Ginnie Springs Ballroom

[mattleach]

Finally made the trek up to High Springs from Spring Hill to dive the Ballroom at Ginnie Springs.

So far Blue Grotto has been my favorite cavern to explore but i think it's now tied. Video below

 

[bcollins4]

Go to paradise springs youll **** your wetsuit hahajajaj i wemt to paradise 6 times then did ginnie ballroom and was beyond disapppinted.....it set the bar too high for a cool ass cavern......do laradise and messsfw me omce you are done i cant wait to hear what you say......100 feet deep cavern a pinky nail of light omce u hit bottom but beautifullllllllllll n lit up the first 40 feet pr.so

 

[Caveeagle]

Seems you have the "itch" to explore the dark underground of the Florida springs. I humbly suggest you line up some cavern training ASAP.

bcollins4 is right about Paradise. It's very different from Ginnie, or Blue Grotto, they don't seem to screen for cavern cert there, but IMHO, they should. At ~100' depth, the surface light is not much bigger than a quarter sized disk of light. And it would not take much effort to silt out any of that cavern. I have been there when a group of OW divers blew the viz down well below 20'.

There are a few other gems out there open to you with a cavern cert!

 

[mattleach]

Go to paradise springs youll **** your wetsuit hahajajaj i wemt to paradise 6 times then did ginnie ballroom and was beyond disapppinted.....it set the bar too high for a cool ass cavern......do laradise and messsfw me omce you are done i cant wait to hear what you say......100 feet deep cavern a pinky nail of light omce u hit bottom but beautifullllllllllll n lit up the first 40 feet pr.so

That's on the list to visit.

Seems you have the "itch" to explore the dark underground of the Florida springs. I humbly suggest you line up some cavern training ASAP.

bcollins4 is right about Paradise. It's very different from Ginnie, or Blue Grotto, they don't seem to screen for cavern cert there, but IMHO, they should. At ~100' depth, the surface light is not much bigger than a quarter sized disk of light. And it would not take much effort to silt out any of that cavern. I have been there when a group of OW divers blew the viz down well below 20'.

There are a few other gems out there open to you with a cavern cert!

I've already been talking to my LDS about the course. They are in the middle of moving locations so once they are moved and settled i will begin the class

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I've already been talking to my LDS about the course. They are in the middle of moving locations so once they are moved and settled i will begin the class

Cavern is one of the most essential and life-altering courses a diver might take. I don't know which shop you consider to be your LDS, but keep in mind in that area of Florida you have access to world class talent. You can easily find a course with one of the absolute best cave divers in the world. Consider choosing the right instructor beyond the walls of your local dive shop unless the instructors in your LDS would be among the ranks of the highly respected cavern/cave instructors.

 

[Caveeagle]

^^^ right on track. I tend to cringe whenever I hear the "you get what you pay for" cliche. But this a decision that should never be made based solely on price shopping, or even on convenience, or supporting your LDS.

I have never met Trace, but am aware of his reputation as a solid tech instructor. He is not selling himself here, he is giving solid advice.

I have watched some divers with shiney new cavern certs, that are just plain embarrassing. If you really want to pursue this type of diving, do yourself a huge favor, and seek out The best instructor you can find. Lucky for you... several are within spitting distance of the video you just shared.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

If you really want to pursue this type of diving, do yourself a huge favor, and seek out The best instructor you can find. Lucky for you... several are within spitting distance of the video you just shared.

Exactly. Ginnie is to divers what the North Shore of Oahu is to surfers. On a Wednesday afternoon it is likely you'll have at least 5 - 10 of the best of the best there just diving for fun.

 

[bcollins4]

Eventually cave cert i love it but not ready yet......paradise wigged me out twice n hyperventilated n got pulled out after 5 min ny first time lol ....was holdimg onto regggg w both hands thouggt i was gonna huff n puff n suck watereeeee.........took 6 dives to be able to relax n breathe normal.......at the bottom turn to the right at 100 feet n there is a swimthrougg n light at top dusappears......official cave.........not to mention a real cave from 100 to 140 ft tightttt fitttt.......thats when i knew cave wasnt for me just yet haha

 

[mattleach]

Not sure i'd ever want to do full cave cert. Im comfortable with being within sight of light or just outside of it but beyond that i don't think i'd be comfortable.

What i like about sites like these is they give you a small glimpse of cavern diving in a sufficiently safe environment to see if you want to pursue cavern cert. Having dove this site as well as blue grotto im confident that id like to proceed with the cavern cert.

 

[mattleach]

Video from our second dive in the Devil's Spring System