2/18-2/20 Ginnie, Crystal River, Alexander, and Paradise Report and more...

[SuPrBuGmAn]

No idea I always seem to find a way to spend money on things other than more gear and training.

There were 3-4 pleco's onsite, they were over a foot long. There was also a pleco at Paradise Springs. Maybe they're indiginous? No idea myself.

 

[scubafool]

I have noticed the same thing concerning the pleco's. I saw them first at Blue Spring in Orange City. After a while, they showed up at Alexander Springs. And the last three times I have been to Paradise, they have been there as well. There is no way that they could "swim" to Paradise, so that is a real mystery.

 

[Corigan]

It appears the pleco is indiginous to south america. I assume these were just fishes that foolish aquarium owners bought and then didn't realize how big they got so they released them into the wild.

Matt

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

Dude you have the best dive reports, and get to dive the coolest places. I hope to have some dates for returning to Morrison soon and will see if you can't be coerced into making a couple dives.

Pics are awesome as always, great composition (although I was shocked to learn you polish em up in pshop, LOL ) I like this one....

Where did you hear Paradise goes to 140 in the cavern? Its been several years but the dive log says I found the reaper sign at 103ffw. My buddy said he had a max of 115ffw but I was looking down at him through a crack in the floor. Never figured out if it was narcosis or stupidity that motivated him to shimmy down a tube/tight opening on the divers right as your facing the chain that marks the end of the cavern zone, IIRC, at the end of the guide line. I only paused for a minute to read the sign (my first sighting of the "reaper") and sure enough my buddy found a way to wander off and violate the cardinal rule. :06:

And finally, I love the shot from the observation deck at Paradise so much I think it's worth going back when everything is in bloom. I have the exact shot taken when I was there in July, alot more greenery but not alot of flowers (perhaps there are none in that oasis, not sure how much sun the groundcover gets.) but I think it would be really nice in April / Late March. Don't really know jack about the seasons down there though. Perhaps one day i'll start a thread about that, don't feel obligated to follow me OT.

CD

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I hope to have some dates for returning to Morrison soon and will see if you can't be coerced into making a couple dives.

Pics are awesome as always, great composition (although I was shocked to learn you polish em up in pshop, LOL ) I like this one....

Where did you hear Paradise goes to 140 in the cavern? Its been several years but the dive log says I found the reaper sign at 103ffw. My buddy said he had a max of 115ffw but I was looking down at him through a crack in the floor.

Doesn't usually take much to talk me into a dive, especially one as close as Morrison.

Glad you like the report and pics, definatley had some help with PS. I shoot RAW and fix WB after the fact most of the time. I also decided I would see what I could do with the PnS shooting at ISO400, everything looked good from the LCD so I shot that way all weekend. Grainy as hell on the computer though. I think my limit will be ISO200 from now on.

The Ned Deloach book, the owner, and some of the internet sites I visited all state a 140' depth at Paradise. scubafool and jeandiver here confirmed this earlier in the post Water levels must have been low the weekend I was there because I was at 97' at the reaper, I guess I could've hogged down into the silt for triple digits though.

 

[Brewone0to]

No it is definitely every bit of 140'.
Or at least it was on Sun. 2/26 ,
I hit 136' and wasn't at max depth "above silt/sand bottom"
(large horizintal cave opening in which
some local divers on site indicated went
back 150' or so back before terminating)

PS: Great pics from SUPERBUGMAN:14:

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Glad ya liked em

 

[cmufieldhockey8]

Great report and pictures! I'm leaving Friday for my spring break including diving all of those destinations. I'm wondering about Paradise Springs though. I'm looking at these maps:
http://www.floridacaves.com/paradisemap.JPG
http://www.floridacaves.com/paradiseprofile.JPG

I'm a very comfortable yet still novice diver and the maps make me wonder if just an open water diver without cavern training has any business diving this sinkhole. A website I was reading made it seem like it's ok for open water divers as long as they limit their depth to about 60'. Anybody's thoughts?

 

[scubafool]

There is very little true open water at this site. An area ~ 15' in diameter is the entrance to this sinkhole. This drops straight down to a depth of about 15'. In all directions of the compass is overhead (cavern). Most of it is pretty shallow, with pretty forgiving conditions. But it is still overhead. However, one section of it drops rather rapidly, ending at a small hole at around 100' of depth. The hole leads down about 10 feet, then opens up into Silt Heaven. You don't want to see Silt Heaven. Unless you are Jean, that is.

If you have your trim and bouyancy nailed down solid, and are really comfortable in the water, and don't mind the fact that you cannot immediately get to the surface, this can be a nice dive.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

If you have your trim and bouyancy nailed down solid, and are really comfortable in the water, and don't mind the fact that you cannot immediately get to the surface, this can be a nice dive.

I think scubafool nailed it with this sentence.