ocean walker
Editorial Staff
Try a spring. They are the jewels of Florida. Springs abound, some known and some you have to find on your own. Most are beautiful settings and can offer kayaking and canoeing as well. Remember if you snorkel a spring run be aware that you can meet a local gator and he will not be dressed in Blue & Orange. But here are the pluses. Springs are pretty well a constant temperature year round. In the colder months 72 degrees F can feel pretty good when the air temp is less. And it is hard to get shut out by "sea conditions". Flat water is almost a certainty. And the vis is usually pretty decent. You will always need your C-Card and some areas require buddies. I tried an inflatable DB to get around that rule but it was tough getting her below the surface. She kind of looked like this but was all plastic. Plus the giggles from the locals when you have her on the picnic table and are trying to inflate her.
So Where did I go and how did I find a DB(dive buddy).
I went on SB and tried the BuddyMatrix. It works. I came up with a guy named NetDoc and we agreed on Alexander Springs in the Ocala National Forest. I will warn you it is near Halloween and you can get a guy in a mask, but at least he wasn’t wearing a cape.
Alexander Springs is a beautiful headspring (meaning this is where a river pops out of the ground and flows to the St. Johns river several miles away). The edge of the main basin is surrounded by Florida Palms, Sweet Gum trees, Florida Maple, Cypress and many other native trees. This all takes place deep in the Ocala Forest. The spring run stays clear for quiet a way if you are paddling and you are usually surrounded by forest. You can canoe from this location or pay to launch your kayak or canoe just outside of the swimming area. Scuba diving, even solo is permitted. The fee is really cheap. If you want food after your dive, my recommendation is bring sandwiches and drinks.
When we arrived the parking lot had no other cars. Tuesday is a great day to dive. We met a young couple near the headspring who where hiking around the park. They were traveling Florida as they had a month off from the live-a-board that they were crew for in the Southern Bahamas. The boat was based in Del Rey Beach,Florida. Jessica and Apollo were delightful and low key. I am sure that the owners of the live aboard are most pleased to have them as staff. Their english was better than mine and neither the ND or I speak flemish, ND tried Russian but no luck. Anyway we all convened on a dive adventure.
The ND offered Jessica and Apollo the use of some tanks so they join our expedition. Our goal was to try out some new fins and do some photography. So we all geared up and got in to dive and explore. The entry is especially to easy for a shore one, you walk down three cement steps which are twenty five feet max from the picnic table where you set up your gear, then you walk on a gently sloping bottom until you realize you should be swimming. The main spring might be 20 more yards at this point. The edges of the spring are abundant in underwater plant life as thick as the surrounding forest. And many fish and some turtles inhabit these areas. Just a single tank gives you a long time to explore, check out fish, look for interesting items near the out flow and to just have a nice easy dive. This is a great place to go get comfortable with your gear if you have not dove recently. And here I recommend you bring that buddy even thought solo diving is permitted. The spring temperatures in Florida year round are approximately 72º F. Picnic tables are under the trees in the recreational area at the waters edge. Overall Alexander Springs is one of Florida’s jewels, as are most of the other springs that dot our State mostly to the north of Orlando.
Things to know. There are other spring systems near Alexander that could be visited on the same trip. Some do not allow diving but to my knowledge all allow snorkeling in some part. Most of them allow canoeing and kayaking and have entry and exit points with return trip services available on a limited basis. Here are some links for both Springs and state parks.
For all Florida State Park info:
Welcome to the Official Florida Online Parks Guide
For many Florida Spring:
Florida's Springs: Protecting Nature's Gems
Directions to Alexander Springs. Alexander Springs
So Where did I go and how did I find a DB(dive buddy).
I went on SB and tried the BuddyMatrix. It works. I came up with a guy named NetDoc and we agreed on Alexander Springs in the Ocala National Forest. I will warn you it is near Halloween and you can get a guy in a mask, but at least he wasn’t wearing a cape.
Alexander Springs is a beautiful headspring (meaning this is where a river pops out of the ground and flows to the St. Johns river several miles away). The edge of the main basin is surrounded by Florida Palms, Sweet Gum trees, Florida Maple, Cypress and many other native trees. This all takes place deep in the Ocala Forest. The spring run stays clear for quiet a way if you are paddling and you are usually surrounded by forest. You can canoe from this location or pay to launch your kayak or canoe just outside of the swimming area. Scuba diving, even solo is permitted. The fee is really cheap. If you want food after your dive, my recommendation is bring sandwiches and drinks.
When we arrived the parking lot had no other cars. Tuesday is a great day to dive. We met a young couple near the headspring who where hiking around the park. They were traveling Florida as they had a month off from the live-a-board that they were crew for in the Southern Bahamas. The boat was based in Del Rey Beach,Florida. Jessica and Apollo were delightful and low key. I am sure that the owners of the live aboard are most pleased to have them as staff. Their english was better than mine and neither the ND or I speak flemish, ND tried Russian but no luck. Anyway we all convened on a dive adventure.
The ND offered Jessica and Apollo the use of some tanks so they join our expedition. Our goal was to try out some new fins and do some photography. So we all geared up and got in to dive and explore. The entry is especially to easy for a shore one, you walk down three cement steps which are twenty five feet max from the picnic table where you set up your gear, then you walk on a gently sloping bottom until you realize you should be swimming. The main spring might be 20 more yards at this point. The edges of the spring are abundant in underwater plant life as thick as the surrounding forest. And many fish and some turtles inhabit these areas. Just a single tank gives you a long time to explore, check out fish, look for interesting items near the out flow and to just have a nice easy dive. This is a great place to go get comfortable with your gear if you have not dove recently. And here I recommend you bring that buddy even thought solo diving is permitted. The spring temperatures in Florida year round are approximately 72º F. Picnic tables are under the trees in the recreational area at the waters edge. Overall Alexander Springs is one of Florida’s jewels, as are most of the other springs that dot our State mostly to the north of Orlando.
Things to know. There are other spring systems near Alexander that could be visited on the same trip. Some do not allow diving but to my knowledge all allow snorkeling in some part. Most of them allow canoeing and kayaking and have entry and exit points with return trip services available on a limited basis. Here are some links for both Springs and state parks.
For all Florida State Park info:
Welcome to the Official Florida Online Parks Guide
For many Florida Spring:
Florida's Springs: Protecting Nature's Gems
Directions to Alexander Springs. Alexander Springs
