Cave 1 limits in FL

[lamont]

What dives are good Cave 1 dives in Fl? I've only been to Mexico so far, and while I recognize sites like Ginnie, Peacock, etc from the internets, I don't know which ones are recommended for Cave 1 limits...

 

[RTodd]

The ones you can access by getting on a plane and flying to Mexico. Feel free to post the applicable portions of the PM I sent you if you think it may help anyone else.

 

[PerroneFord]

What dives are good Cave 1 dives in Fl? I've only been to Mexico so far, and while I recognize sites like Ginnie, Peacock, etc from the internets, I don't know which ones are recommended for Cave 1 limits...

Most commonly known caves are just fine.

Ginnie, Peacock 1, Orange Grove, Little River, Jackson Blue, Madison Blue (with caution), Manatee, and a few others.

 

[lamont]

The ones you can access by getting on a plane and flying to Mexico. Feel free to post the applicable portions of the PM I sent you if you think it may help anyone else.

i don't know if it'll help anyone, but this is pretty much the advice i've been getting...

I really like diving Florida and used to go every other month but haven't been there in years since it really requires driving to be practical (to have enough steel doubles, stages, scooters, etc.) and the drive sucks. I rented a storage place there for a few years so I could fly in and kept tanks and scooters but the hassle of keeping everything maintained got too high. Now, I just fly down to Akumal where the caves are overall prettier anyway. Flight time for me to Akumal or Jacksonville is basically the same.

For the Cave 1 limits, Florida would suck since everything is 70-100' except Peacock which is fairly dull after you have seen some of it. Plus, when swimming, you generally want to take jumps out of the higher flow main lines in Florida and I think Cave 1 prohibits that.

Everyone should eventually get to see the Florida stuff too. But when you are only getting 1 or 2 weeks of cave diving a year, Akumal is a much better bet.

BTW, Cave 1 limits are:

- 1/3rd after reserving 1/3rd (600 psi of full double-80s)
- mainline only
- no jumps
- no gaps in the cave
- one gap allowed if it runs through open water[*]
- one navigational decision at a permanent T
- no restrictions
- no siphons

[*] there is apparently one dive in the world affected by this rule?

 

[TSandM]

Lamont, Peter and I spent three days cave diving in Florida in December. We did the Devil's system three times (twice through the Ear, and once through the Eye), and then a day of diving in Jackson Blue. We were also told that Peacock and Little River were within limits, as well as Gopher Sink and maybe Twin on the Mill Pond.

We had a lot of fun. The caves are quite different from Mexico, and they do go deep quickly, but with our skills, we couldn't get enough penetration to run into decompression problems. We're planning a full week there at the end of February, and I'll let you know where we end up going and what we do while we're there.

I like Mexico a lot -- It's shallow and low flow and very decorated. But the caves in Florida were fascinating and challenging in different ways, and it's a LOT cheaper to go to Florida. Plus there are some super nice people there to dive with.

 

[PfcAJ]

Madison rocks, and Peacock is fun given you have 3 passages to enjoy (Peanut, Pothole, and OG), and Devil's is cool once you get your technique down. Little River approaches 100ft really quickly and the T is pretty close to the entrance (400'?), but still a fun dive. The water is so low right now that its prime time to dive it.

When I took cave 1, T's weren't allowed. Go figure.

 

[Meng_Tze]

All common caves in FL would do. The question is which ones do you want to see?

 

[RTodd]

To clarify, my advice was based on someone flying a fair distance that will only get to cave dive 1 or 2 weeks per year. Once you are flying and renting the heavy stuff the costs are not that different. The difference is that you can get a lot more actual bottom time per dive in caves in Mexico at the Cave 1 limits. I learned to dive in Florida and did hundreds of dives there before ever diving in Mexico. I like both of them. Now that I really know the caves in Mexico, I enjoy the greater differences you can find in individual systems more. But both are special. For those that don't live within comfortable driving distance of Florida, Mexico is probably a better bet at the Cave 1 level where simply getting more bottom time is the best way to improve skills.

 

[KMD]

BTW, Cave 1 limits are:

- 1/3rd after reserving 1/3rd (600 psi of full double-80s)
- mainline only
- no jumps
- no gaps in the cave
- one gap allowed if it runs through open water[*]
- one navigational decision at a permanent T
- no restrictions
- no siphons

[*] there is apparently one dive in the world affected by this rule?

Lamont,

Current limits for cave 1 are 1/3rd or 500 psi which ever is *less*
mininum 100 cuft to begin penitration.

So for double 80's that would be 500 psi.

 

[PfcAJ]

I was taught 1/3 of 1/3s also.