no more diving at Blue Spring?

Hey

I heard Blue Spring Park is closed for diving, snorkeling or swimming until march. They have a new rule! If there are manatees in the water nobody is allowed to be in the water.

Is this true?

I think it would be aweful, I love being out there! It is not the divers who harm the manatees. Boats and the polution of the water are way more harmful.

Got This off the Fl. Parks website:

Winter home to numerous manatees, Blue Spring is a designated manatee refuge. West Indian Manatees are a federally listed endangered species protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection act of 1973, and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act which make it illegal to harass or disrupt normal manatee behavioral patterns. To comply with these laws during Manatee season, the spring run is closed to canoes and Kayaks, and swimming is only permitted in the head spring area. Swimmers and divers may be asked to leave the water in the headspring area if manatees are present.


If I am reading this right, it is not closed but you might not be diving if the manatees are around.

I was just at Blue springs about 3 weeks ago. The inlet from the main river was closed off past the swimming area. There were signs posted stating that due to Manatees this area was closed. However divers were still being allowed to to the the actual spring. I thought they did this every year though? I could be wrong. Happy holidays.

I was there yesterday with about 20 divers and they would not let us dive. There is a new sheriff in town. And he is doing he's JOB.

That Suckss......

Today December 26, 2005 Blue Spring, Orange City, Florida is effectively closed to scuba divers. We arrived at the gate at 8 AM for our dive and were told by the gate rangers that as of December 21st no diving was allowed as long as manatees were in the head springs. The exact wording of their announcement is:

*WARNING*

“IF MANATEE ARE IN THE DESIGNATED SWIMMING AREA THEN DIVERS AND SWIMMERS WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE WATER. DIVERS CAN EITHER WAIT UNTIL THE MANATEE LEAVE OR REQUEST A REFUND.
WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY ICONVIENENCE THIS MAY CAUSE.”

This effectively stops diving for the remainder of the winter season. This reason for this action appears to be that some individual harassed a manatee and now all divers and swimmers are to be controlled (punished).

This raises several issues: #1, if the diver/swimmer in question was observed harassing the manatee Federal Law protects the animal and the individual should be arrested and prosecuted. All divers sign an agreement upon entering the State Park stating that they know they are to stay 50’ away from manatees. Swimmers sign no such document.
#2. Is this ban legal? What discretionary authority does the Park have to enact this “law”? When across the State Crystal River actively promotes “Diving with the manatees”?
#3: What is the economic impact to local Orlando area dive shops who rent gear, do air fills, and training dives at Blue Spring?

Finally, two thoughts, should this ban be allowed to stand we could find that Park closed to divers and swimmers from October to March (6 months). Secondly, couldn’t a solution to the issue be found, such as placing a large net across the river run below the entry area to keep the manatees away from divers and swimmers? This net would allow the first 200 feet to the run from the boil to the entry area for human use and the remainder for animal use?

Now the question is what we as active divers can do to resolve this Park action? Do we have a diving attorney to contact versed in Park and Federal waterway issues? Would petitions to the State benefit this issue?

It’s difficult to believe that a few individuals can effect the whole area diving community by their total disregard of environmental rules, but it happened. Now how can the responsible diving community acting together resolve this issue?

Let’s keep the discussion to real solutions.

Hmm, tough one. I lean in favor of divers of course. Its as much OUR water as it is the manatees. I think we can coexist. I think allowing people to swim with manatees makes people like manatees better also, and thus not so likely to harm them. Maybe a supervised interaction program is the best way to go, much like at Crystal river. Then again, there are plenty of other places to dive, so i dont have so big a problem with manatees having sole access for a few months.

jviehe:

Then again, there are plenty of other places to dive, so i dont have so big a problem with manatees having sole access for a few months.

Click to expand...

There are plenty of other places to dive in Florida, just not in that area.

I also wish they'd just enforce the existing laws instead of punishing everyone for the sins of the few. Its a good thing, IMO, that they are doing *something* to protect manatees, though I'd prefer to see them concentrate on better enforcement of no wake zones at select inlets.

Metaldector, what do you think of this solution?

Have a new stairway built much closer to the headspring, which would allow the net you mentioned to be built much closer to the headspring. The spring is the main attraction for divers & swimmers, (although just about my favorite part of the dive is the drift back down the run) and the manatees could have almost all of the run. I know the banks are pretty steep in that area, but I think it would be possible to do.

If we can come up with a constructive, workable approach, I am willing to get in line and help get it done. Dive sites in this area of the state are almost nonexistent as it is.

David

See, having been there when a manatee showed up and, no kidding, chased swimmers out of the water (tree'd them on a felled tree) and rammed NetDoc hard enough to bruise his right hip I can truthfully state that if the manatee do not wish to be social, they make it blatantly clear.

In this case it was a mama manatee with a brand new itty bitty (3 1/2' long) dark colored baby a few hours to days old. The problem with taking the spring out of reach for this manatee would be that she was taking advantage of the sheltered area to use it as a feeding and recovery ground for her and nursery for her newborn calf.

The only thing that weirded me was mama left itty bitty with me while she cleared the spring of 'unwanted' people then came back to collect Jr - I know I'm a big dude, but c'mon.. do I really look like another 'tee???