Ginnie Springs

A buddy and I are flying in to Fla from the northeast and interested in diving Ginnie. We are both OW so cave entry isn't an option for us. Understanding that there isn't much more than a 1/2 day of diving for an OW diver, are there any nearby sites worth diving either inland or on the shore? We only have (2) days of weekend diving available before we need to jump a flight back. Burning up frequent flyier miles.

Suggestions appreciated.
Thanks

Pinto:

A buddy and I are flying in to Fla from the northeast and interested in diving Ginnie. We are both OW so cave entry isn't an option for us. Understanding that there isn't much more than a 1/2 day of diving for an OW diver, are there any nearby sites worth diving either inland or on the shore? We only have (2) days of weekend diving available before we need to jump a flight back. Burning up frequent flyier miles.

Suggestions appreciated.
Thanks

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At Ginnie you will be able, if comfortable doing so, to enter a large cavern called the ballroom. Close by are numerous other caverns available to the open water diver. Google the following sites for more info: Blue Grotto, Devil's Den, Troy Springs, and 40 Fathom Grotto. At Blue Grotto you will be able to enter a very large cavern area with natural light and no feeling of being enclosed. If you plan this out properly you could visit two caverns in one day. At 40 Fathom you will need to call ahead for an appointment - this is a dark dive and they require a guide. Driving in this part of Florida is very enjoyable - thousand acre horse farms, beautiful country, the "real" Florida.

Yes....and at Ginnie , if the water is right, you can do a drift dive from Devil's Ear on the Santa Fe River over into Ginnie (where the ballroom is). Very shallow but very cool dive. Ginnie is close enough to Blue Grotto that you could do both in 1 day.

If I was burning FF miles, I would dive the Keys or the West Palm/Fort lauderdale area.

If you want to hit the springs, I agree with the above post but I would skip 40 Fathom. For what you get, the price is high and the viz is low. IMO, it is best suited for training dives. Check current conditions on their website and maybe call to confirm.

40 Fathom is closed to the public right now for construction. The viz has been good the last couple of times I was there. It is a but pricey though. Blue Grotto and Devils Den are right across the street fom each other so they could hit Ginnie in the morning and head down there for an afternoon at both.

I dive Blue Grotto once a month and like the above poster said, it's about a mile and a half from Devil's Den. You can't dive 40 Fathom now unless you have an instructor or pay for one of their "guides." Check out the Florida State Parks website. Several state parks allow spring diving and the standard charge is ten bucks. I would suggest you hit the springs during the week if possible. LDSs use them for open water check outs and they can get crowded on the weekends.

You can get a couple dives in at Ginnie, & also, drift dive down the river, as mentioned above. We have had a lot of rain in the area, so you may want to check in with them about the vis.
Manatee Springs, a nice park, is in Chiefland, just a short drive W of Gainesville. $10 to dive. NO local airfills or gear rental , but you can get everything in Gainesville.

Tons of stuff to dive in the N Fla area even as Open Water divers. Worth repeated trips down. I know, I've done it. Flown down, drove down both.

If you don't have a copy of Ned Deloach's Underwater Florida, I recommend getting a copy. Think it's in its 11th or 12th edition. Amazon.com: Diving Guide to Underwater Florida, 11th Edition (9781878348395): Ned DeLoach: Books

Ned lists tons of dive sites throughout Florida, broken down by area.

Other thing I would recommend is getting hooked up with American Pro Diving in Crystal River. Guided dives available and some good people there as well.

Ginnie Springs offers a couple great dives between the ballroom and the other side with the Ear and the Eye. Lots to poke around and see. It can be 3 dives depending upon what you do and your air consumption. In all the times I've been there I've not done the drift between the run from the Ballroom and the Ear / Eye.

Blue Grotto is fun for a couple dives easily and Devil's Den is right up the road from that. Lots of fun.

Manatee Springs is good for a couple dives as well but as was posted, no tank rentals and fills available. It's a park.

What else to do?

There's Weekeewatchee Springs, King's Spring manatee snorkel dive, Rainbow River, Paradise Springs (with a guide)... might want to consider taking an AOW+Nitrox or Cavern Class while you're down there... great way to get guided dives in these places plus training all in one package.

All in all, there's stuff to do there for many days of diving in the area.

Oh and if you're flying into / out of Orlando, don't forget that Epcot offers a dive in the Living Seas exhibit!

Wow. Thank you all for your wonderful feedback. You have given us plenty to research. We recently dove the Hoyt in Key West which was a great dive but the seas acted up both days. That's why we are thinking inland for the next dive excursion.

dB

Don't forget Troy Springs either ... (Florida State Park)

Jean