Crystal / Rainbow River ?

[MrChen]

When you visit these sites, if you are active-duty military or a veteran, mention it for a discount. We received discounts at Ginnie Springs and Devil's Den.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

When you visit these sites, if you are active-duty military or a veteran, mention it for a discount. We received discounts at Ginnie Springs and Devil's Den.

Would Ginnie springs be worth it at all?

Thanks for everyone's responses, lots of great ideas.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I live locally and am out at Rainbow River at least once a month; echoing what everyone else has said. I wear a 7mm in the springs (including Rainbow River), you don't need a guide, call the water taxi ahead of time to be sure he can take you. If he can't, ask any of the local Crystal River dive shops (Bird's, Crystal River Watersports, American Pro, etc) about setting up a guided dive/boat ride. You do need to tow a flag.

The dive itself is about 45 minutes if you swim the whole way and don't stop. That's said, it's a drift dive. Don't swim the whole way, and DO stop. You can stretch the dive out easily to two hours if you stop in the various springs along the way, and take your time and just float with the current. Max depths about 20-25 feet; much of the dive is extremely shallow (like....as in 2 or 3 feet of water, shallow!). I like to add two pounds of weight on the drift; if you're neutrally buoyant at 15' you're going to be positively buoyant on the long 3-4' stretches of water and that's not comfortable trying to fight to stay down.

To your other questions: my hot take is that there's nothing in Crystal River itself worth diving. Visibility in the bay has deteriorated badly, and there's not land access into Three Sisters, so you'd have to take a boat (assuming it's even open to swimmers, which it won't be if it's cold enough for manatees to be present in any quanttity). If you want to see manatees, take the 6am Bird's Underwater snorkeling (not scuba) tour. They will almost certainly take you to King's Spring. Manatees are scared of bubbles and avoid divers; they will swim right up and interact with snorkelers.

Here's a good map of all the local freshwater diving options, with some notes about each of the dive sites.

Personally, I think Devil's Den is great, and bet the kids would really enjoy it; they are also easy - rentals, tank fills all on site, hot showers for afterwards, pavilions and an easy entrance. And the cavern itself is VERY cool; even if you're just snorkeling. All the springs are small if you're used to the ocean. One trick is to vary your depth and your direction. I.e., first dive go clockwise at the bottom 50', and each circle move up 10'. Second dive reverse direction and go counter-clockwise. Same dive, totally different feel. The fossils at Devil's Den are cool, and the swim-throughs are a lot of fun (although probably not a great choice for kids).

Happy to answer other questions, I'm usually out diving the springs 2-3 times a week!

The map was really helpful, thanks!!

Is Blue Grotto or Ginnie worth it for OW divers?

Rainbow River it is, any idea what cost is for the water taxi? We would be there 12/19 or 12/20. Does the water taxi just drop you off and leave? Trying to figure out what to do with the one non diver (son's gf) and her baby while we do this. She would take the boat ride but then I guess be stuck in the parking lot waiting for us to come down river. I'd like to get a nice 2 hour dive in with everyone else. And then maybe do Devils Den, Blue Grotto, or Ginnie the next day.

We have all our own gear, so that helps a lot. I'm just throwing everything in a trailer and trucking it down. After we leave that area we're heading to the Pensecola area. Maybe do a shore dive.. who knows.

 

[Rilelen]

The map was really helpful, thanks!!

You're welcome! Love that map, a friend put it together.

Is Blue Grotto or Ginnie worth it for OW divers?

Blue Grotto and Ginnie are both "open water safe" caverns. We could open a whole can of worms with what that means...but it's allowed, and I feel comfortable taking good divers into both, with a conversation beforehand about best practices for diving in overhead (follow rule of thirds; be mindful of the ceiling; if you need a light...you need to bring two, preferably three). If someone's prone to panic or has any history of bolting to the surface, I would not advise them to go in there.

At Ginnie you can explore the ballroom (which is about 20-30 minutes on thirds for average divers) and then play in the spring run. You can also head up to the Devil's Run area and spend the rest of your air playing in the spring run and checking out Little Devil (the long crack; fun to descend and spy on tubers/swimmers from below), Devil's Eye, and the Devil's Ear. The Ear is fun - if no one's around, you can play on the deco log and enjoy the view of the river and spring waters mixing. The flow and the water make for a unique dive. If you encounter cave teams in Devil's run (entering or exiting, or on deco), do give them priority and keep out of their way. You can also tow a flag and drift the Sante Fe from Devil's down to Ginnie Ballroom; it's a short drift (less than 10min) and river's a little chilly this time of year but chilly also means a chance for manatees, sooo....

At Blue Grotto you can descend quite a ways before you hit the cave zone (I'm not sure of the exact depth it's at; something like 80ish feet). To be honest, there is no "real" cave in Blue Grotto, and it didn't used to be classifed as such; just an area where the depth limits and generally low lighting warrant caution (and that's where the sign's posted). There is a small area to the right-hand side (facing the cavern, below and to the right of the posted) where you genuinely lose all surface light if you venture into that little alcove/passage. If you stay in the upper cavern and don't go past the signs, you'll be able to see 90% of Blue Grotto. The main reason I don't hit BG more often is simply that it's expensive ($50/person), although the showers are nice and I think they do give a military/dive pro discount.

Rainbow River it is, any idea what cost is for the water taxi? We would be there 12/19 or 12/20. Does the water taxi just drop you off and leave?

Website and contact info for the water taxi is here. Rates vary depending on group size; when it's been just me and one other person I think we've paid like $20/person, when I've gone with a large group it's been $10. Just give him a call, let him know the dates, and he'll tell you what the rates look like - all cash. You also need to pay dive admission to KP Hole, which is $20 per diver. Water taxi rates are in addition to that.

The water taxi will take you up river to the drop point; along the way, the captain will point out landmarks to look out for on your dive, and where to exit the water. Pay attention, it's a nice dive briefing. Once you are dropped, the boat will leave and return to KP Hole - at that point, you're on your own in the water.

Trying to figure out what to do with the one non diver (son's gf) and her baby while we do this. She would take the boat ride but then I guess be stuck in the parking lot waiting for us to come down river. I'd like to get a nice 2 hour dive in with everyone else. And then maybe do Devils Den, Blue Grotto, or Ginnie the next day.

We have all our own gear, so that helps a lot. I'm just throwing everything in a trailer and trucking it down. After we leave that area we're heading to the Pensecola area. Maybe do a shore dive.. who knows.

I'm sure it would be fine for the non-diver and baby to accompany on the boat ride. You've got a few options for her afterwards (she'll be back long before you are). One is to drive up to Rainbow Springs State Park, which is only a few minutes from KP Hole. This is the headspring from which Rainbow River flows, and it used to be a major Florida attraction. There's a visitor center with gardens/waterfalls, hiking paths, and some exhibits (and indoor heating/air conditioning). Another option would be to hit one of the local restaurants; Swampy's is not far away and is mostly outdoor seating on the same river you'll be diving, and very relaxed/appropriate for small kids. It's a good place to hang out for a bit and kill time. Depending on age, little ones can run around a bit on the docks or nap while your son's gf has a bite to eat or a drink. Check opening times, they might be closed some weekdays in winter. (It's also a great post-dive lunch or dinner option).

You didn't ask, but you can get tanks/air fills in Crystal River easily from any of the local dive shops (Bird's, Crystal River Watersports, American Pro). And Blue Grotto, Ginnie, and Devil's Den all have tank rentals and compressors for on-site fills.

 

[MrChen]

Would Ginnie springs be worth it at all?

Thanks for everyone's responses, lots of great ideas.

The ballroom was really cool. You get to feel like you're entering a cave, but then not really. I didn't feel unsafe at any point while inside and enjoyed the experience. We then drove down the road to the devil's system. The Devil's Ear was the highlight as we watched divers coming in and out of the cave. The current coming out of the hole was really strong too, so it was cool to get perspective of how much water is coming out.

 

[MrChen]

I literally just made a springs trip for the first time with my cousin a few weeks ago. We stayed at an Airbnb in Gainesville named the Pickle House. It had a converted garage turned into pool table lounge. We stayed up late drinking and playing pool, it was a blast and worth the extra money to stay at a comfortable place with built in entertainment.

Taking a multi-day trip to the Springs

Just dove Devil's Den.

scubaboard.com

 

[goldfishtornado]

... other than the manatee snorkeling

Highly recommend. I think all the operators that run those trips have a decent reputation, but Bird's Underwater is usually the first boat out in the morning if you can book a slot.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Does anyone have any good recommendations for baby wetsuits? She is just turning a year, obviously she's not diving, but I'd really like to get her into divers den a little and not be cold.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Alright... just following up with my own thread. Boat taxi guy was very nice on the phone. He told me the park charges $20 / diver and he charges $50 / boat minimum or $10 / pp.

He also said that the park is very specific about what they let float down the river. It has to be in the form of a raft or a boat with paddles. Not entirely sure yet if life jackets are required or just needed on the boat.

Stay tuned for more info or if you have more to add please do!

 

[wetrocksrock]

Sent you a PM I live and work in Crystal River, and happy to help in any way.