Crystal River FL dives

I am going to be doing a Marathon, FL trip and then spending some time near Crystal River, FL soon. I am planning on doing one of the Manatee dives but and looking at other options in addition to that. One of the shops, American Pro, has several add-on dives that sound interesting.

I am open to ideas and suggestions for which of the other dives might be a lot of fun. Rainbow river drift, Devils Den, Blue Grotto, etc. Let me know if you have done any of the dives and what you liked about them.

Thanks!

I've done Devil's Den and I would certainly go back there again. Just be sure to bring a dive light. You can have fun without one, and you can always rent one, but it's a lot more fun if you have your own. There are lots of cool swim throughs, marine life, fossils, etc...

I haven't done Blue Grotto yet, but I have heard several people mention that for the cost, most would rather dive Devil's Den.

Devil's Den is worth diving and I'll go back some day. The underwater topography is fascinating and it looks a little different when you swim around the outer perimeter clockwise and then counter clockwise on the second dive. Blue Grotto is worth diving once though I'll probably never go back: it is essentially a water filled cavern that has very good visibility since it is spring fed, but there is not much to see. The Rainbow River is an interesting experience, it is well worth doing once though I'll not rush back for several years. I found the reviews at this site on the three dives to be accurate...........

Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: Florida, USA East

The locations are neat. I did Devil's Den and Blue Grotto with American Pro Diving. They are nice people. My complaints about them though are I felt rushed, they pushed for tips, and at one of the locations, the dive guide frequently tried to get us to go past the cave diving sign. The one with the grim reaper on it. That was at Devil's Den I believe. It was fun, but I was not happy that the guide tried to get us to go that far when I made it clear I was just OW certified. He seemed impatient when I refused to go past the signs...

As long as you are aware, they are very fun dives though. Both were beautiful and very clear. Very easy to silt though so be careful. Devil's Den was a lot of swim throughs that were not too narrow. Blue Grotto was basicly following a guide line in, around a big rock, and back out. Make sure to have another diver with you or they charge an additional $60 per site. I would definitely visit these sites again. If you would like a reference to some other great people, try The Scuba Gym. I went to Paradise Springs with these guys to avoid the extra fee for going alone, and these guys were great. Never pushed to dive beyond my limits and they were happy to show me the site. Very nice and fun to dive with too.

If you want another reference, I would suggest Bird's Underwater. They are THE TOP manatee operation in Crystal River by far and I have used several. They are the nicest most easygoing people you would ever want to meet. The owner is a hard-core cave diver for years, with some impressive expeditions under his belt. He can arrange any dive at any level you want. He does not have any "attitude" except for being nice and having divers enjoy their trip. They are very safety and diver-oriented. You certainly not feel pressured to exceed your limits if you tell them what you want. When I drive up from S. Fla for my annual manatee dives I use them without fail. They have had the same guides and captains forever and so are very experienced in the area.

TartanFrog, might I recommend you look at my review posted about a week and a half ago: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-conch-divers/379977-florida-trip-review.html

I did the manatee snorkel and the Rainbow River dive with American Pro. I'd honestly recommend Devil's Den or Blue Grotto over Rainbow, as I thought Rainbow was nice but not worth a second run. The depth changes were a bit annoying to me which you may or may not have the same issue with looking at your number of dives- it wasn't a problem but it was annoying. I also didn't particularly like being told to "hurry up" and then "wait" because my buddy and I weren't swimming with the rest of the group. We were buddied and together so I didn't see the problem. Finally, I had over 1000 PSI when I got back on the boat and they were trying to pull in all the divers--I would have liked to have been able to use up more of my gas. It is a shallow dive though, so I probably had about an hour of down time at that point... It was a pretty dive and interesting watching the springs bubbling but I'd opt for different choices in the future.

Thanks for all the input. I will have about 3 days to dive there so i might try a little of each. Like some of you said, do it once to say I have done it then I don't have to go back. Since I will just be coming back from Marathon and will have some extra time I figure that I might as well get some diving in while there. Thanks again for all of the input!

I would second the recommendation for Bird's Underwater. Did a trip to FL in November of last year, tried to split it between seeing the shuttle launch and diving/manatee snorkeling. The shuttle kept getting postponed, so my GF and I kept changing our plans day to day. The folks at Bird's had no trouble changing the days we came to see them, and were super relaxed and nice the whole time! I'm sure it's tough to be all smiles at 6am for the Manatee tour, but they were! Got my AOW there, dove Blue Grotto and Devil's Den, as well as some navigation in Crystal River. My GF and I did the Rainbow River on our own, just the two of us and the boat that had been set up so graciously by Bird's Underwater. All in all, a great trip, fun dives, and great people. Don't forget to get some of the stone crab claws from the restaurant next door to Bird's, and the Brooklyn Bomber sandwich from the deli that's in the same parking lot. I dream of that sandwich...

soltari675:

That was at Devil's Den I believe. It was fun, but I was not happy that the guide tried to get us to go that far when I made it clear I was just OW certified. He seemed impatient when I refused to go past the signs...

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Let me just say I commend you on staying within your training limits and comfort level...
Even though that guy was a "Guide" He probably wasnt that good trying to pressure you into places you werent comfortable in.

If you do persure a higher level of overhead diving and training and you are not comfortable you always have the choice to not go and turn the dive.
The sport is suposed to be fun and relaxing.

Kind of on the same note.... I am considering leading a group trip for my LDS at the start of next year (end of Jan. Beginning of Feb). To my understanding a lot of the manatees should still be around that time of year. Any way,... back on track,... The manatee snorkeling tours will probably be fine for 1 or 2 days, but I know a bunch of the people who would go are divers & would want to make some dives whle down there. I would say 95% of those going down would be OW divers, 3-4% would be snorkelers only & 1- 2% are cave divers. What, sort of diving/ snorkeling activities will work for the majority of the group? I just want the divers (& snorkelers who want to) to get the most out of their trip. I imagine most will want to do 2-3/ dives day & we'd be down there for 3 days of diving. Any hints would be fantastic. Thanks.