Tallahassee Area Springs > Newbie Questions

[Aucilla]

I am interested in doing some Tallahassee-area diving soon and would like to hop in my truck and just go dive, without a boat. That seems to suggest diving the springs, preferably one not thick with alligators.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I have been to Morrison Springs, and am up for that again, but was wondering about anything closer, as in Wakulla or Leon County.

Also, how can one find out about the water temp or even vis of these springs? And do you think a 5 mm wet suit would do well enough?

Thanks for any help! I NEED to get intentionally wet!

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

There isn't awhole lotta springs in that area that I know are open to just any divers. Wakulla is closed to divers that aren't cave certified and part of a specific organization(there is a petition floating around trying to change this).

http://www.tfn.net/Springs/SpringsNearTallahasseeChapter.html <--check this site out for a few more options(maybe?).

More panhandle springs http://www.tfn.net/Springs/CentralFloridaPanhandleChapter.html Morrison and Vortex are going to be the easiest for you to access. If you want to rent a canoe or kayak, Cypress and Becton(Magnolia) are a short paddle from the boat launch on 277 near Vernon.

There are several other nice big springs to your East(Branford, Ft. White, High Springs, Willinston).

We're looking to hit Cypress on the 22nd, check the "high-tides are back" thread.

 

[Aucilla]

Thanks!

What about Cherokee Sink? I have heard about it for years. But a buddy, who has never dived it, told me he "heard" it was "murky."

So what about the vis there?

And is there anything to it for the non-cave diver?

Thanks again!

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Ned DeLoach's "Diving Guide to UnderWater Florida"(atleast the 10th Ed.) says that Cherokee Sink is closed to divers. There is a newer edition out, so my information may not be completely up to date.

http://www.northfloridadiver.net/sites/cherokee_sink.htm
http://underwaterflorida.homestead.com/sinkhole.html

These sites seem to suggest that you can dive it, but visibility can be iffy and quite milky.

 

[jviehe]

Tallahassee would be my speciality. First, come on out to the Tallahassee Scuba CLub meetings. Our group is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tallyscubaclub. We meet the first wednesday of every month at Blue Water Scuba at 7pm. We do at least one localish dive every month, and usually 2, especially when summer gets closer.

As for local diving, there isnt much. Cherokee is open, but cold and low viz usually, and just not much to see. Dog Lake is also diveable but even less to see, and about 10ft deep. You can do artifact diving in the st marks and wakulla rivers, but youd need a boat for that, though you can dive right off the boat ramp at CR-61 as it crosses the Wakulla. Everything else is closed or privately owned. Water temp is 68F in the springs, and colder in the sinks. I have a 2pc 5mm, but its not warm enough for the sinks. But thats me. It depends on the person.

Again, your welcome to come dive with the club anytime. We have a wide range of dive experience, plus and in with the shop.

 

[Nemrod]

Aucilla, hey, I don't live there now but it is an area I lived in and dove a bunch years back. I suggest that you not do any cave diving in those springs. Also, I never saw any gators in them but if I had I would not be worried unless they were fairly large. As a Louisiana boy I used to have to grab them by the tail and drag them off our dock so I could get into my jon boat. Just give'm a good whack and they will go away.
As to a boat, you could buy kayak for beach and near shore diving in the Gulf. They take some additional "learning curve" but once you get the hang of them they are GREAT. I have hit several near shoe to several miles out in my kayak a couple summers ago. A kayak will also allow you to explore the streams and find rarely dived springs etc as well. Check them out--no kidding--and a good boat can be gotten with paddle and basic equipment for under a 1000 dollars. N

 

[jviehe]

I also forgot the Wacissa River. You need a canoe to get to the main spring, Big Blue, but its probably the closest spring to tallahassee.

 

[Aucilla]

Thanks everybody! I learned a lot!

Today, WaterDawg and I went to Morrison Springs. No one else was there, and maybe it wasn't because of the current weather: Maybe it was because the water was like milky tea! The vis from shore looked like two feet at best! The water level was high.

We quickly aborted that dive while still dry. But we were still UP for a dive: we needed one.

So we went to Vortex Springs. Nobody there either, but this time it WAS the weather. But we were The Polar Bear Club today and broke the ice [figuratively, really] and had a nice dive. WaterDawg has a lot of diving under his belt, but this was his first fresh water dive and his first dive since moving to Tallahassee; so that was cool [er, cold]. We had a good time, but when we surfaced we didn't want to get out of the water. It was so warm! Or was it that the ambient air was so cold?

All in all, it was a fun exploration on a sunny day. But with all that Vortex has to offer, we were disappointed not to see a pirate's chest down there, not to mention [speaking for myself] the mermaid.

WaterDawg, by the way, is great company and an excellent dive buddy; and I was grateful for the opportunity to dive with him. He sure know his stuff!

 

[WaterDawg]

Thanx Aucilla,

And thank everyone for thier inputs.

I was afraid to be rusty after a long dry period and for somethings I was but for the most part I was normal. The fake caverns were the best part of the dive for sure!

Aucilla is very interested in learning and thats always admirable.

 

[jviehe]

Now, youre all going to come to Scuba Club right? Glad you had fun. We just need to get you in to cave diving so you can really enjoy Tallahassee diving. We are the epicenter to all the major cave systems.

By the way, for Morrison, keep and eye on the river levels here. If its above 6ft, dont bother.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ahps.cgi?tae&carf1