Finally made a trip down to the Florida Caves

[Debraw]

Well I finally managed to make it down to Mills Pond and Vortex Springs in Florida last weekend. We dove Jackson Blue, and Vortex Springs. I just did a cavern dive but my husband dove Shangra La Cave, Hole in the Wall, and Jackson Blue. It was a nice trip, long drive, but worth it. I am not sure I will go back again unless I plan on taking cave. It is a good cavern dive at Jackson Blue, but 10 minutes into the dive, you have seen it all. Vortex was a bigger cavern and had some fresh water eels to look at it. The water is about 68 to 70 degrees at both places. I wore a 2 piece 3mm, hoodie, and light gloves and had no trouble doing 30 minute dives or so. Water is super clear so I managed to get some good pictures. No pics from Vortex, my camera had condensation problems. I have a picture of Morrison Springs but we did not dive there. It was a mud hole, with a blue water flow right in the middle of the pond. Lots of swimmers and we would have had to hump our gear from the parking lot. Not a short trip. The mud did not entice me. Cave Adventurers in the 2nd largest Dive Rite dealership in the USA. Killer prices, great service.

 

[Zinc]

Thanks for the report... the pics and your description really help!

 

[TSandM]

From my very limited Florida experience, it seems as though a cavern cert doesn't give you a lot of options. It's different in Mexico, where the cavern zones can be enormous, and very decorated.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

You could dive JB's cavern day after day and not see it all. Cavern at JB is also bigger and longer.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Gotta agree with Kevin here, the cavern at Jackson Blue is easily 4 or 5 times as large as the cavern at Vortex. If you really spend the time at Jackson Blue, it would take hours to really appreciate everything it has to offer.

Pity you didn't dive Morrison, you would have descended 10-15' into clear spring water and the cavern there has 100' of visibility and the dimensions of the cavern are enormous.

There are lots of caverns available in Florida. You just have to read up on where they're at. They are decorated as well, just not with the same sorts of formations

 

[Zinc]

Gotta agree, although we didn't get to dive Morrison it was on the short list for the trip back from Florida this week, particularly for the cavern descriptions I've read and closer proximity to Texas

SuPrBuGmAn has posted many condition reports of caverns and caves all over Florida that were helpful in picking dive spots for my latest trip. You can find his and many others dive condition reports plus a whole lot of intel, including maps -above and below ground here: www.tampadiving.com

This is a great resource and I thought I'd give props to SuPrBuGmAn for being a very active condition report poster... yes I'm a fan of the reports, they do get read, and that's why we do them! Know before you go

 

[Debraw]

Well considering I am not cavern diver, I was not willing to go any deeper into the cavern entrance. I made the right decision for my training level.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

That is great judgement on your part. I like diving with people who knows their limits. You just did a big disservice to the caverns here when you did not even see a fraction of it. That why we chimed in.

 

[ianr33]

What are the limits on Cavern? 200 feet combined depth and penetration? (Its been a while) That makes the end of the cavern zone at JB somewhere around the start of the Goldline. I think a lot of divers call the entire first room before the chimney a "cavern" but in reality it is a cave.

 

[ianr33]

Well I finally managed to make it down to Mills Pond and Vortex Springs in Florida last weekend. We dove Jackson Blue, and Vortex Springs. I just did a cavern dive.

Well considering I am not cavern diver, I was not willing to go any deeper into the cavern entrance. I made the right decision for my training level.

Well if you are not certified to be in a cavern then you had already made the wrong decision for your training level.