cra2
Contributor
Not sure where to post these trip reports, nor if they're really useful to anyone - I'm not diving anything you veterans haven't seen a million times.
But here are my notes from Blue Springs:
Arriving shortly before 8am, there were already about a half-dozen cars ahead of us waiting for the gates to open, and several more pulled in behind us. When the gates opened, the dive vehicles pulled just inside the gate and registered, paying about $5 extra to dive. Total cost: around $10 per diver.
As with all the low 70's springs, this was chilly.
Even in my 5mm wetsuit, I was uncomfortable if I wasn't actively engaged in something.
(Apparently I'm going to have to consider a 7mm for anything below 75 degrees)
The hike to the water from the car's not too bad unless you skip the swimming area and opt to walk up the boardwalk all the way to the upstream area. (though some folks used carts/dollies to get their gear up there)
We used the stairs to get in next to the swimming area and walked upstream, our load much lighter & cooler in the water, and used that time to chat & poke around with the snorkel gear.
At the "spring" itself, the water starts to dip down to 8-12' in some places, with snorkelers all over the place and eventually a basic OW class came in and was off to the side working on skills.
To dive down into the spring, you have to pull yourself down around a sunken tree covering the hole while finning against the current of cold water rushing out. The tree's around the 12' mark I'd say. Once you're under it, you hit 15' and have to work a little to control your position and descent and move to the side of the current. I was weighted with my normal freshwater belt and found that with my BC deflated, the current was almost enough to keep me in place (neutral). But if I streamlined my body a bit more or moved to the sides, I would start sinking slowly.
Anyways, the spring is like a narrow but long gash in the rock with levels (or ledges) each about 5-8' lower than the next.
It's not so small that you'd easily feel claustrophobic unless it got pretty full of divers or you moved to the sides under the ledges, into the darkness.
As we descended, I was disgusted by all the graffiti covering every possible surface. Everything from "Donna loves Joe" to "Metallica" was written in letters up to 12" tall. I hope that it's all just smears in the algae or something and not actually carved into the pale rock. But I did notice at least a few words that were obviously etched deep with a knife or something. Unbelievable.
At the 60' mark, I think the hole felt a little longer and more narrow and was sort of angling down so you couldn't see the surface entirely. A good gentle intro to being in overhead environments, I suppose. You could easily sit on a ledge and lean back and be in darkness with a thick rock ledge above you.
Below us, the hole kept getting darker and deeper and we watched what must've been cave divers disappear down there with lights. I hear that at 100' or so, you can enter a tunnel system or another room. But none in our group was cave certified so we stopped around 65'.
Ascending is neat because it's almost like rock climbing. You reach hand over hand, pulling yourself up slowly, one ledge at a time. And the safety stop at 15' is easy because you just hang out under that sunken tree watching snorkelers swim down to wave at you. (for fun - just grab one by the leg when they've turned around and are heading for the surface. just kidding!)
We also noticed 2 or 3 big catfish slinking around the lip of the hole. These guys were dark brown, spiny, prehistoric looking fish that would sit real still hoping you didn't notice them, and then shoot to the surface to get a sip of air from time to time. I don't know what species they were but they were about 18" long and as thick as a grapefruit. They looked exactly like the common plecos that eventually outgrow most home aquariums.
The second dive we did, shortly after noon, proved to be much better. It was less crowded because the classes had cleared out and the sun had moved into a better position to shine right down the shaft. The rock ledges weren't as murky and dark anymore, looking like softly illuminated ivory with veins of rust in them. And we could make out more details even deeper down so we poked around just below 75'. From that point, you really need lights to see anything.
After this dive, we drifted back downstream with our snorkel gear on and noticed two large blue crabs, some common freshwater fish (probably perch, trout and/or bass), some schools of shiny minnows, and 2 pretty big alligator gar (almost as thick as a football and several feet long).
The only other thing to note here is that there is a snack shop, pavilions, bathrooms and showers.
All in all I'd say it was interesting to check out, but not really worth going back.
Unless there's some cave system at the bottom for cert'd divers to explore, you basically go straight down a lifeless elevator shaft covered in graffiti, then come straight back up.
But then again, maybe that's my vast experience talking - after all, this was my 7th dive. ;P
Check the web for more details.
www.floridastateparks.org/bluespring/default.asp
But here are my notes from Blue Springs:
Arriving shortly before 8am, there were already about a half-dozen cars ahead of us waiting for the gates to open, and several more pulled in behind us. When the gates opened, the dive vehicles pulled just inside the gate and registered, paying about $5 extra to dive. Total cost: around $10 per diver.
As with all the low 70's springs, this was chilly.
Even in my 5mm wetsuit, I was uncomfortable if I wasn't actively engaged in something.
(Apparently I'm going to have to consider a 7mm for anything below 75 degrees)
The hike to the water from the car's not too bad unless you skip the swimming area and opt to walk up the boardwalk all the way to the upstream area. (though some folks used carts/dollies to get their gear up there)
We used the stairs to get in next to the swimming area and walked upstream, our load much lighter & cooler in the water, and used that time to chat & poke around with the snorkel gear.
At the "spring" itself, the water starts to dip down to 8-12' in some places, with snorkelers all over the place and eventually a basic OW class came in and was off to the side working on skills.
To dive down into the spring, you have to pull yourself down around a sunken tree covering the hole while finning against the current of cold water rushing out. The tree's around the 12' mark I'd say. Once you're under it, you hit 15' and have to work a little to control your position and descent and move to the side of the current. I was weighted with my normal freshwater belt and found that with my BC deflated, the current was almost enough to keep me in place (neutral). But if I streamlined my body a bit more or moved to the sides, I would start sinking slowly.
Anyways, the spring is like a narrow but long gash in the rock with levels (or ledges) each about 5-8' lower than the next.
It's not so small that you'd easily feel claustrophobic unless it got pretty full of divers or you moved to the sides under the ledges, into the darkness.
As we descended, I was disgusted by all the graffiti covering every possible surface. Everything from "Donna loves Joe" to "Metallica" was written in letters up to 12" tall. I hope that it's all just smears in the algae or something and not actually carved into the pale rock. But I did notice at least a few words that were obviously etched deep with a knife or something. Unbelievable.
At the 60' mark, I think the hole felt a little longer and more narrow and was sort of angling down so you couldn't see the surface entirely. A good gentle intro to being in overhead environments, I suppose. You could easily sit on a ledge and lean back and be in darkness with a thick rock ledge above you.
Below us, the hole kept getting darker and deeper and we watched what must've been cave divers disappear down there with lights. I hear that at 100' or so, you can enter a tunnel system or another room. But none in our group was cave certified so we stopped around 65'.
Ascending is neat because it's almost like rock climbing. You reach hand over hand, pulling yourself up slowly, one ledge at a time. And the safety stop at 15' is easy because you just hang out under that sunken tree watching snorkelers swim down to wave at you. (for fun - just grab one by the leg when they've turned around and are heading for the surface. just kidding!)
We also noticed 2 or 3 big catfish slinking around the lip of the hole. These guys were dark brown, spiny, prehistoric looking fish that would sit real still hoping you didn't notice them, and then shoot to the surface to get a sip of air from time to time. I don't know what species they were but they were about 18" long and as thick as a grapefruit. They looked exactly like the common plecos that eventually outgrow most home aquariums.
The second dive we did, shortly after noon, proved to be much better. It was less crowded because the classes had cleared out and the sun had moved into a better position to shine right down the shaft. The rock ledges weren't as murky and dark anymore, looking like softly illuminated ivory with veins of rust in them. And we could make out more details even deeper down so we poked around just below 75'. From that point, you really need lights to see anything.
After this dive, we drifted back downstream with our snorkel gear on and noticed two large blue crabs, some common freshwater fish (probably perch, trout and/or bass), some schools of shiny minnows, and 2 pretty big alligator gar (almost as thick as a football and several feet long).
The only other thing to note here is that there is a snack shop, pavilions, bathrooms and showers.
All in all I'd say it was interesting to check out, but not really worth going back.
Unless there's some cave system at the bottom for cert'd divers to explore, you basically go straight down a lifeless elevator shaft covered in graffiti, then come straight back up.
But then again, maybe that's my vast experience talking - after all, this was my 7th dive. ;P
Check the web for more details.
www.floridastateparks.org/bluespring/default.asp
). A few people i know from my local dive club went there and made it all the way to the bottom, a little admonition from me may not have worked, but at least i told them about it all. However i have hit 80ft down there (no lights), i couldnt see the exit directly, but could still see the glow very clearly, however we only stayed there a few seconds before heading back up to 50-60ft where it is wider to play in the flow for a bit. I found to ascend (particularly being "light") all i had to do was flare my body a little or get out of the most hydrodynamic shape and up i was taken - i wouldnt go about grabbing the rocks as slowly they will get worn down by abrasion.
