Thickets of hydrilla 65>> transform Wakulla’s clear waters to deep forest green. The Asian weed, probably introduced to decorate fishbowls, chokes streams throughout the southeastern U.S. Evon Jenkins, Jr., a.k.a. Hydrilla Man 91>>, dedicates 40-hour weeks to raking the stuff from the path of Wakulla’s tour boats. At best, it’s a holding action. Meanwhile associate producer Kevin Krug works off steam 32>> chopping the tangled mess to bits.

Online correspondent Ford Cochran (off camera) films EXPLORER host Boyd Matson filming producer Simon Boyce and intern Kristen Bassion filming diver Mark Meadows and project leader Bill Stone 9>>.

Team member Barbara am Ende arrives at mission control one morning to find the project mascot—a hand-puppet squirrel named “Nibbles”—missing. In its place is a note 01>>“4 PEPARONEE PITZAS OR THE SKWURL GETS IT!!” 02>>. Four pizzas and four bags of “choklat chip kookys” later, the squirrel is returned unharmed, and Barbara turns back to the business of updating the Wakulla 2 Web site 17>>.

Not so idle threat: Several members of the U.S. Deep Caving Team found this note 04>> pinned to a bundle of their survey lines ripped from the cave by a vandal. Grousing from another group of cavers unhappy with the USDCT’s high-tech approach to mapping the cave was prevalent on the alt.caving Internet newsgroup.

“Get a photo of this,” videographer Wes Skiles says, gesturing to a styrofoam cup 108>> hanging from a post over the spring. “They’ve got it rigged so divers in the water can hear when you talk into it. Sound travels really well in water.” Gullible online correspondent Ford Cochran dutifully snaps a picture and reports the find to producer Simon Boyce, who grins and lifts the cup to reveal a computer jack 109>> for transferring data from recorders attached to the divers’ gear. “No one will hear you if you talk in here. Don’t believe everything Wes tells you.”

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