Buxton Water Aven, Peak Cavern - 31/07/2007

Report by Jules Barrett
Cavers: Jules Barrett (EPC) and Jim Lister (EPC& TSG)

An arrangement had been made for the two of us to meet up at Ink Sump dive base at 2:45 pm. Jim went into Peak in the morning diving through Ink Sump and into Doom's Retreat to do work on the upper ladder. I entered the showcave somewhat later than hoped at 2:05 pm and made my way quickly to the downstream end of Buxton Water Sump. Here I sat around for 10 minutes as my mask wouldn't de-fog due to the fact that I was sweating horrendously having motored from the TSG to here in 10mm of neoprene on a hot day. When mask eventually de-fogged I dived through Buxton Water Sump, de-kitted on the far side and started running up the Peak Streamway arriving at Ink Sump dive base a couple of minutes late and very knackered. Both of us yomped back down the streamway to the upstream end of Buxton Water Sump, kitted up and dived through to Buxton Water Aven. A quantity of old digging gear, wire and krabs was removed and stuffed in a tackle sack to be transported out. The tackle sack proved to be rather more buoyant than expected (could have been due to the large pieces of karrimat in it!) and something of a handful. Both exited without incident and spent a pleasant evening in good weather painting the roof of the Chapel garage and drinking tea.