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Tapir's End |
During attempts to connect the system
Balun Actun and the
system Dos Ojos, from the cenote Dos Palmas, were made some test dives to
find any passage left by previous explorations. March 25, 2011: During one of these dives, from the cenote Tapir's End, is reviewed an exploration conducted in 1994 by Buddy Quattlebaum and continued in 1996 by Steve Keene where, contrary to the main direction of water flow in the system Dos Ojos, from North-West to South-East, the water flows with a certain intensity to the North-east and then turns eastward.
The guideline ends in a closed room with no apparent exit, but there are no doubts about the direction of the water that flows northward through a restriction. March 30, 2011: Three dives are necessary to explore 1162 feet of new caves characterized by small dimension and several restrictions between calcareous concretions and collapse of material. The water flow is constant and its direction is clearly towards the North. This awakens the attention to the system Eb, part of the group of caves located around the mayan ruins of Xel-Ha, and explored in 2008 by Bil Phillips
April 01, 2011: In a further dive, over a particularly challenging restriction, the size of the cave increases and are noted some side passages. 515 feet of caves are added, always in the direction of the system Eb.
April 16, 2011: The side passages lead to nothing, while the north cave reserve other surprises: a major collapse of material has given rise to a large chamber where several phreatic and deeper passages are beginning. The bigger of these leads to the west and ends in a bedding plain. 1257 feet of new caves are added to the system Dos Ojos.
April 19, 2011: With a careful observation is found an escape of water from the chamber. The ceiling is sometimes very low, only about 20 inches from the bottom. The hope is to go north-east, but the main duit forces to go south-east, while some side passages are open to the south side. 715 feet of new caves are explored in a single dive.
April 22, 2011: The distance to cover before to begin the exploration is 3960 feet from the entry point. Unfortunately is not possible to dive from the system Eb due to the prohibition imposed by the presence of numerous remains and pottery of mayan origin. Bil Phillips data show a shallow cave, between 20 and 30 feet deep; is necessary to look up, and the cave turns sharply northward. Several side passages open the way to the east, but is on top of a collapse of material, over a narrow chimney, where Alessandro Reato comes out in front of the guideline laid by Bil Phillips three years ago. Another small piece of the puzzle is in place; the system Eb (814 feet) is now apart of the Dos Ojos, the third larest cave system in the world. And beyond the exploration of Bil, forced to stop for the pressure imposed by anthropologist, the cave continues and are explored 238 feet to the north, reaching a distance of 5110 feet from the entry point.
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