Diving privately owned springs from river

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Florida will allow you access to any body of water that is connected via navigable waterway. The land can be owned privately, but not the spring itself. This gives us access to several springs that are surrounded by private land owned by individuals and water bottling companies. Florida is absolutely covered in Springs, you can spend alot of time running around various rivers and creeks diving your butt of without any hassle.

Ginnie gets alot of traffic, hardly anyone brings a dive flag unless they are going from the Devils Spring run to Ginnie Springs main spring run - while its common for divers not having flags, its illegal.

If you are going to dive, bring a flag. The boat allows you the luxury of not having to tow it around with you as long as you stay a certain distance from your vessel.

Private parties can not deny access through the waterways that they do not own. I believe the only people who can shut out spring access is the Army Corp of Engineers, which don't really do it often(although they did grant the run to Wakulla un-navigable - but thats more into politics than actual accessibility from what I understand). Ginnie putting the silt screen up during high water to keep tannic water out is likely illegal. Several springs run as parks have fences or buoy lines across their entrance to keep boats from entering heavily trafficed swimming holes. They get away with it because they are state/county parks like Troy Springs or Jackson County Blue Spring Park but its still legal to park outside and swim underneath.

Its legal to dive Ginnie from water. If you want to avoid any real issues, don't tie off to their land, high water line or not, as that leaves enough grey area for someone without the knowledge of where exactly that highwater line is, to stir up trouble. Chances are, you don't know where the highwater line is either, its not something typically posted onsite. Fly a flag. Enjoy.

It may be legal in you neck of the woods but in other areas it may not be. Unless you see the lease and know what arrangements have been made with ALL of the governing agencies it would be very wise to stay out.

Gary D.

His neck of the woods(Merrits Mill Pond) is the same legal neck of the woods as the OP(Ginnie Springs/Sante Fe River) as they are all in Florida.

The real question is where all these northern states come into play in this conversation as their laws are certainly very different.

 

[JDostal]

As far as northern states go, it is similar.

When I was a kid, I would put a small blow up boat into the creek next to my house and float down it....the creek carved a beautiful meandering path through my local golf course and as a kid I would be able to collect buckets of golf balls from the creek.

This was perfectly legal, but if I were to step out of the boat onto the golf course I would have been in trouble.

I love your signature - the best in life are indeed free...and even better if it takes an hour or two of motoring/pushing a small boat up a river, over logs, and around sandbars

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

You'd probably appreciate the 10' inflatable Zodiac(Miss Jellyfish) I have for that very reason

 

[JahJahwarrior]

I'm the guy with the picture of the warning Not a very good one, as it was left on the dashboard of a car to dryout, and it's taken with a film camera. But it exists as eternal proof nonetheless!

Superbugman--do you know the rules about leaving a boat unattended while you dive?

I have access to a 16 foot motorboat, but it's got atleast a 1.5 foot draft and while the hull is old, the motor is pretty new. I don't want to tear it up on a treebranch or osmething. I'm currently in the market for a cheap canoe or kayak, something that would get me to these springs without problem. I can get a small trolling motor and battery, and paddles I'd rig up a way to hang a flag, and take two anchors.

Now, I just have to find a canoe or kayak for about $50 (good news is, if it's fibreglass and has holes, I know how to patch them. That boat I was talking about, my family rebuilt the stringers and floor in. )

 

[Barracuda2]

Not to add another complication to this issue, but many years ago someone (either Ginnie Springs or maybe a diving organization) put gates over the "throat" entrance to prevent divers from entering the cave system. Is this maintainance?, improvement?, claim to ownership or even legal if the owners really don't own the springs? Or if they don't own the spring itself, maybe the state just overlooked this because it was a safety issue to save lives. just a thought. I dove Gennie years ago when there was no fee or gates.

 

[hollywood703]

A warning is not required, as long as it is posted. How it is posted may vary by state.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

I'm the guy with the picture of the warning Not a very good one, as it was left on the dashboard of a car to dryout, and it's taken with a film camera. But it exists as eternal proof nonetheless!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/445036909_3212806345.jpg?v=0

Superbugman--do you know the rules about leaving a boat unattended while you dive?

I have access to a 16 foot motorboat, but it's got atleast a 1.5 foot draft and while the hull is old, the motor is pretty new. I don't want to tear it up on a treebranch or osmething. I'm currently in the market for a cheap canoe or kayak, something that would get me to these springs without problem. I can get a small trolling motor and battery, and paddles I'd rig up a way to hang a flag, and take two anchors.

Now, I just have to find a canoe or kayak for about $50 (good news is, if it's fibreglass and has holes, I know how to patch them. That boat I was talking about, my family rebuilt the stringers and floor in. )

I've accessed Devils from the river before without incident. I tied up on the far side of the river and swam over. The problem with attempting this by kayak is the river current. You will only be able to go downstream and won't be able to make it back to the point of entry. You'll need someone to pick you up downstream.

 

[b1draper]

Keep in mind that Ginnie also has water bottleing rights for Dasani Co. And Nestle bottled water says bottled from Crystal Spring and Blue Spring (near Madison).

 

[mike_s]

Keep in mind that Ginnie also has water bottleing rights for Dasani Co. And Nestle bottled water says bottled from Crystal Spring and Blue Spring (near Madison).

hmmm... but that doesn't have any restrictions on boats though, regardless if they are bottling.

people piss in that river every day swimming in it. hasn't stopped them yet.

 

[ClayJar]

I've accessed Devils from the river before without incident. I tied up on the far side of the river and swam over. The problem with attempting this by kayak is the river current. You will only be able to go downstream and won't be able to make it back to the point of entry. You'll need someone to pick you up downstream.

I don't remember the river's current being *that* bad. Obviously, it'll take more time paddling upstream than down (and if you know of a nice downstream launch point, it'd be better to do the coasting part *after* the dives), but a good cruising kayak ought to be able to handle a little upstream leg without too much pain, eh? (There's also knowing how to read a river -- the guy paddling upstream on the outside of the turn is going to have a lot harder time of things than I. :biggrin

(Now, if you have to paddle upstream *and* into a stiff wind, feathering your paddles is a very wise idea. Yelling at the wind helps, too, but that's probably just because it gets your mind off the pain. )