Home

The Woodville Karst Plain Project (WKPP) 501c3

Mission

To explore, survey, connect, document and protect the flooded underwater cave systems of North Florida’s Woodville Karst Plain. To this end, the WKPP promotes public awareness, education and scientific discovery through exploration and research support within these flooded cave systems. Through partnerships with state, federal and private landowners, the WKPP is uniquely positioned to facilitate scientific research and the gathering of valuable data. In turn, researchers, resource managers, policy makers and landowners can formulate necessary and responsible land use decisions to protect these unique and treasured resources for future generations.

Background

The WKPP regularly conducts some of the most extensive and logistically complex technical cave dives in the world. The WKPP team has been exploring caves at record distances for more than 25 years, holding most of the major cave diving records, including the the longest penetration into a flooded cave system (26,000 feet, requiring a bottom time of 12 hours at a depth of 300). WKPP contributions to technical diving are well documented including decompression, gas planning and team diving protocols.  WKPP lead explorers and experts routinely advise researchers, government agencies and the military on a number of topics related to exploring and operating safely and efficiently in some of the most extreme underwater environments on the planet.

Project Highlights

  • Officially Established:  1990
  • Total # current, volunteer team members: 75
  • Letter of Commendation: Gov Chiles 1995
  • Resolution: Gov Crist & Cabinet 2009
  • Resolution: Florida Legislature 2010
  • Florida Springs Champion – FWF
  • NSS Letter of Recognition

Investment

  • More than 385,000 dive hours since 1990
  • Amount of equipment moved per event: 15,000lbs
  • Longest exploration dive exposure:  29 hours
  • Average exploration dive exposure:  15 hours

The WKPP is self-funded through its members:

  • Direct expenses per event: est. $10,000
  • Total direct expenses since 1990: est. $3.75 million
  • Equipment cost per exploration diver: est. $85,000
  • Equipment cost (total team): est. $1.5 million

Results

  • Total distance explored/mapped: 34+ miles
  • Maximum depth—325ft / Average depth—285ft
  • Largest tunnel diameter—100ft x 150ft
  • Smallest tunnel diameter—5ft x 5ft
  • Connected Leon Sinks and Wakulla Cave Systems in 2007

Research

  • DEP-FGS: Groundwater tracing support—2003-07
  • DEP-FGS: Hydraulic meter installation & support—2003-current
  • DEP-FGS: Well installation & documentation—2003-04
  • DEP-FGS: Cave Radio Location deployment—2003-12
  • DEP: Cave System Conduit Data WLS
  • DEP: Cave System Conduit Data Natural Bridge State Park
  • USFS: Monitoring and Cave System Conduit Data ANF
  • DOI-SMNWR: Spring Monitoring, Data, Reports
  • USGS: Cave System Conduit Data
  • FL DOT: Cave System Conduit Data
  • NWFWMD: Wakulla Springs Flow Meter Support 1998-2014
  • FSU, UNWF and Independent Researcher Support

Education and Outreach

  • Wakulla Springs Working Group Member—1992-2012
  • Wakulla Springs Earth Day Volunteer—1995-current
  • Wakulla Springs Alliance Member
  • Friends of Wakulla Springs Member

Woodville Karst Plain Project