks, which he says are movable, provided the water flow rate is not too high. He’s confident the new opening can be breached.
“I’ll use my scooter to pull me through the opening,” Young said.
The so-called “scooter” is a slim, torpedo-shaped, motorized vehicle with handlebars and propellors.
“We use it to give us a rest from swimming when we need it, or to pull us through tight places,” Young said.
Young believes the feat of breaching a crevice 225 feet below the surface of the water will be possible because of newer technology than previous divers had access to. That technology has led to the production of the compact rebreathing units KISS custom-builds for divers around the world.
“We can get through much smaller spaces with rebreathers than divers could in the past, who only had traditional, bulky SCUBA gear at their disposal,” Young said.
Young’s rebreathing unit is called, appropriately, “The Abyss,” and is built for extreme water-depth, for “adventure divers,” according to surface manager for Saturday’s dive, Tony Bryant.
“Adventure diver” is a label that fits Mike Young well. He learned to dive 30 years ago in a sinkhole in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, South Africa. Since then, he’s explored underwater cave systems around the world.
Young and his wife, Sheri, live in the Fort Smith area, as does fellow diver, Joe Heinrichs, and safety diver/RN, Neil Brownlow.
Additional team members for the June dive included cartographer Jon Lillestolen, of Virginia, and his assistant, Gayle Orner, of Wisconsin.
The purpose for the dives into the mouth of Roaring River Spring is not simply for the sake of adventure.
Young and his team plan to remap the underground caverns using an intricate system of ropes and knots for measurement. They also plan to create a video of their underwater exploration for use in the Roaring River Park Nature Center.
Tim Bass, of NWA Adventure Dive in Bentonville, will be filmographer for the team’s endeavors.
Last weekend’s dive into the spring netted more than just the discovery of a second opening. Neil Brownlow discovered a remnant of pottery - about four inches wide - possibly of Native American origin. Research is being conducted.
Other finds in the spring included an old, metal, long-handled rake, a bird’s skull and several intact glass bottles.
While the divers were able to move a few rocks away from the new opening they discovered over the weekend, they will not attempt to go through the passageway, into the caverns beyond, until their next scheduled visit, July 16 - 19.
Sheila Harris
When the team of divers from KISS Rebreathers (of Fort Smith, Arkansas) made their second park-sanctioned diving exploration of Roaring River Cave over the weekend, they made a startling discovery. At a depth of 225 feet below the surface of the water - the point previous divers had reached in 1979, then again in the early 1990s - a second opening into the caverns beyond had formed near the narrow opening discovered by previous divers. Through these two small openings, at impressively strong discharge rates, pours all of the water that feeds Roaring River.
“This is an exciting find,” KISS owner and head diver, Mike Young, said. “That second opening wasn’t there when we made our dives in May.”
Young surmises that the high water-discharge rate experienced during spring flooding led to the formation of the second opening. At one point during May that rate reached over 2,000 cubic feet per second, according to USGS statistics. By the end of May, the discharge rate had dropped to less than 250 cubic feet per second.
Not only is the discharge rate less prohibitive, the water clarity has increased as well.
Young feels confident that if the favorable water conditions continue throughout the summer, that he and fellow divers will be able to breach one of the openings and discover what lies beyond. If successful, they will navigate underground territory where no known person has gone before.
According to Young, who made several dives into the mouth of Roaring River Spring over the weekend, the second, newer opening is partially covered by loose rocks, which he says are movable, provided the water flow rate is not too high. He’s confident the new opening can be breached.
“I’ll use my scooter to pull me through the opening,” Young said.
The so-called “scooter” is a slim, torpedo-shaped, motorized vehicle with handlebars and propellors.
“We use it to give us a rest from swimming when we need it, or to pull us through tight places,” Young said.
Young believes the feat of breaching a crevice 225 feet below the surface of the water will be possible because of newer technology than previous divers had access to. That technology has led to the production of the compact rebreathing units KISS custom-builds for divers around the world.
“We can get through much smaller spaces with rebreathers than divers could in the past, who only had traditional, bulky SCUBA gear at their disposal,” Young said.
Young’s rebreathing unit is called, appropriately, “The Abyss,” and is built for extreme water-depth, for “adventure divers,” according to surface manager for Saturday’s dive, Tony Bryant.
“Adventure diver” is a label that fits Mike Young well. He learned to dive 30 years ago in a sinkhole in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, South Africa. Since then, he’s explored underwater cave systems around the world.
Young and his wife, Sheri, live in the Fort Smith area, as does fellow diver, Joe Heinrichs, and safety diver/RN, Neil Brownlow.
Additional team members for the June dive included cartographer Jon Lillestolen, of Virginia, and his assistant, Gayle Orner, of Wisconsin.
The purpose for the dives into the mouth of Roaring River Spring is not simply for the sake of adventure.
Young and his team plan to remap the underground caverns using an intricate system of ropes and knots for measurement. They also plan to create a video of their underwater exploration for use in the Roaring River Park Nature Center.
Tim Bass, of NWA Adventure Dive in Bentonville, will be filmographer for the team’s endeavors.
Last weekend’s dive into the spring netted more than just the discovery of a second opening. Neil Brownlow discovered a remnant of pottery - about four inches wide - possibly of Native American origin. Research is being conducted.
Other finds in the spring included an old, metal, long-handled rake, a bird’s skull and several intact glass bottles.
While the divers were able to move a few rocks away from the new opening they discovered over the weekend, they will not attempt to go through the passageway, into the caverns beyond, until their next scheduled visit, July 16 - 19.
Above, Neil Brownlow (left) and Mike Young (right), with KISS Rebreathers, prepare to dive into the mouth of Roaring River Spring. Photo courtesy of KISS Rebreathers.
At right, cartographer Jon Lillestolen was able to remove his breathing apparatus while in the underground air-bell. Photo courtesy of KISS Rebreathers. 
Above, a remnant of pottery, possibly of Native American origin, was found by KISS diver, Neil Brownlow, on Saturday. The artifact was lying on a rocky crag in Roaring River Spring, about 40 feet below the surface of the water, Brownlow said. Photo by Sheila Harris.
At right, a fascinated crowd gathers to watch divers prepare for their descent into Roaring River Spring.
Surface manager Tony Bryant (seated) keeps a detailed record of the divers' entry time into the water and the length of time they plan to be under. Photo by Sheila Harris. |
Above, Neil Brownlow (left) and Mike Young (right) ready themselves for a park-sanctioned, diving exploration of Roaring River Cave. Photo courtesy of KISS Rebreathers.
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