Bisaro but Beautiful - February 3, 2013
Team members: Henry Bruns, Katie Graham, Diana Kirkwood, Wes Woodworth, Charlene Barker, and Nicholaus Vieira
The plan was to dive the sump in Bisaro but Beautiful. It had been attempted before however the conditions where never right for the previous attempts. The plan was to field a long distance diver but have the flexibility to send two divers through the sump if it was a short sump. Charlene was to sort the dive equipment, Henry the snow machine, and I was to get the ball rolling.
Snowshoeing toward the entrance. Luckily snow machines have packed a trail close to the cave.
Everyone drove into Blairemore the evening of February 2nd, 2013, sorted and packed kit into the vehicles for an early-ish start. By 07:30 in the morning we were driving to the trail head not knowing how far we would get in the vehicles before switching to snowshoes. There was about 1.4m of snow on the ground.
The impressive entrance to Bisaro but Beautiful.
Not far, about 2km from the turn off, was the staging area for the snow machines we were told about. We would be on foot from here, with Henry shuttling kit bags and the odd porter with the solo snow machine on the trip.
Heading up towards the sump.
12 km later we arrived at the approximate location of the entrance. We then began the trek through the deep powder, without the aid of the snow machine, toward the likely spot of the entrance. We were traveling to the entrance location with out the aid of a GPS location. Success we had located Bisaro but Beautiful's entrance. Storing the snowshoes at the massive entrance we moved up the free climbs with our bulging loads. A quick look at the sumps, a staging area was chosen and the equipment was removed from the bags and assembly began in earnest. Quickly a major problem was discovered, the tank valves were loose on two cylinders with both cylinders as a result being completely empty of air...
Moving through the cave.
Changing plans, only a single diver would be able to dive. Charlene kitted up as I packed up my now unnecessary dive gear. Once ready Charlene disappeared into the clear sump. Approximately 1 hour later she surface with a huge grin bubbling over with the news and description of what lay below in the 3C water. She recounted the perfect vis in the clean washed sump, the beautiful phreatic tube she swam through with a few air air bells and the desire to return with more air, as no surface was found before turning the dive after more than 150m of diveline laid.
Charlene beginning the dive, laying thee dive line.
We got the kit packed up a warm brew drank then began the return to the snow machine and vehicle in the dark. After arriving in Blairemore we quickly sorted kit, then Diana and I began the 3+ hr drive back to Canmore arriving very early in the morning on the following day.
Returning through the sump.
Plans on returning to push the sump further, and survey it to a higher standard were made.
Heading back home after the first dive of the sump.
