Blog June Sinkhole Part 2

Blog 20 - Jun '14 - Sinkhole - Part 2

- Exploration

During the last week of May I got the chance to return to the sinkhole, which I have since learned is called Lake Aikab. The original team of 4 divers was coming back with a team including a zoologist, deep diver and geologist and again SK asked if I’d like to come back and this time get into the lake. So took a rare break from the field over a long weekend and headed out for two nights with two other researchers from camp, NB and JM. Once packed, the bakkie was embarrassingly full but we decided it was valid; temperatures where nearing 0 at night and we were camping in a bush camp with no water or power – we had a car full of jerry cans and bags of firewood as well as multiple spare tyres. Unfortunately, between the three of us not one of us packed goggles or a snorkel for our trips to Etosha. How we didn’t anticipate their use in the desert is beyond me! On the up side I was more prepared for the climbing this time so I made sure we all had gloves to help out with rope burn and prickly trees and I brought along my underwater camera.

We arrived at the sinkhole just before nightfall which gave NB and JM a chance to quickly have a look into the sinkhole and climb half way down before set up camp. The rest of the crew had been there for 4 days already so the rigging was done and most equipment was already on the lake. Once in camp we were shown numerous slideshows of pictures from the sinkhole and other dive sites that the crew had been to. I think the crew were happy to have new people to talk to, and considering the numerous comments about the “no swimsuit rule” of going into the lake (which we conveniently ignored), were also happy to have females in camp!

We got up at first light the next morning, but as we’d been warned it took a few hours before we headed out. The divers take quite a while each morning to set up their gear – “hurry up and wait” and similar sayings were bandied around a lot. After a 20 minute drive we arrived back at the sinkhole ready for a full day of climbing, boating and swimming. On the descent, which I handled like a relative pro compared to last year’s attempt, I was pretty stoked to discover that The Chimney was almost twice its original size. It turned out that a couple of days before our arrival, the old rope and timber ladder had given way and taken everything it is was anchored to with it as well as a bit of equipment. A number of items had to be retrieved from 40m below the water but fortunately no one was hurt. In collapsing, it brought down a large log that formed part of The Chimney. This was great – The Chimney was larger and easier to manoeuvre through plus there was a new, steel ladder which looked far sturdier and now reached the water’s surface. Despite being larger, The Chimney was still tricky and it was still not advisable to climb it in wet shoes as NB found out – fortunately instead of falling over a metre and then risking a rocky tumble into the water 10 metres below she landed just a little way down on JR’s shoulder

Pontoon, opening and dome Mammalian Life The newly large Chimney

Looking down to the water from above gives you the impression that despite the huge expanse of water, there is very little room above the water. But, once on a small pontoon on the lake’s surface, it became apparent that there was a lot more space than expected. It was enormous, with a dome-shaped ceiling extending to 24m above the water and at the current level the water’s surface was 100m by 110m. Once we’d reinflated the boats we could head out for a casual cruise around. All the surface work, including measurements and marking, had been completed before we arrived so we had the boats to ourselves. We spent a few hours drifting around, taking photos, enjoying the silence and avoiding the bat droppings. The latter is easier said than done. There were bat caves, areas in complete darkness, stalactites and the clearest water around – you could see divers when they were at depths of 40m.

The divers collected some small crustaceans, worms and slugs from in the lake but the lake’s depth is still unknown. DS, the team’s deep diver, went to a depth of 100m and still didn’t find the floor in many parts. In a shallower area below the opening, they did find skulls of poor unfortunate antelopes and the skeleton of a snake that managed to fall in. Unfortunately, unlike nearby Dragon’s Breath Cave, nothing bigger was found. This did make swimming in the complete darkness less creepy though. I expected to be a complete wuss in the cold water and get out in seconds. But the water was quite warm so an hour and a half went by before we got out – only because swimming/treading water non-stop in freshwater was starting to get the better of us and we still had a steep climb to go.

The next day was the last day for us and also for the whole crew so everything in the cave had to come out. I mean everything – 2 boats, a pontoon, over 20 dive tanks, 5 rebreathers, numerous wetsuits, the old ladder and the cable that was tying it in and all manner of ropes, cameras and lord knows what else. A rope and pulley system was set up and for over 5 hours we hauled everything up to the surface and then from the surface to the cars. Unfortunately the electric winch and generator only proved to be more things that we had to carry and not any help – somehow it wasn’t until they had lugged and fastened them into position that the guys realised that they couldn’t be plugged into one another. So we had an electric winch without a power source and a generator that couldn’t power anything. So everything was lifted by hand. I must note here though – chivalry is not dead in this country. At times it is quite frustrating to be told you don’t need to do something because you’re a girl but on this day, and seeing as we were hauling the diver’s gear and not our own, chivalry was welcome…sometimes. The terrain between the pulley and the cars was quite steep and littered with the sharpest of sharp rocks. These rocks were the source of my first ever wardrobe malfunction. While taking a break I noted that there was a huge tear in the back of my pants. Fortunately, I was being sun smart that day and had donned a long sleeve button-up shirt over my t-shirt, so with it wrapped around my waist I hastily retreated to the car, under the guise of taking up a tank, and changed into pants that were still in one piece.

The malfunction…

Once all the gear was back up, it was time to head back home. With camp already packed up and in the cars we headed of, me riding with SK as he didn’t want to ride alone. It also made it easier for NB and JM to communicate. Both NB and JM are deaf and it becomes particularly tricky for them to lip read in certain situations – whilst driving a car is one of them. It turned out well for me as SK and I rolled into camp over two and a half hours before NB and JM. SK knows the roads quite well and is a much faster driver. I had time to light a fire and get the coals all perfect so that we could throw all of our leftover meat on for dinner. I also avoided the problem of having to line up for the shower by getting there first.

It was a great long weekend. It was the first that I had taken since arriving in Etosha last year, it included the only swimming opportunity for the foreseeable future and I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone and got to experience something that most people would never be able to.