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BEACON WOODS CAVE EXPLORATION..................

By
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Professionals 306012

An extensive cave system with an extensive history, Beacon Woods has been explored for more than 20 years.  In fact, many of the great early explorers showed an interest in this system.

Exploration History.......In Pasco County, early 1978, Will Waters, cave explorer in the Tampa Bay area, discovered a series of small sinks in the Beacon Woods Housing development.  The first surface entrance, located next to the housing development clubhouse and pool, was named Nexxus.  The exploration of this sinkhole led to the discovery of both an upstream and downstream passage.  The upstream sinkhole is named Round Sink this one has been dye traced to the Gulf of Mexico.   There are five surface entrances, Round Sink, Nexxus, Briar, Golf Ball and Smokehouse Pond.

In 1999, the quest was revived.  The exploration of these caves and sinks were resumed by divers Jon Bojar, Brett Hemphil and Alex Warren.  The south tunnel pushed to a distance of 3000 feet and a depth of 160 feet.  For futher exploration to continue they would need to set up a staging area for decompression.

Further explorations have been made in both directions and the system currently stretches for more than 9,000 feet and there are two main conduits.  The South Tunnel is the deepest passage, reaching a depth of over 160 feet.  Due to the depth and low visibility the divers had to use a special trimix to give them longer bottom times. 

Of the six known sinkholes, all but two have been connected: Nexxus and Stratomax.  Downstream Smokehouse Pond has been explored to 800 feet where the passage loses vertical relief and becomes side mount.  Stratomax and Briar are completely filled with debris.  The dye tracing from Round Sink to a sinkhole in the Gulf of Mexico is assumed to have traveled from the South Tunnel.

Today the exploration continues and the Southeast Exploration Team has grown.  These explorers are trying to find the possible connection to Gulf of Mexico or the nearby Wayne's World Sink cave system.

Above picture Nexxus Sink located next to the Clubhouse and pool.

 

Above picture of Round Sink

 

These sinkholes are located on private property and is NOT an open site.

 

 

Posted by

April Solomon/Realtor/GRI

Solomon & Associates Realtors, Inc.

Comments (1)

Michael J. Gallo
Florida Luxury Realty - New Port Richey, FL
Florida Luxury Realty - Gulf Home Sales Team

Great Post.  It was extremely informative.  I did not know about the sinks and I have lived in Port Richey for 15 years.  Thank You for the post and the wonderful pictures.  ~Mike

Sep 03, 2009 02:54 PM