Looking for Place to Do Open Water Dives in Florida

[The Chairman]

I would imagine that the water temps in those areas would be in the 60's.

The springs are a constant 72F year round, and I bet that the ocean is significantly above that now.

 

[KevinNM]

My personal experience was that diving and snorkeling the freshwater springs in northern Florida was very cold. I prefer the warm Caribbean water.

My log says Catfish Sink was 70F in April, and both Blue Grotto and Troy Springs were 70-72F in July. That's about what it was in the ocean at Kona Hawaii the last time I was there. So it depends on your definition of very cold, which varies by person. In Kona there was a guy diving in cut-offs and a t-shirt and next to him was a Russian girl in two layered 7mm suits.

 

[KathyV]

My log says Catfish Sink was 70F in April, and both Blue Grotto and Troy Springs were 70-72F in July. That's about what it was in the ocean at Kona Hawaii the last time I was there. So it depends on your definition of very cold, which varies by person. In Kona there was a guy diving in cut-offs and a t-shirt and next to him was a Russian girl in two layered 7mm suits.

Very true, but I'm a warm-water wimp. When we were in Kona the water was in the upper 70s and it was colder than I prefer - but the diving was great! But aside from all that, a 10-year old may not have much natural insulation! I may be off the mark, but I think that warmer would be better.

 

[paulithepin]

82 degree bottom temperature yesterday at the St. Andrews Park Jetty in Panama City Beach, FL. and Morrison Springs is usually 68 year round.

 

[The Chairman]

So it depends on your definition of very cold, which varies by person.

I dive the springs in a bathing suit and t-shirt. When you're built like a manatee, you get to dive like one.

 

[Diver0823]

Thanks for the advice, everyone! If the scheduling works, I think we're going to use Panama City Diving. They said we'll use St. Andrews Park Jetty for either 2 of the 4, or all 4 (depending on boat availability) of the open water dives. Sounds like a good dive site for her to start. We thought about Destin, but the hotel availability for this coming weekend on short notice is not good. We're getting her certified before our Turks and Caicos family vacation next month.

 

[Clark Fletcher]

Obviously, Vortex and Morrison Springs are closest to you. So, that's a big plus. If you have an instructor near you that you're comfortable with, you might be able to convince them to go down with you to do the cert, especially if you're paying their expenses.

I recently dove Blue Grotto for the first time. I didn't have a dive buddy, so I paid an extra $30 to have the resident diving instructor (Kevin Tate) give me a guided tour of the spring. Well worth the money, btw. You can get Kevin's number off of the Blue Grotto web page. Give Kevin a call and see how much he'd charge to do the cert. He'll have to get a referral from the local PADI instructor that did the classroom and pool work. However, most PADI instructors/dive shops are pretty good about doing that. Especially if it's a 5 Star PADI dive center. When you call Kevin's number, you'll likely have to leave Kevin a message and he'll call you back. Or you can call the main Blue Grotto number and leave a message to have Kevin call you.

You can also stay at Blue Grotto in one of the cabins on-site. They're not very fancy but, incredibly convenient. If you're taking the whole family I recommend Cabin 9 (sleeps 4) or Cabin 10 (two bedroom, sleeps 6). Also, Blue Grotto doesn't typically allow pets but, cabins 9 and 10 are the only lodging on-site that are pet-friendly. And yes, my wife (non-diver) and I took our dog with us when we stayed there a few weeks ago.

All that being said, you'll be much better off if you can go there during the week, even if it's a Thursday and Friday. Blue Grotto is typically packed on the weekends with certs, particularly this time of year.

Hope this helps.


Fletch