Crystal River Manatee Snorkel Trip Dec. 10, 2005

[Scuba_Jenny]

Whooo Hoo! Sis and nephew arrived safely last night. We will be leaving this morning some time, making our way north to Cardzards house.
See ya all tomorrow, sans Andy who has decided he would rather like, get paid, then play with manatees and hang with the fabulous Conchs. It's OK buddy. Really. I'll survive.... You would be late anyways.

 

[simbrooks]

Plans have changed, but we'll just be coming from Orlando now, headed out in the morning!

David, i tried to make a guess as to where you are, around Florida Hills, Pine Hills just SW of Deland and it suggested either going up to 40 and west of taking the slightly convoluted trip on 44 all the way. It looks like 2 hour 20 mins according to mapquest. I dont know how you drive the truck with your family on board as to whether you'll be quicker or slower than that that early in the morning!! We'll be leaving around 5.30 to get there sometime between 7 and 7.30 again depending on traffic, but we are almost entirely expressway on 408 and the TP to wildwood then 35 miles over to Crystal River on 44. Mapquest suggests 1 hour 50 mins, i think nearer 1.5 hours.

 

[DEEPSEAWOLF]

It looks like my plans have changed also,...
instead of driving from Florida, I'll be driving from Hawaii. The Okaiahoowanaskooba Highway is supposed to be a bit congested, at least to the beach. Once the car switches modes, it'll be abut a seven hour drive to San Francisco. From there on in, I'll probably head South to I-10, across with minor detours until I get near Galveston. Then, it's back to boat mode for the quick trip through the middle ground, across the Gulf to Crystal River. I might have a slight delay as the river is now a no wake zone. I may just come up at the boat ramp on the point and drive past Plantation Inn. I just can't decide which car to bring. Probably the black Humdinga. See ya at the marina.


http://www.aquada.co.uk/index_video.php

 

[H2Andy]

It looks like my plans have changed also,...
instead of driving from Florida, I'll be driving from Hawaii.

dude...

you better pack lots of chips and soft drinks for that drive

 

[DEEPSEAWOLF]

The Humdinga can carry a 1-3 ton payload. It also has 4 wheel drive on land. The Aquada would be a nicer ride, and can get up to 100 mph on land. It has less room for chips, though. I am thinking the Humdinga would be a nice solution as a dive platform. Talk about water's edge convenience. Especially at Venice, or any place where you can drive on the beach. It also solves the whole "move your boat, a hurricane's coming" problem.

 

[DEEPSEAWOLF]

If all goes well, I'll be there by 7:30 am.

Current weather outlook...

Saturday: Partly cloudy, with a high around 67. Light and variable wind.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. Calm wind.

 

[simbrooks]

Got home a little time ago, although i am sure the rest of the troop are trying to eek out what little daylight there is out there still!

It was a great morning/day for us. Christina and i went and hit up the main spring and found a couple of dozen tee's who decided to come out just after the crowds left. When everyone decided to get in again there werent so many around but the guys got to dive in the end. I was a tad concerned when the folks who were in a training class right at the cavern entrance (deepest spot around the spring) were advised to practice their air share ascent, but also told to inflate their BC's - the OOA one orally!!!! :dropmouth I hope i just misheard it or else they were practicing that before doing the ascent.

Great seeing you all and look forward to the next deal, probably the fossil hunting in march - but who knows earlier than that?

 

[scubafool]

Dawn and I had a great time.

The weather was nice, and the manatees were great. Dawn has been wanting to swim with the T's for a long time, so this was kinda a dream come true for her.

Kudos to Ken for having the foresight to set this up as a boat rental trip. That made the trip super cheap for everyone. Thanks, ya nut, and next year will likely have John with us.

 

[H2Andy]

did anybody spear a manatee?

are there any leftovers?

 

[scubafool]

did anybody spear a manatee?

Yes.

are there any leftovers?

Ken has the leftovers. Last I saw, he was in his boat/car enroute back to Hawaii with a horde of kayakers and 4-man canoe teams hot on his tail.