Diving the Little Colorado River Blue Spring Resurgence

Losing over 2,400 feet of elevation in a mile of distance might not sound so bad — but after you have experienced the Grand Canyon and its tributaries, the formidable nature humbles the best of us and demands a kind of ad hoc agility that expands our very mental composure. Now add 30 lbs of expensive and delicate diving gear to your pack. The team of four that supported this dive effort included experienced cavers: Chad Dubberson, Jamie Goodwin, Astro Rosaire, and Jeff Harrison. This project would not have been possible without their selfless and dedicated effort. In my eyes, these gentlemen are the true face of cave exploration.

Eyes wide open, my team behind me grappled and carefully stepped down the squared dimensional rock of the Toroweap limestone formation. Right from the beginning we could look down over 1,000 feet of elevation loss. We downclimbed brittle limestone blocks, rigged traverse lines at sketchy sections, and worked our way past the Coconino layer onto the red Supai sandstone.

We could hear the faint white noise of the river. The water was clear but lacking the electric rich baby blue color further downriver. Down on the red wall and 50-100ft more, we were on the shoreline. The depth increased from 3ft on a submerged gravel hill to 15ft where almost half of the LCR water is released from the subterranean unknown. On the beach, gear setup turned it into a yard sale. Jeff brought down his own literature on cave diving accidents — nothing much could be done anyway.

The first free dive confirmed it — not just a crack but a bonafide cave entrance, bigger than anticipated. With side-mount rigged, camera man Jamie positioned, and 2,400ft of descent behind us, the dive was a go. At 15ft depth I was level with the entrance. I peered in and felt a jolt to the side of my head — not a rock, but 200+ cubic feet per second of water pressure. Head-sized rocks were tumbling out. The only way in was to grapple the side walls and inch forward against the lesser current.

I got 120ft into the cave, surveying as I went, through scalloped walls and chert-like nodules on red wall limestone — sharp, blade-like fins carved by fast water. At the left-bearing turn, the passage expanded dramatically: 12ft ceiling, 18ft wide, and getting bigger! I suspect water pressure disperses further in, making exploration more manageable. I exited and ended the dive. Following, I surveyed two more adjacent springs — 50ft and 100ft penetration respectively. In the last spring I found trash 100ft back. Could it have come from a sinkhole 50 miles away? The Little Colorado River Blue Spring resurgence was finally explored. Refer to the National Speleological Society for more information.