Good Cavern sites

[JKSteger]

I'm looking at getting cavern cert this spring or summer and I was just wandering where some good sites are. I know of Vortex, Morrison and Ginnie but I don't really know of the others. I was going to look up videos on youtube on them or pics to keep up the excitement level until I can drop the dough on the cavern course.

Or is this one of thoes things of when you get the training your instructor will let you in on some sites and then you just learn word or mouth where the other good sites are.

Also I see alot of the site are 2 day courses. So I'm thinking about booking with someone in "cave country" and just going down the Friday before, doing Sat. and Sun. then comming home either Sunday night or Monday. Is this how alot of people do it? (I'm thinking I will contact you Rob as you seem to be active on this board and very well respected here).
I live near Macon Ga so it's not too far to "Cave Country" and I've dove both Vortex as well as Ginnie before as "day trips" and it wasn't too bad, a little tired but not bad.

Thanks in advance,
Jeremy

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Catfish hotel at Manatee is a large and different cavern.

The cavern at Madison Blue Springs is also interesting with some interesting variety as well as some fossils.

Orange Grove has a nice cavern and the cavern at Peacock 1 is fairly large and worth the trip. The cavern in Peacock 3 is also quite nice and not visted as much as the others at Peacock. The balacony there is interesting and worth seeing, but the viz can go very quickly if not careful.

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I am not sure of the percentages but some divers do Cavern over a two day course and and others do cavern and Intro (NACD) or Basic Cave (NSS-CDS) in one 4 day class. I think there are some advantages in doing them together and it gets you past the cavern zone fairly early on.

I don't recommend doing a zero to hero class all the way through full cave as I think there is a great deal of value in spending a year or so in between Basic and Ful Cave to gain experience in the basics before getting into deeper penetrations, deco and advanced navigation.

 

[metaldector]

Purchase Ned DeLoach's Diving Guide to Underwater Florida (available at many dive shops or on Amazon). It lists many of the dive sites in Florida including caverns. Add to your list, Ichetucknee Springs (open only in the winter), Paradise Springs (Ocala), Blue Grotto (Wiliston), Blue Spring, (Orange City), among others.

 

[Mark Michaud SELAUSAR]

If you have a small boat or canoe, Merritt's Mill Pond in Marriana Fla. has a few to see. The cavern at Jackson Blue has a lot of flow but is really nice. Twin Cave has a beautiful cavern, maybe prettier than the cave itself with all that Moon Cheese to look at by the chimney. Shangri La is also a wonderful cavern dive. But..........you probably will get burned playing with the fire of caverns (lol) Intor seems to take hold of brains at this point.

 

[Keith & Sharon]

Here is a great list of sites.

TampaDiving.com :: American Cave & Cavern Systems




Keith

 

[Dive-aholic]

Florida Freshwater Springs - Scroll about halfway down for a table I developed with a lot of information on the various springs and the levels of diving appropriate at each site. Below the table I have broken down the sites into location.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I'd recommend taking things slow, there is alot of cavern out there and alot to enjoy within them. If you are in a hurry to get further back, re-evaluate why you're taking the course to begin with...

Mark mentioned some of the Mill Pond stuff in Marianna. Cypress is gorgeous(easily the most beautiful basin in FL). Jugg is awesome(you can't dive Itchetucknee proper). Peacock and Orange Grove have some good caverns. Little River has a bit of cavern, not alot, but the price is right($0)... and there is ALOT more off the beaten path.

Alot of the other known stuff has been mentioned.

 

[JKSteger]

Thanks Mat,
I have no intentions of taking things fast. Someone earlier posted don't take a zero to hero course. Someone also mentioned a Cavern & Intro at one time. I'm going to have to do plain old regular cavern then stick with that for probably a year and just gain a lot of Cavern dives.

Intro will have to come later. I want to check out videos and pictures of great caverns to "pump" my self up for the class when I take it.

Thanks,
Jeremy