Evolution in Action
at Bathtub Spring
In 1990, five college students were staying at a laid-back, rural resort on the banks of north-central Florida’s Suwannee River. One afternoon they decided to take canoes up river to scout out potential dive sites. They soon discovered an outflowing of water on the opposite bank, known locally as Bathtub Spring.
Excited by their find, the group beached the canoes and hiked inland to see what else might be in the immediate area. They soon came across a deep sinkhole, which they assumed connected with the spring, less than 200 feet away.
The group consisted of two divers (we’ll call them Turkey One and Turkey Two), one Turkey’s girlfriend and two more level-headed male friends. Almost immediately, the two Turkeys got it in their head that it would be “cool” to see whether they could connect the sinkhole to the spring under water. Neither Turkey possessed the highly specialized training or equipment needed for cave diving.
Returning to the resort, the Turkeys loaded their dive equipment into their car, and invited the rest of the group to accompany them as they drove across the river to search for the sinkhole on land. At this point, the girlfriend and the two smarter male friends were having serious reservations about the Turkeys’ wisdom, and decided to accompany the intrepid adventurers — if only to try to talk some sense into them.
By late afternoon, the Turkeys had somehow managed to find the way to the sinkhole (no easy feat in itself) and began to discuss the dive in earnest. At this point, an argument ensued, with the clearer-thinking friends pointing out the extreme foolishness of the Turkeys’ plan. When the Turkeys failed to heed their logic, the much wiser friends decided to take drastic steps to ensure the Turkeys’ safety. They confiscated Turkey One’s dive gear, leaving him only with a mask, a hooded vest, some long, gauntleted gloves (best suited for cold water) and dive boots.
Any rational person would think that this was the end of the story. Think again.
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