Dive buddy - Gainesville, fl springs

[BillM_Diver]

Hello all,

I am looking for dive buddy's in the Gainesville, Fl area. Looking to dive some of the springs (Ginnie, blue Grotto, Devils Den, etc)
About me - I am a new diver having been certified (SSI) in November and having two dives under my belt at Looe Key in the Keys.
I am also a veteran if there are any veterans who want to get together

Whether you are a new diver looking to work on your skills or an experienced diver who doesn't mind diving with a newbie (and has patience) all are welcome.

My preference is to dive mid week and I'm available most days. My wife and I are full time Rv'ers and are in the area from now until the end of April.

Thanks,
Bill

 

[thomschoon]

There is an unofficial group dive at Alexander Springs on Sunday at 10am, check out the FaceBook Group its dive o’clock somewhere in Central Florida.

Alexander is a good place to build some skills as it is open, 25 ft deep.

 

[Rilelen]

Hi Bill! I'm in the Gainesville area. We have a couple local dive clubs you might consider joining:

• Florida Springs Dive Club is based in Williston (30 min south of Gainesville) and meets the second Thursday of each month. This month's meeting (Jan 11) will be at Homestead in Williston at 6pm. The monthly club dive will be at Manatee Springs (Headspring/Catfish hotel) on Sat Jan 13, meeting in the park at 10am.
• Scuba Monkey Dive Club is based in Alachua (10-15 min north of Gainesville) and meets the first Tuesday of each month. This month's meeting has already passed, and there's not a club dive this month. February's meeting will be at the Scuba Monkey Dive Shop (Feb 6) at 6pm. The Feb club dive will be on Sunday Feb 18, location still TBD.

I usually attend both; they're slightly different crowds, but both good places to meet both new and experienced buddies, and become more involved in our local diving community. You can also post on the their associated Facebook group pages if you're looking for buddies for particular days or places. We have a lot of folks out diving midweek, and those posts usually get a good response if you include specifics (e.g., propose a specific day or location).

If you're not on Facebook or don't typically use it, I suggest at least creating a basic account for diving - for whatever reason, most of the open water diving community around here is very FB-centric (both for organizing/publicizing events, using FB messenger to organize dives/contact buddies, etc).

Hope to see you around at the club dives/meetings - please say hi if you do!

 

[BillM_Diver]

Hi Bill! I'm in the Gainesville area. We have a couple local dive clubs you might consider joining:

• Florida Springs Dive Club is based in Williston (30 min south of Gainesville) and meets the second Thursday of each month. This month's meeting (Jan 11) will be at Homestead in Williston at 6pm. The monthly club dive will be at Manatee Springs (Headspring/Catfish hotel) on Sat Jan 13, meeting in the park at 10am.
• Scuba Monkey Dive Club is based in Alachua (10-15 min north of Gainesville) and meets the first Tuesday of each month. This month's meeting has already passed, and there's not a club dive this month. February's meeting will be at the Scuba Monkey Dive Shop (Feb 6) at 6pm. The Feb club dive will be on Sunday Feb 18, location still TBD.

I usually attend both; they're slightly different crowds, but both good places to meet both new and experienced buddies, and become more involved in our local diving community. You can also post on the their associated Facebook group pages if you're looking for buddies for particular days or places. We have a lot of folks out diving midweek, and those posts usually get a good response if you include specifics (e.g., propose a specific day or location).

If you're not on Facebook or don't typically use it, I suggest at least creating a basic account for diving - for whatever reason, most of the open water diving community around here is very FB-centric (both for organizing/publicizing events, using FB messenger to organize dives/contact buddies, etc).

Hope to see you around at the club dives/meetings - please say hi if you do!

Thank you so much - my two dive club requests are pending! I hope I get the chance to meet you and thank you personally!

 

[BillM_Diver]

There is an unofficial group dive at Alexander Springs on Sunday at 10am, check out the FaceBook Group its dive o’clock somewhere in Central Florida.

Alexander is a good place to build some skills as it is open, 25 ft deep.

I will definitely check them out, thank you!

 

[Gene]

Hi Bill! Air Force vet here and I live in the Micanopy area. We can dive together sometime.
Gene Page

 

[BillM_Diver]

Hi Bill! Air Force vet here and I live in the Micanopy area. We can dive together sometime.
Gene Page

Hi Gene - I'm also an Air Force vet. 1985-1990. That would be great!