Eagles Nest Ballroom Questions

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If you're full cave and trimix (including helitrox) you can dive eagle's nest according to park rules. I say according to park rules because you are supposed to check in online nowadays (but it seems nobody actually does) and while you're supposed to be trimix certified I see alot of cave divers not trimix certified dive it. They shouldn't at risk of getting the cave shut down. I will say I've seen less OW divers there since the check in process started at least.
As for the site I won't go too into detail, but if you have the requirements you can absolutely do a "cavern" dive although it's really cave at many points. A "cavern" dive at EN would more correctly just be referred to as diving the ballroom. I have dove EN many times, but have never done more than the ballroom. I'm only helitrox certified and it would quickly get too deep for my cert level if I attempted to go any further and isn't worth it considering how little cave I'd actually get to see. There is a line that goes from a big tree branch at 20 feet down (where you can leave your deco bottles)through a solution tube into the ballroom. The line drops down to the debris mound at 130-140ft depending on water level. From there the line t's to the upstream and downstream lines. On good days you can see sunlight from the solution tubes, on bad days you can't. It is a huge room and it eats your light. It can be a little overwhelming your first time. Once down in the shaft our typical dive plan is to head down towards the mound level and then swim circles following the walls while slowly ascending. There are tons of fossils to see. On a typical or crappy EN day you can't even come close to seeing from one side to the other. Good days you can. Also sometimes it can be hard to see the upline from far away but it's not like it's easy to lose either.
Everything I posted is easily found on the internet, so I'm not giving any details that would be encouraging to non-certified divers or wouldn't be deemed koisher. If the OP is truly cave certified (and some form of helium certed as well) give him a break because he's just looking for info. I ask people for specifics on caves I've never dove all the time. Just because it's EN doesn't mean we need to give him a hard time.
I would highly suggest going with someone who's been before for your first time. It's not a necessity, but it is smart. If cionditions aren't perfect then having someone who knows the site to give a little guidance is nice.
It also gets very hot there. The sun beats off the ground. I always recommend a collapsible cover if you have one.
 
I've done several hours of research on this today including chatting with primary sources who have dove the Eagle's Nest ballroom. For the sake of posterity, here's the information I was provided:

Eagles Nest is restricted to full cave divers through a permitting process.

Because of the entrance shafts restriction and depth, the Ballroom qualifies as a cave dive.

The basin water is usually not clear enough to allow sunlight to penetrate into the Ballroom.

The top of the debris mound in the Ballroom is around 35m.

There is a permanent continuous line that starts 6m from the deck in the Eagles Nest basin. It is thin cave line tied off to stakes in the mud. For there it circles a large fallen tree often used for deco, connects to a gold line, goes to the main solution tube entrance straight down into the ballroom connecting to a T at the top of the debris mound where the upstream and downstream cave lines are marked.

Buford Spring is about 10 miles to the north of Eagles Nest and also in Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area. In its deeper sections, Buford has formations and rock composition very similar to Eagles Nest. Buford is an easier dive because it's shallower with no significant branching passages. During the drier season the visibility is endless. To dive Buford, you drive up to a roped off trailhead at 28.633130,-82.584342, unload all your gear into a wagon or cart, and then pull it 1/4 mile into the woods where the new boardwalk starts. The boardwalk terminates right at the small spring pool which opens into an enormous cavern that goes down to almost 50m.

The geology of both Eagles Nest and Buford contrasts sharply with the much more popular caves and caverns of northern Florida. The ballroom at Eagles Nest has been described as both beautiful and massive, with maps not well representing its enormity of scale.

Eagles Nest should be avoided on weekends when it's often used by trimix classes. Buford should be avoided on weekends as it's now very popular with freedivers and open water divers who destroy its visibility.
 
Ah, gotcha. And that got me :/ My apologies.

I edited the OP because it was attracting scuba police who assumed I was asking as a cavern diver attempting to sneak into a site restricted to full cave divers even though I mentioned in the original OP that I have IANTD Technical Cave. This is one of the problems with asking for information on the internet. People sometimes assume the worst and jump to conclusions rather than attempting to be helpful to those seeking information for the purposes of safe dive planning.

Here's the original OP: "I'm well aware that Eagles Nest is considered the Mt. Everest of cave diving. While I have IANTD Technical Cave, I don't have the experience to be doing a cave dive this deep and I have no desire to go deep in Eagles Nest and add to its body count. I would like to see what's there by dropping through the entrance shafts down into the entrance room and not going below 30-40m. Have you done it? If so, is there a common tie off point for a primary reel in the open water portion of the sinkhole? How wide are the entrance shafts? Do they allow visible light into the entrance room?"

Here's the revised OP: "I'm well aware that Eagles Nest is considered the Mt. Everest of cave diving. While I have IANTD Technical Cave, I have no desire to do a deeper penetration into Eagles Nest. I would like to see the entrance room (aka The Ballroom) by dropping through the entrance shafts to the top of the debris mound. Have you done it? If so, is there a common tie off point for a primary reel in the open water portion of the sinkhole? How wide are the entrance shafts? Do they allow visible light into the entrance room?"
 
@bradymsu

I don’t particularly care what you do. I do, however care about the people that have to do body recovery and sites getting shut down because of divers that shouldn’t have been there.
 
Everything I posted is easily found on the internet, so I'm not giving any details that would be encouraging to non-certified divers or wouldn't be deemed koisher. If the OP is truly cave certified (and some form of helium certed as well) give him a break because he's just looking for info. I ask people for specifics on caves I've never dove all the time. Just because it's EN doesn't mean we need to give him a hard time.

Thanks much. This is exactly what I was looking for. It confirms what I've found online this afternoon through research as well as conversations with people on reddit who have dove Eagles Nest. One has offered to dive there with me. What you described -diving the ballroom- is exactly what I'm looking to do. Like you, I have no desire to dive the deeper cave portions of Eagles Nest.
 
@bradymsu

I don’t particularly care what you do. I do, however care about the people that have to do body recovery and sites getting shut down because of divers that shouldn’t have been there.

I'm not sure why you keep taking this argumentative angle rather than being helpful with information. I mentioned in both the original version of the OP and the revised version that I have IANTD Technical Cave. If you go to the Information tab in my bio, you'll see my full certification history including the IANTD Full Cave and IANTD Normoxic Trimix. So I'm certainly qualified to dive the Ballroom at Eagles Next. Just last week, I did a similar dive to 39m at Cenote Angelita in the Yucatán.
 
I'm not sure why you keep taking this argumentative angle rather than being helpful with information. I mentioned in both the original version of the OP and the revised version that I have IANTD Technical Cave. If you go to the Information tab in my bio, you'll see my full certification history including the IANTD Full Cave and IANTD Normoxic Trimix. So I'm certainly qualified to dive the Ballroom at Eagles Next. Just last week, I did a similar dive to 39m at Cenote Angelita in the Yucatán.

Certifications do not equal experience. Your OP mentions nothing about experience, just certifications.
 
Hey mate
Don't be dissuaded by some peoples comments, some uses have axes to grind for unknown reasons. Sounds like you are using your brain and have a sensible approach. After your research you may even decide the risk is not worth the reward, but at least you looked before you leapt.
 
Certifications do not equal experience. Your OP mentions nothing about experience, just certifications.

I think you will find that certifications actually imply a certain level of experience. i.e. the experience required to pass a certain level of certification. What can't be gleaned from an internet post is how much the holder of this cert has put that experience to test. You would of learnt his from your AN & DP course.
 
Brady,

I have a bit more of the history behind this, as I am also on reddit. While you are a normoxic and full cave diver, you don't have at present the recent experience or comfort in the overhead environment that this system will require. You mention Angelita, that cenote is much safer than the nest. My suggestion is to leave it as a goal to work toward as you regain experience. Also I would do a day with a cave instructor as a refresher to make sure you have the safety skills from your course still down pat, and bring you up on any changes in cave techniques in since you did your cave training.

I might be doing a Mexico trip in March, but if I am here, I'll dive with you in another system more aligned with your experience level.
 

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