Traverse and reverse

The Peacock map with our route in green

I blew bubbles out through my nose and mouth as I rose through the water. I carried my rebreather on my back and a bail-out tank under each arm. Above me, I could see the reflective plane of the water's surface. My neoprene hood breached the surface, and through my clear SCUBA mask, I could see a little boy on the stairs. He waved "hello" to me, and then his brother and mom joined. I waved back, then sank once again into the depths. 

An hour and a half later, I surfaced again - this time at the other end of the cave. Three girls swam at the surface. Their legs were covered in fabric cones with patterns like scales: mermaid tails. Bikini tops and bright blue and purple eye shadow matched their tails perfectly. When my head was just below the surface, one of the mermaids took a deep breath and dove head-first into the water. Her bright red hair streamed behind her, and she waved as she flipped her tail to propel herself back to the surface. 

Peacock Springs is one of my favorite sites in Cave Country. The cave is located in a public park, and it's a busy swimming spot in addition to a dive site. You meet the coolest people at Peacock - everyone from kids and parents to mermaids. Because of its large cavern, Peacock is also a great dive site for training. 

Here's the thing about Peacock: it has multiple entrances. Not just at the two ends of the cave (Orange Grove and Peacock I), but in between as well. Ok, to be perfectly fair, the "entrances" in the middle are really just emergency exits - natural sinks where the cave opens to the surface and you can climb out if you absolutely have to. If you're having a good dive (not an emergency), you can still use the sinks as "verified exits" to extend your safe travel distance underwater. In a rebreather, you can even make it all the way from one end of the cave to the other. 

Or, if you're crazy, you can swim all the way through the cave, then turn around and swim right back.

Friends, I guess Carl and I are crazy. It took us two tries - the first day, I was too tired for the swim back, so I left my gear on the steps and walked the half-mile back to get the truck. On our second try, I managed the swim in both directions! The swim was over 2 miles long - just over a mile in each direction. As we climbed out of the water, I was exhausted and elated and proud. 

It was a great dive!