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Hemlon
Contributor
ReefHound:
That time frame would be great for me. I'll be wanting to dive and Travis will still be too chilly then.
Balmorhea
- Thread starter Hemlon
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That time frame would be great for me. I'll be wanting to dive and Travis will still be too chilly then.
Another question would be does your dive buddy really have to be scuba diving? This is one of those dives where the surface functions just fine as your backup air supply and it is shallow enough that a freediver could easily rescue someone that had other problems. It is really nothing more than a naturally fed pool..... And a small one at that when you compare it to Barton Springs (which unfortunately does not allow diving).
Hemlon & AggieDad - I may be interested in going myself and would be interested in carpooling. If things go as planned my girlfriend will be relatively newly certified and we will have recently returned from a trip to Cozumel and Tulum. I will be looking for ways to keep up her interest in diving so this sounds great.
~Jess
Hemlon & AggieDad - I may be interested in going myself and would be interested in carpooling. If things go as planned my girlfriend will be relatively newly certified and we will have recently returned from a trip to Cozumel and Tulum. I will be looking for ways to keep up her interest in diving so this sounds great.
~Jess
In the spring and summer, there are so many divers that no one would know if you had a buddy or not. In the fall and winter you could probably get by on a weekend if there is anyone else at the pool or classes going on. I have been to Balmorhea several times in the "off season" and my buddy and I were the only ones in the park. It would probably be hard to get by without a buddy on those days.
If it is really cold outside, do a pre-dive shower check and see if the hot water is on.
I don't personally recommend solo diving but you would really have to try hard to get yourself in trouble in Balmorhea. Balmorhea is pretty boring after about 20 minutes and I think a buddy makes the dive a bit more enjoyable.
If it is really cold outside, do a pre-dive shower check and see if the hot water is on.
I don't personally recommend solo diving but you would really have to try hard to get yourself in trouble in Balmorhea. Balmorhea is pretty boring after about 20 minutes and I think a buddy makes the dive a bit more enjoyable.
Reefhound, be sure and create a thread when you firm a weekend for your trip. I like going out there, even though I have been twice, and may be interested in the trip as well. The Davis Mountains is one of my favorite sites to visit in the state. Too bad it is so far away.
Willie
Willie
WarrenZ
The Ultimate Bad Example
I have dove Balmorhea alone before its ok as long as you dont get caught diving alone.
I have dove Perch Lake and Blue Hole in Santa Rosa NM althogh you do have to pay the fee for blue hole you can dive it alone if you want.
I have dove Perch Lake and Blue Hole in Santa Rosa NM althogh you do have to pay the fee for blue hole you can dive it alone if you want.
R
redacted
Guest
It looks like they had "professional" help writing their scuba rules. It might be interesting to see the legal basis for those rules. But if you go in as a swimmer it is a very simple and basic liability release. You don't even have to wait 30 minutes after eating to go in the water.:no
WesTexDiver
Guest
Make sure you bring a can of Vienna Sausages....if the turtles are hiding they will for sure come out and join in the feeding frenzy that will ensue. I believe there is a picture of said feeding frenzy in my profile or under my pictures if interested.
The bad thing about feeding the turtles is that they tend to get aggressive towards the divers and start snapping at appendages. I’ve personally have seen one of the turtles take a taste test of a divers’ finger. Park Ranger Tom told me a while back that if they started getting more complaints of aggressive turtles then they would have to remove the turtles from the park and kill them. I certainly hope that somebody doesn't ruin that for everybody who likes seeing the turtles.
I’m more of a zero-impact type diver. I basically believe that you shouldn’t influence a wild animal’s behavior.
Some excellent information about zero-impact can be found on Christopher Guglielmo’s website at http://www.aquaexposure.com/Zero-Impact.htm.
(In reality, it doesn't just relate to photography. Zero-Impact makes dives more enjoyable and preserves dive sites for everybody.)
Besides all that it's more of a challenge to find the turtles hiding spot. Once you find them you can sit there and have a staring contest with them. Most of them actually have pretty clever hiding spots. It's also rewarding to take a new open water student, with good buoyancy control, out on their pleasure dive and show them where the turtles hide.
I’m more of a zero-impact type diver. I basically believe that you shouldn’t influence a wild animal’s behavior.
Some excellent information about zero-impact can be found on Christopher Guglielmo’s website at http://www.aquaexposure.com/Zero-Impact.htm.
(In reality, it doesn't just relate to photography. Zero-Impact makes dives more enjoyable and preserves dive sites for everybody.)
Besides all that it's more of a challenge to find the turtles hiding spot. Once you find them you can sit there and have a staring contest with them. Most of them actually have pretty clever hiding spots. It's also rewarding to take a new open water student, with good buoyancy control, out on their pleasure dive and show them where the turtles hide.
WesTexDiver
Guest
The park ranger was blowin smoke up your *****. Anyways I do agree with you that zero-impact is a great thing, and finding hidden turtles is fun. However i don't think they are going to kill them.
Tom may or may not be blowing smoke up my arse. It's been my experience though that Tom tells things like they are. Think about it this way - In Yellowstone park if a bear attacks a person the park rangers will dispose of the bear to avoid future attacks and legal ramifications. The situation of turtles being aggressive follow the same guidelines, no matter how frivolous it may be.
Beyond all that the State of Texas has written rules against it.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/balmorhea/
"9. No diver will molest, catch or handle any fish, turtle or other aquatic life. Natural areas of the spring, including rocks, are not to be disturbed or moved."
Beyond all that the State of Texas has written rules against it.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/balmorhea/
"9. No diver will molest, catch or handle any fish, turtle or other aquatic life. Natural areas of the spring, including rocks, are not to be disturbed or moved."
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