Deepest spring in northern and central Florida?

[nitroxdiver36]

This is regarding a tec dive but could be answered by any diver so I hope this is the right section to post this question. I am looking to find a deeper spring in Florida without having to enter a cave system. I cannot reach anyone at 40 Fathom Grotto so please let me know if anyone has any information on them and their website says entry fee is $200, that has got to be a mistake or they are insane. I know Blue Grotto drops to 90 ft and Paradise Springs drops to 100ft and then 140ft into cave. Does anyone know if the cave in the bottom of Paradise Springs is a single shaft or does it have breakoff points? I am a cert cave diver but I do not yet want to combine caves and deco. My reasoning for this thread is to locate a controlled environment in northern or central Florida for a deco dive. I hold a s/m Tec50 cert and am just looking for somewhere with depth @120-160ft max. I am still fairly new to technical diving so I am trying to get my experience in more of a controlled environment with a friend who I always dive with and is also fairly new to tec. I will say this to anyone reading this post that is new to diving or even been diving awhile and wanting to get into tec, take your time and get as much experience as you can!! I have been diving a while and teaching for a year and a half but technical diving is a completely different animal that gave me another whole level of respect for diving and has made be a better diver in every way possible. Thanks for any help or advice anyone can give me!!

 

[Islandheart]

No mistake, $200 is the number the 40 F folks have pretty much decided to keep the Rif-Raf away and charge the folks where cost of entry is not a factor.
... That being like the FBI dive team, and others who blow money like they are printing it.... Oh yea they do print it.. Oh we'll.
It does have the depth you're looking for but suggest not wasting your $$.

 

[Instructor_Tom]

hospital hole near weeki wachee drops to 139ft with minimal over heard. you will have to dive through the surlfur cloud and once below it its a no light environment. you will need to rent a boat from Rogers park to get to the hole, but other than the boat fee it's free to dive any day you want.

if you want to hire a guide for the site and arrange transport PM me and I can set you up with the right folks.

T.


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[Instructor_Tom]

here is a couple of photos from the last time I was in hospital hole.


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[Doppler]

To reach 30 metres in Blue Grotto, you will be in a cave... The primary illumination in the swim-through at the back of the "cavern" is NOT daylight.

Mind if I ask how you got full cave cert without getting into deco?

 

[Teller]

To reach 30 metres in Blue Grotto, you will be in a cave... The primary illumination in the swim-through at the back of the "cavern" is NOT daylight.

Mind if I ask how you got full cave cert without getting into deco?

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[nitroxdiver36]

Thanks for all the info!! I will look into hospital hole, that's a hell of a name for it. I am even more green to caves than I am tec. It has been a long and conservative process to get where I am. I have done several deco dives in open water and also done them in my cave course; however the deco in the cave course was with an instructor. I am looking to get about 20 accel. deco dives in open water and then proceed to caves. I am extremely comfortable in ow and caves but just trying to do it in a certain manor. Also the guy I dive with is a tec diver but does not hold a cave cert so I will not go in with him especially for deco! Thanks again for all of the advice and anymore is appreciated.

 

[UforSCUBA?]

I'm not a tec diver, but a buddy of mine did his AOW at Hudson Grotto. He said it was pretty gross there (Hudson Gross-o, he called it), but it goes down around 150' with no overhead, if I recall correctly.

 

[SandyRobinson]

Probably not the answer you are looking for but maybe the Oriskany is an option. Seems like the deck is around 140 or 145 these days. Dive trip and tip would be less than 40F.

Good luck.

 

[nitroxdiver36]

I actually have the Oriskany on the list to do a deco dive, I have just been looking for the right charter to go out with. I have gone out with Down Under for rec dives and they were awesome but I don't think they do tec charters that often and I wasn't too impressed with the other boat charters in that area that I have used.