Category: Community

Geocaching is delightful because of the people who play it — adventure-seekers, makers, parents, astronauts and (sometimes) celebrities. Read their stories.

/ Alex /

Zadar Sea Organ — Geocache of the Week

Traditional Cache
GC322MF
by donweb
Difficulty: 
2
Terrain: 
1
Location: 
Zadar, Croatia
N 44° 07.012 E 015° 13.223

There aren’t many places in the world where you can watch a burning sunset over the sea, listen to soothing organ music, and then be treated to a solar-powered, galactic light show…without moving from your spot the whole time.

In fact, there’s probably only one place on earth where that’s possible. And there’s a geocache there.

Zadar waterfront from above.
Zadar waterfront from above.

The Burning Sunset

Croatia’s sunniest months are July and August. Luckily for visitors the sun tends to set every day, so views like this can happen year-round.

Tall ships are a frequent sight.
Tall ships are a frequent sight.
A perfect shot.
A perfect shot.

Soothing Organ Music

The amazing sculpture/instrument known as the Sea Organ (Croatian: Morske orgulje) is made up of a series of differently-sized tubes located in the water underneath a set of large marble steps. The movement of the waves rushing across the tubes creates beautiful, if a bit random, music.

Tubes hidden underneath marble steps produce organ sounds as the waves flow across them.
Tubes hidden underneath marble steps produce organ sounds as the waves flow across them.
One of the organ holes.
One of the organ holes.

Galactic Light Show

At the top of the Sea Organ stairs is another installation fighting for the title of Most Futuristic. Embedded in the ground are approximately 300 glass solar panels called the Sun Salutation, which are perfectly walkable by day.

At dusk, the Sun Salutation switches on and displays a series of bright and colorful lights. The motion of the lights depends on the solar energy collected throughout the day as well as the power of the waves, and mimics the motion of the solar system. All eight planets are represented by solar lights placed at their proportional distances from the sun. Both the Sun Salutation and the Sea Organ were designed by the architect Nikola Bašić.

A series of solar panels arranged in a circle light up at night.
A series of solar panels called the Sun Salutation light up at night.
A sunset, the Sun Salutation lights begin to glow softly.
A sunset, the lights begin to glow softly.
The Sun Salutation makes a great dance floor.
The Sun Salutation makes a great dance floor.

All this, and of course there’s a geocache nearby to find. GC322MF is a popular meeting point for visiting geocachers who host events. The cache has 136 favorite points, and while the cache itself might be your run-of-the-mill hide, the things you’ll find when you reach it are truly incredible. 

The cache.
The cache.
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An energetic moment captured on camera by geocacher cdem62.

Continue to explore some of the most amazing geocaches around the world.
Check out all of the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, fill out this form.

/ Carly

7 Tips for Finding your First Scuba Cache

You’ve dominated the game on land and now you’re ready for the next level of geocaching — sea level that is. Dave from Geocaching HQ, aka HiddenGnome, recently found his first scuba cache in the US Virgin Islands. He returned to HQ with a plenty of vitamin D and some great advice for those who also want to go on their first underwater geocaching adventure. Scuba caches are no easy feat, but with these 7 tips from Dave, you’ll soon be ready to take the plunge.

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Dave himself finding his first scuba cache, GC3CMHE, in the US Virgin Islands

1. Get certified. Before attempting, make sure you have proper scuba certification.

Geocacher "FJFitzgerald " at GC1D6ZQ in Michigan.
Geocacher “FJFitzgerald ” at GC1D6ZQ in Michigan

2. Read cache details carefully as every scuba cache is different. Some will require park entrance fees while others may ask you to notify the local park ranger.

Geocacher Peter_U and friends at a underwater cache site in Finland
Geocacher Peter_U and friends at a underwater cache site in Finland

3. Research the diving area and its ecosystem. You don’t want to be unpleasantly surprised by the local sea creatures or water temperature.

Geocacher "Stray65" at GC3GB52 in Egypt
Geocacher “Stray65” at GC3GB52 in Egypt

4. Bring a compass. GPS devices will not work underwater but a compass will help you navigate while submerged in water. You can also triangulate the position of the geocache based on provided landmarks – certain cache listings will specify.

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Bring a compass for navigating

5. Buddy system is a must. In the off-chance that something were to happen (an underwater current), you want to make sure someone knows where you are.

Travelingeek and friends at GC4BAC0 in Cayman Islands

6. Bring a pencil or waterproof writing utensil to sign the logbook. Standard pens won’t work when wet.

Logbook at GC34AAB in Mallorca

7. Carry an underwater camera… so you can snap a shot of yourself finding the cache!

Say cheese!
Say cheese!

What other questions do you have about scuba caching?

/ Alex /

Das Müssmannhaus — Geocache of the Week

Mystery Cache
GC48D69
by die 2 Schachtmeister
Difficulty: 
5
Terrain: 
4.5
Location: 
Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
N 51° 40.635 E 006° 52.571

Required  for finding this Geocache of the Week: a tolerance for tight, pitch-black spaces.

The cache was built by these two guys, Joem and Andreas, collectively known as die 2 Schachtmeister. They’ve poured their souls, sweat, and earnings into creating this terrifyingly convincing haunted house-style geocache.

The COs of the Müssmannhaus.
The COs of the Müssmannhaus.

Solve the puzzle from the cache page and you’ll find yourself “trapped” inside the Müssmannhaus having been kidnapped… or so the story goes. The goal is simple: escape the house by finding the geocache.

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A popular photo opportunity near the entrance to the Müssmannhaus.

How it Works

The Müssmannhaus is actually several huge shipping containers owned by the cache owners. They’re stacked together and are connected by a series of secret hallways, tiny tunnels, and hidden rooms inside. Any team of geocachers who enter the house (at least 3 people are required) will face difficult puzzles and eerie, dark places in their quest to make it through.

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“In you go!”
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The outside of the Müssmannhaus.

But it won’t be easy.

For one, things get really, really tight. The cache owners have actually written a warning for those attempting to find the cache:

In order to complete the adventure, you cannot have any — and we mean any — fear of tight, dark spaces. You’ll need to be able to fit your entire body through openings that are no bigger than 40 x 40 cm.

You also need to generally be okay with grisly things (fake grisly, of course), and be able to think under pressure.

Spoiler photos are regularly cleaned from the cache page, so you’ll need to pay a visit to the cache in person in order to find out what it’s really like.

But if you can’t make it out to Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany anytime soon, watch these videos (in German) about the cache to catch glimpses of what happens inside the Müssmannhaus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4glG_fWHIms

https://youtube.com/watch?v=zhuws9IjK7Q

The cache has garnered quite a fan club. On the one year anniversary of the Müssmannhaus’s publication, a celebration was held in the vicinity of the structure. There was even a replica cake!

2016-05-18_16-41-40
Das Müssmannhaus

 

Continue to explore some of the most amazing geocaches around the world.
Check out all of the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, fill out this form.

/ Carly /

HCue: How To Make a Hollow Book Geocache

Do you consider yourself a book nerd and a geocaching connoisseur? If yes, then this HCue video was created just for you. Grab yourself some glue, a few cutting tools, and a thick book (of witchcraft and wizardry), and you’ll have all of the necessary tools to create your own “Chamber of Secrets!”

What You’ll Need:

  • Thick Book – Make sure it’s large enough to fit a logbook, Trackables, and other geocaching trinkets
  • Box Cutter or X-Acto Knife*  
  • Saran Wrap
  • Straight-Edge Ruler
  • Pencil or Pen
  • Power Drill – Optional but very helpful
  • White Glue/Water Mixture  – 70/30 ratio mixture
  • Paint brush
  • Band-aids… Just in case

Instructions:

  1. Select a page near the beginning of the book and use Saran Wrap to cover that page, the pages before it, and the front cover. This saved page will be used later on in the process.
  2. Firmly hold down the remaining pages and brush the outer edges with the glue/water mixture. The Saran Wrapped pages should be protected from the glue mixture.
  3. Place some sort of heavy object on top of the book and wait for the glue to dry. This should take around 15-30 minutes.
  4. After the glue dries, open the book to the first glued page. Draw 1/2 inch border inside the page edges using a writing utensil and ruler.
  5. If you have a power drill, drill a hole in each corner of the border. Using the ruler and cutting tool, start carefully cutting through the layers. Safety always comes first (as you saw in the video) so take your time cutting!
  6. Cut until you reach the back of the book. Do not cut the back cover. Then remove stray paper debris.
  7. Brush the inside edges and top of of the cut-out pages with glue/water mixture.
  8. Carefully remove the Saran Wrapped pages that you set aside step #1 and placed the saved page right before the cut-out pages onto the wet glue mixture.
  9. Close book, add weight, and let dry for another 15-30 minutes.
  10. Cut through saved page.
  11. Your hollow book geocache is now complete! You know what to do from here. And if you don’t, go here.**

*These should only be used by adults with experience handling these tools.

**These containers are placed commonly in libraries and other wonderful “book-filled” environments.