Ginnie in Dec

[Jrock1062]

Hello All

Let me start by saying i have never dove Ginnie springs but have some interest in diving there I will be driving down to Fl in late Dec and want to stop for a day and dive the caverns, do i need any special training or equipment for that and is there anyone interested in meeting me there for some dives all information and advice is welcome and appreciated thanks :cool2:

John

 

[Mike Edmonston]

Hello All

Let me start by saying i have never dove Ginnie springs but have some interest in diving there I will be driving down to Fl in late Dec and want to stop for a day and dive the caverns, do i need any special training or equipment for that and is there anyone interested in meeting me there for some dives all information and advice is welcome and appreciated thanks :cool2:

John

Hi John,

Cave diving requires specialty training and specific equipment. As an open water diver, you can go into Ginnie Springs Ballroom, Blue Grotto, and Devil's Den, among others... Those are very nice caverns that will give you a taste of overhead diving. If you wish to continue cave diving, pick an instructor that you feel comfortable with, and he/she will guide you in your training.

Where in New York do you live? There are some good instructors / divers in your neck of the woods.

Call me at (863)471-3483 if you have any questions, as I will be at Ginnie most of December.

Safe Diving

 

[cavediver08]

Hi John,

Cave diving requires specialty training and specific equipment. As an open water diver, you can go into Ginnie Springs Ballroom, Blue Grotto, and Devil's Den, among others... Those are very nice caverns that will give you a taste of overhead diving. If you wish to continue cave diving, pick an instructor that you feel comfortable with, and he/she will guide you in your training.

Where in New York do you live? There are some good instructors / divers in your neck of the woods.

Call me at (863)471-3483 if you have any questions, as I will be at Ginnie most of December.

Safe Diving

Agreed! Ginnie Ballroom, Blue Grotto, and Devil's Den are great places to get your feet wet, figuratively speaking. Paradise Springs is also a wonderful dive but I would recommend becoming more comfortable in an overhead environment. In addition to Ed, I also live near Ginnie so feel free to give me a ring and I can show you some great diving as well.

1-352-209-5214 (Cell)

 

[Dive-aholic]

While the general consensus is that the Ginnie Ballroom, Blue Grotto, and other caverns are "OW safe," there are still dangers involved in going into any overhead system without the proper training. While it has been several years, OW divers have died in the Ginnie Ballroom. If you're truly interested in diving the caverns, I recommend you do it the proper way. Sign up for a cavern course and complete it while you're in Florida. Once you receive the training, go out and visit the caverns.

 

[ucfdiver]

While the general consensus is that the Ginnie Ballroom, Blue Grotto, and other caverns are "OW safe," there are still dangers involved in going into any overhead system without the proper training. While it has been several years, OW divers have died in the Ginnie Ballroom. If you're truly interested in diving the caverns, I recommend you do it the proper way. Sign up for a cavern course and complete it while you're in Florida. Once you receive the training, go out and visit the caverns.

I think Rob has given great advice here. Search around and try to find anyone who wasn't happy with a cavern class. They range from $250-600 or so, but everyone that I know who took it has been pleased.

 

[rivrdiving]

Many nice Springs and caverns down in Florida and Ginney and Ble grotto and Devils Den all 3 asked us for our Cavern Certs when we paid to go in, I got my Cavern Certs mostly as a confidence building type of thing,Plus it was fun as hell..
To me the training is definatly worth the extra time and maybe its just that I am newer to diving than most on the boards here I wont push the limits on my dives or certs, I dont want to be one of the mishap thread topics..
In paradise springs be careful as it is sorta small and 8 people will become a crowd real quick like there, also if there are other divers there ya may find vis is reduced some,when we went we were the first pair to hit the water and shortly later there were 2 guys that came in and they silted it up pretty bad..vis was cut in half in a few minutes..
Get Cavern cert and enjoy,

Ron

 

[Jrock1062]

Thank you all for the help and advice i will sure to call on a few of ya when i came down only question i have is can i bring my dog and do you think it will be to cold to dive a 3mm plus a hooded vest ?? again thanks guys

 

[Cave Bum]

Thank you all for the help and advice i will sure to call on a few of ya when i came down only question i have is can i bring my dog and do you think it will be to cold to dive a 3mm plus a hooded vest ?? again thanks guys

Ginnie Springs doesn't allow pets. The water in the springs is a constant 72 deg year round (the average temp of where the rainfall is collected) so a 3 mil is minimum. The problem is when you get out

 

[Dive-aholic]

There are doggie day cares in the High Springs area. There was a thread on it on CDF recently.

As for the 3mm, it's doable, but I was cold this past weekend when I got out of the water in my dry suit! Have warm, dry clothing close by.

 

[Mike Edmonston]

As for the 3mm, it's doable, but I was cold this past weekend when I got out of the water in my dry suit! Have warm, dry clothing close by.

Or you can do like my students did last weekend, and once your gear is off, run to the hot showers and take your wetsuit off in there. Much more comfortable.