Blue Springs Report, 6/19/04

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cra2

Contributor
Messages
396
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0
Location
Central Florida
# of dives
50 - 99
Not sure where to post these trip reports, nor if they're really useful to anyone - I'm not diving anything you veterans haven't seen a million times.

But here are my notes from Blue Springs:

Arriving shortly before 8am, there were already about a half-dozen cars ahead of us waiting for the gates to open, and several more pulled in behind us. When the gates opened, the dive vehicles pulled just inside the gate and registered, paying about $5 extra to dive. Total cost: around $10 per diver.

As with all the low 70's springs, this was chilly.
Even in my 5mm wetsuit, I was uncomfortable if I wasn't actively engaged in something.
(Apparently I'm going to have to consider a 7mm for anything below 75 degrees)

The hike to the water from the car's not too bad unless you skip the swimming area and opt to walk up the boardwalk all the way to the upstream area. (though some folks used carts/dollies to get their gear up there)

We used the stairs to get in next to the swimming area and walked upstream, our load much lighter & cooler in the water, and used that time to chat & poke around with the snorkel gear.

At the "spring" itself, the water starts to dip down to 8-12' in some places, with snorkelers all over the place and eventually a basic OW class came in and was off to the side working on skills.

To dive down into the spring, you have to pull yourself down around a sunken tree covering the hole while finning against the current of cold water rushing out. The tree's around the 12' mark I'd say. Once you're under it, you hit 15' and have to work a little to control your position and descent and move to the side of the current. I was weighted with my normal freshwater belt and found that with my BC deflated, the current was almost enough to keep me in place (neutral). But if I streamlined my body a bit more or moved to the sides, I would start sinking slowly.

Anyways, the spring is like a narrow but long gash in the rock with levels (or ledges) each about 5-8' lower than the next.
It's not so small that you'd easily feel claustrophobic unless it got pretty full of divers or you moved to the sides under the ledges, into the darkness.

As we descended, I was disgusted by all the graffiti covering every possible surface. Everything from "Donna loves Joe" to "Metallica" was written in letters up to 12" tall. I hope that it's all just smears in the algae or something and not actually carved into the pale rock. But I did notice at least a few words that were obviously etched deep with a knife or something. Unbelievable.

At the 60' mark, I think the hole felt a little longer and more narrow and was sort of angling down so you couldn't see the surface entirely. A good gentle intro to being in overhead environments, I suppose. You could easily sit on a ledge and lean back and be in darkness with a thick rock ledge above you.

Below us, the hole kept getting darker and deeper and we watched what must've been cave divers disappear down there with lights. I hear that at 100' or so, you can enter a tunnel system or another room. But none in our group was cave certified so we stopped around 65'.

Ascending is neat because it's almost like rock climbing. You reach hand over hand, pulling yourself up slowly, one ledge at a time. And the safety stop at 15' is easy because you just hang out under that sunken tree watching snorkelers swim down to wave at you. (for fun - just grab one by the leg when they've turned around and are heading for the surface. just kidding!)

We also noticed 2 or 3 big catfish slinking around the lip of the hole. These guys were dark brown, spiny, prehistoric looking fish that would sit real still hoping you didn't notice them, and then shoot to the surface to get a sip of air from time to time. I don't know what species they were but they were about 18" long and as thick as a grapefruit. They looked exactly like the common plecos that eventually outgrow most home aquariums.

The second dive we did, shortly after noon, proved to be much better. It was less crowded because the classes had cleared out and the sun had moved into a better position to shine right down the shaft. The rock ledges weren't as murky and dark anymore, looking like softly illuminated ivory with veins of rust in them. And we could make out more details even deeper down so we poked around just below 75'. From that point, you really need lights to see anything.

After this dive, we drifted back downstream with our snorkel gear on and noticed two large blue crabs, some common freshwater fish (probably perch, trout and/or bass), some schools of shiny minnows, and 2 pretty big alligator gar (almost as thick as a football and several feet long).

The only other thing to note here is that there is a snack shop, pavilions, bathrooms and showers.
All in all I'd say it was interesting to check out, but not really worth going back.
Unless there's some cave system at the bottom for cert'd divers to explore, you basically go straight down a lifeless elevator shaft covered in graffiti, then come straight back up.
But then again, maybe that's my vast experience talking - after all, this was my 7th dive. ;P

Check the web for more details.
www.floridastateparks.org/bluespring/default.asp
 
The catfish you saw are armoured catfish, they are a non-native species.

Did you see the grim reaper sign on your dive? Its at 60'-65' I believe at the end of what is considered the open water area. If you were at 75' I would think that you went passed the warning sign. Please be careful out there diving.
 
Wendy:
The catfish you saw are armoured catfish, they are a non-native species.

Did you see the grim reaper sign on your dive? Its at 60'-65' I believe at the end of what is considered the open water area. If you were at 75' I would think that you went passed the warning sign. Please be careful out there diving.
No sign down there. I had heard about it, but never saw it. The guy who dove with us said he'd seen it last time he was there and not this time. In fact, he said he had heard it was stolen or removed recently.
 
I will check for the sign this week when I am there, and if it has been stolen I will talk to the rangers about getting them a new one installed.

I believe that below 60' is considered the cavern zone at this site. Make sure that you always have direct ascent to the surface when you are an open water diving and not going beyond your training. But it sounds like you had some nice dives. Oh another thing, I have never seen any divers enter in the swimming area, seems like a long walk in the water to get there, I often exit there though after drifting down the spring run.
 
thanks for taking the time to post your trip report cra2, its always great to hear other peoples experiences, and don't assume that its all veterans here!!!
 
Or that all the veterans have been to that site. Good report, thanks.

Chuck
 
Yeah, entering at the swimming area was an upstream walk. But on a hot day, in a wetsuit, with a tank on yer back, it was more enjoyable than walking all the way up the boardwalk. You could stay low in the water, cooling off and making the gear weight negligible. Plus, we kept our masks/snorkels in and would duck under from time to time, poking around.

The ONLY way I'd trudge up that boardwalk again would be if I had a cart/dolly to roll the gear up with. And even then, you'd be making TWO trips cuz you'd have to take your dollies back to the car while someone in the group watched your gear by the water.. etc, etc.... too much logistics.
 
Buy the annual pass if you plan on hitting more of the State Parks through the year for diving or other stuff (i know you mountain bike and canoe/kayak as well) - it pays for itself eventually, if we had gone with you this last weekend i would have stumped up my card to get all of us in for "free".

It is about 72F in there again, some people just get cold easily. I was off Daytona this last weekend and it was 67F on the bottom under the thermocline, was still in my 3mm and didnt even begin to get cold.

As for the hike or drop in points. I went with metaldetector the time i went, we walked down the boardwalk to a point and then had a 100yd hike though the water to get to the hole - or are you talking about the platform down at the end of the run? I didnt find it too much to walk up and didnt see any closer boardwalk that accessed the water.

You will find that the upthrust of the flow out of the spring will cause you to either need another # or two to get down easily or use those ledges as dropping points so you dont wear yourself out trying to swim down the middle - think hydrodynamics, the shear of the water on the walls slows that down compared to the relatively free flow (fastest) portion in the middle of the channel.


There seems to be a graffiti on most things these days, the underwater world is not untouched by it, in fact the few springs i have dove in so far (5 i think out of ???) have had something somewhere.

The grim reaper sign should be at around 65ft, we saw a stump where it used to be when we went in march. It has been missing for a while. Also dont assume that those who have lights down there are cavers or trained any more than you - they probably snuck lights in like half the people that use that place (i found Wendy's soapbox - however i am not the unofficial spokesman for Wendys :wink: ). A few people i know from my local dive club went there and made it all the way to the bottom, a little admonition from me may not have worked, but at least i told them about it all. However i have hit 80ft down there (no lights), i couldnt see the exit directly, but could still see the glow very clearly, however we only stayed there a few seconds before heading back up to 50-60ft where it is wider to play in the flow for a bit. I found to ascend (particularly being "light") all i had to do was flare my body a little or get out of the most hydrodynamic shape and up i was taken - i wouldnt go about grabbing the rocks as slowly they will get worn down by abrasion.

Those catfish are everywhere it seems and multiplying.

After a dive it is fun to fly along the run just being swept along and to get out at the furthest platform back to the parking area.

I know one day i will go back, partly to take Becky there, its still fun to play in the flow though, some say like a leaf in the breeze, but at least i know to take another # or two now to make life a little easier descending without kicking my fins off :wink:
 
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