First time in a Florida spring

[pocky21]

I knew it was inevitable, but I can count on blowing another year's worth of paychecks after my trip to Vortex this weekend. Saw my first reaper sign and sat there for about 30 seconds looking into the mouth of the cave. I'm still laughing at how the thought process goes - starts with "wow, this is cool!" then to "I wonder..." before it finally hits you - "Ah damn, this is gonna be expensive!"

I was prepped for it, but now I can say I officially took the bait

 

[tstormdiver]

Congrats on your decision to pursue the proper training & route to explore your interests! There have been far too many threads started by those who want to, or think, they can get away with circumventing the proper training. Cave/ technical diving is a lot like Open Water diving. Remember when you bought your first equipment & thought the same? Yes, the initial costs are high,.. but with proper care & maintenance, will last you a long time. Please research, interview & choose your instructor wisely. Good luck in your journey to the "dark side".


BTW,... If you like the Florida springs,.... wait until you get a taste of the Mexican caves....

 

[bamafan]

Just wait till you see a real Florida cave. Drive down the road to Marianna and take a cavern class from ed at cave adventurers. Jackson blue has a lot better cavern imho.

 

[Instructor_Tom]

pocky21;

your location says your in transit so no way to tell where your located. if your in the Tampa Bay area check out EZ Scuba for tech training. the staff their are all tech divers and DM's like me are either already full tech cave certified or in process. ill finish up in September with IANTD full Tech Cave.

T.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[pocky21]

Thanks for reminding me of that, Tom - I'm in Panama City. Ponce De Leon is an hour away, and Marianna about 1.5hr. My first love is wreck penetration, so I hope the caves don't pull me away from that too much - but it's still a win-win

I'm seeing about AN/DP with a local guy here in PC, then I figure I'll do a cavern/intro course in the Fall. The charters here hardly ever run in the winter, so it's a good excuse to go underground and shoot for apprentice/full cave.

 

[TracyN]

I was hooked the first time I ever dived in a spring. I love exploring dry caves so it was only natural that I explore underwater caves as well. I answered the call of the caves and now it's an addiction. I'd much rather explore the silent beauty of a cave than go through the trouble and expense of trying to charter a boat dive. Now that I have most of the needed equipment cave diving is much cheaper for me than ocean diving. I'd highly recommend getting connected with Edd Sorrenson for your cave training. If he can't do it then he can connect you with some other good instructors in the area. I took my initial sidemount training with him and then my advanced cave sidemount and they were some of the most challenging courses I've ever taken. You will definitely get your money's worth.

 

[corvettejoe]

Welcome to the addiction!

"I wonder..." and "... this is going to get expensive" is about the extent of it LOL

 

[pocky21]

As a college student, the economy of it is VERY appealing. I love the wrecks inshore here, but $100+ a ride is very cost prohibitive - especially as often as I dive. The challenge of the training itself is a major motivator too, and I'm excited to see exactly where my deficiencies lie. The reason I chose to move to Florida was to learn from and dive with the big boys, so I need to get up to speed

 

[corvettejoe]

So, do you have cavern done yet? or are you going to be looking to get into cavern/cave?

The expensive part is the gear switch, but once thats out of the way, you can still OW dive in it (if you pick the right stuff), and the trips get cheaper... tank of gas, split it with a buddy, etc...vs... the $70+ boat rides each time on top of your tank of gas.

also, gas fills (scuba, not car) are cheaper in north florida as well. I always refill before coming back home from a cave trip.

I think the cheapest I got out for one day was ...single gas tank up and back, split with a buddy...plus lunch/dinner and fills when we were done. $50-$60 total for the entire day of diving maybe?

It can be more affordable... just depends what gear you already have if you're just getting into it.

 

[victorzamora]

As a college student, the economy of it is VERY appealing. I love the wrecks inshore here, but $100+ a ride is very cost prohibitive - especially as often as I dive.

Yeah, so, tech diving IS NOT cheap. Cave diving IS NOT cheap. Well, once you get past the initial investment it's not expensive if you live close to caves....but it's NOT cheap. If you're already diving in either Sidemount or doubles, have a drysuit, a good computer (probably 2), a canister light, backup lights, multiple fins, analyzers, clips, snaps, regs, a house full of little accessories, AND a deep wallet then you'll be fine. However, I'll say that I started all of this as a college student. I bought the VAST majority of my gear as a college student. I looked for deals, I saved up, I waited, and I bought in pieces....but I saved and bought a big package deal to save cash when I could. With hotels, gas fills, tank rentals, food, tuition, etc.....each cave cert cost me about $750. I already owned most of my gear and am only really including specific purchases in that calculation (safety reel, but not a drysuit or BC). Cave diving is WELL worth every penny, and it was worth all of the scrimping and saving and mooching through college to afford it. Now that I have a job, I delayed purchasing a Washer/Dryer so I could afford to get my Full Cave cert. However, cave diving is the only thing keeping me sane (It's a relative term! Oh, shut up.) and well worth it to me. The money I'm spending on gear is keeping me alive, and my fiancee is very understanding of that. In fact, I'm about to spend a lot of money on scuba gear because she feels the added safety is well worth it (she's an OW diver only)

The challenge of the training itself is a major motivator too, and I'm excited to see exactly where my deficiencies lie. The reason I chose to move to Florida was to learn from and dive with the big boys, so I need to get up to speed

When I first decided to take a cave diving course, I wanted to improve as a diver so my Rec dives were easier and safer and so my deco training would be easier. I wanted my instructor to be a SM guy to help my SM setup. Looking at wet rocks wasn't worth the risk/money/effort. My first dive was when I realized I was hooked.

PS- If you got hooked because of the Vortex cavern, just you wait! Jackson Blue is exponentially better. I'm excited to see what the REALLY pretty caves are like.