Intro / Apprentice / Cave 1 Caves in Florida

[CaveSloth]

Let's try this a different way...

Most cave divers seem to agree that these cave sites are good for newly certified cave divers:

• Peacock Main / Orange Grove
• Little River
• Madison Blue
• Jackson Blue / Hole in the Wall / Twin
• Devil's Ear / Eye

Are there ANY other caves in Florida that are good for beginning cave divers? Not that the above aren't "enough". I am just curious and interested!

 

[rjack321]

Let's try this a different way...

Most cave divers seem to agree that these cave sites are good for newly certified cave divers:

• Peacock Main / Orange Grove
• Little River
• Madison Blue
• Jackson Blue / Hole in the Wall / Twin
• Devil's Ear / Eye

Are there ANY other caves in Florida that are good for beginning cave divers? Not that the above aren't "enough". I am just curious and interested!

Manatee is fine - just not downstream from Catfish

 

[Jack Hammer]

Manatee is fine - just not downstream from Catfish

I'd say it depends. Manatee can have heavy flow and low visibility, plus a potentially interesting exit. Not always good for beginners.

 

[CaveSloth]

Manatee is fine - just not downstream from Catfish

So upstream towards Friedman?

@kensuf stated, of manatee: "depth pushes you into NDL's quickly, high flow, frequently poor vis"

 

[rjack321]

I'd say it depends. Manatee can have heavy flow and low visibility, plus a potentially interesting exit. Not always good for beginners.

I guess so. I would hope that an intro diver could at least dive there in most actually divable conditions though. Maybe I'm overly optimistic about that state of diver skills.

 

[rjack321]

So upstream towards Friedman?

@kensuf stated, of manatee: "depth pushes you into NDL's quickly, high flow, frequently poor vis"

So? Manatee isn't any deeper than Ginnie. Flow isn't any worse than JB on a bad day (although its high flow more often than JB).

Yes it can have some of the worst vis but is 15ft vis really disqualifying? Little River flow and vis can be just as high and bad as Manatee

 

[Jack Hammer]

So upstream towards Friedman?

@kensuf stated, of manatee: "depth pushes you into NDL's quickly, high flow, frequently poor vis"

This is why I previously recommended a newer diver is better to go with an experienced diver there. It can change often, even throughout the day. It is driveable at the intro level, it's just not always a good place for them.

 

[rddvet]

How many times is this going to be asked between here and cdf? Ken gave you a very good and clear list. If you want more dive sites, take a trip to Mexico and hire a guide.

On manatee- I like manatee. I never dive it because you never know what you're going to get and what the viz is going to be. It's a pia to drive 3 hours to get to Manatee and find bad viz or get turned away because they hit max capacity. I would say manatee is ok for an intro diver, if you're just practicing running a reel to the mainline and maybe going a couple 100 feet. But even then, you never know what your viz is going to be and you're limited to 30ft. I bet you if you lined up 10 cave divers they'll all estimate 30 ft of viz very differently. Add the almost constant high flow and ease of breaking NDLs, I think Ken's more right by saying wait till apprentice

 

[rddvet]

So? Manatee isn't any deeper than Ginnie. Flow isn't any worse than JB on a bad day (although its high flow more often than JB).

Yes it can have some of the worst vis but is 15ft vis really disqualifying? Little River flow and vis can be just as high and bad as Manatee

I think it's more that Manatee consistently has not great vis, lots of flow, and depth. Whereas Ginnie, JB and LR can have all 3 at the same time but usually don't, or not as often as Manatee

 

[rjack321]

I think it's more that Manatee consistently has not great vis, lots of flow, and depth. Whereas Ginnie, JB and LR can have all 3 at the same time but usually don't, or not as often as Manatee

I guess its a "with caveats" intro site. I think its good for intro divers to see a range of conditions and the first few hundred feet of Manatee isn't inherently disqualifying to me. Going on a day with a high river level is something intro divers need to think about (or they'll get spanked). If you do screw up and end up with an unexpected deco obligation - Catfish is pretty friendly if you had to do a ~10min stop - IMO a lot more forgiving than LR.

Puget Sound vis is consistently worse than Manatee - and we have plenty of currents that intermediate level divers need to consider once they move beyond the open water level sites too.