Paddler_46
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Our first dives in Florida
Last week we had the opportunity to combine a family visit with a dive trip. While visiting relatives, we bought our new dive gear and decided to dive Ginnie Springs. Prior to being able to dive, there was a familiarization video. Once at the actual springs to say we were surprised was an understatement. We entered the pool of crystal clear water wondering how in the world you got to 55 ft in this little pool. It was awesome. Visibility was great, allowing you to see even the smallest fish on the bottom. When it came time to explore the cavern, which is open to OW certified divers, we turned on our lights and proceeded. As this was our first dive in a cavern it was strange and exhilarating at the same time. We enjoyed exploring the large cavern, and can now understand the pull of cave/cavern diving. Unfortunately there were a lot of divers so there was the tendency to bump into each other. Maybe next time we will try drift diving the river and checking out The Devil's Eye.
Yes, we were bitten and decided to try another place, Blue Grotto. After watching a short familiarization video we headed over to the Grotto. Once again first impressions were deceiving. The first thing we saw when we arrived at the Grotto was a hole in the ground filled with very blue water (very quarry-ish except for the water clarity). Once down on the first platform we were surrounded by some large catfish, you had a clear view of your surroundings. We were the only ones there at the time so had fun just exploring. You did not need lights to venture into this cavern as there is a lighting system that illuminates the first 50ft of the cavern. Our first stop was to locate the air bell (at 30ft)and try it out. Peace Rock (at 50 ft) was a nice place to stand without disturbing the silt, and survey the lower half of the cavern. We decided to pass on diving to the mouth of the spring (100 ft). Being fairly new divers, using our own equipment for only the second time, and the lack of other divers in the grotto, we didn't want to press our luck to far. Overall, it was an interesting experience and it did give us a fair amount of room to get use to our new equipment.
Our last dive in Florida, for this trip anyway, was at Devil's Den. The familiarzation briefing was given in person this time. There is no way we could have planned the sequence of our dives any better. Devil's Den was breath taking. Upon descending the stone stairs into a cavern, the prettiest sight awaited you. A cavern with an opening that allowed sunlight to stream down upon the water. Once in the water we soon discovered that what you saw from the top was truthfully only the stem of an inverted mushroom. Upon entering the water we were surrounded by some very large catfish, 2 footers were the norm. With our lights on, we proceeded to explore the cracks, crevices and swim throughs. The Devil's Den only has a max depth of about 30 ft. but most of it is in an overhead enviroment. There are fossils embedded in the walls, sea biscuits and sea shells.
We spent over an hour in dive time at each of the three sites and enjoyed the experiences. The average cost was around $85 for two divers needing only air tanks and lights. We hope to do a river drift dive on our next trip to Gainsville, but we long for a saltwater dive. As neat as these dives were they are no match for coral heads and tropical fish.
Margo & Steve
Jr. Underwater explorers
Last week we had the opportunity to combine a family visit with a dive trip. While visiting relatives, we bought our new dive gear and decided to dive Ginnie Springs. Prior to being able to dive, there was a familiarization video. Once at the actual springs to say we were surprised was an understatement. We entered the pool of crystal clear water wondering how in the world you got to 55 ft in this little pool. It was awesome. Visibility was great, allowing you to see even the smallest fish on the bottom. When it came time to explore the cavern, which is open to OW certified divers, we turned on our lights and proceeded. As this was our first dive in a cavern it was strange and exhilarating at the same time. We enjoyed exploring the large cavern, and can now understand the pull of cave/cavern diving. Unfortunately there were a lot of divers so there was the tendency to bump into each other. Maybe next time we will try drift diving the river and checking out The Devil's Eye.
Yes, we were bitten and decided to try another place, Blue Grotto. After watching a short familiarization video we headed over to the Grotto. Once again first impressions were deceiving. The first thing we saw when we arrived at the Grotto was a hole in the ground filled with very blue water (very quarry-ish except for the water clarity). Once down on the first platform we were surrounded by some large catfish, you had a clear view of your surroundings. We were the only ones there at the time so had fun just exploring. You did not need lights to venture into this cavern as there is a lighting system that illuminates the first 50ft of the cavern. Our first stop was to locate the air bell (at 30ft)and try it out. Peace Rock (at 50 ft) was a nice place to stand without disturbing the silt, and survey the lower half of the cavern. We decided to pass on diving to the mouth of the spring (100 ft). Being fairly new divers, using our own equipment for only the second time, and the lack of other divers in the grotto, we didn't want to press our luck to far. Overall, it was an interesting experience and it did give us a fair amount of room to get use to our new equipment.
Our last dive in Florida, for this trip anyway, was at Devil's Den. The familiarzation briefing was given in person this time. There is no way we could have planned the sequence of our dives any better. Devil's Den was breath taking. Upon descending the stone stairs into a cavern, the prettiest sight awaited you. A cavern with an opening that allowed sunlight to stream down upon the water. Once in the water we soon discovered that what you saw from the top was truthfully only the stem of an inverted mushroom. Upon entering the water we were surrounded by some very large catfish, 2 footers were the norm. With our lights on, we proceeded to explore the cracks, crevices and swim throughs. The Devil's Den only has a max depth of about 30 ft. but most of it is in an overhead enviroment. There are fossils embedded in the walls, sea biscuits and sea shells.
We spent over an hour in dive time at each of the three sites and enjoyed the experiences. The average cost was around $85 for two divers needing only air tanks and lights. We hope to do a river drift dive on our next trip to Gainsville, but we long for a saltwater dive. As neat as these dives were they are no match for coral heads and tropical fish.
Margo & Steve
Jr. Underwater explorers
