Ginnie spring (?'s)

[jeffreyd]

Well a friend and I are planning 2 trips to Ginnie springs in the middle of June and middle of July I have a few questions if you dont mind.

My idea is to head up and rent a Kayak (my buddy owns his own) for the day and cruise the springs, free diving/snorkling whatever we see and get an Idea of what its like. Then the next time (July) go rent some gear and dive it.

I have a whopping 5 dives (only my c-card dives) and am very comfortable underwater. My friend has a few more at maybe 8. Anyway we went to a pool together(1-2hrs) and practiced just about every skill I could remember and we were both fine. So my question is where there will be a nice easy dive (30-40 feet, deeper is ok but to be safe the first few times) just to get more used to each other and enjoy the scenery. I did two dives at Weekie Wachee if it makes any difference.

Also I was hoping to get 3 dives in.

With a plan as follows.
Dive 30-45 minutes < 45'. (less than 45')
SIT and get tank refilled.
Another similar dive.
SIT and get tank refilled.
Again similar dive.

Of course following Tables but just curious if others have done something similar or have any helpful advice, and or definate spots to go. I've attatched the map from the Ginnie springs website. http://www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com/parkmap.html

Thanks in advance.
JeffreyD.

 

[Doppler]

There simply isn't that much to see at Ginnie Springs... at least not on the outside... and you will not get 45 feet or close to it.

 

[scubafool]

I have really enjoyed diving the Little Devil's spring, with depths in the 40' range. It is a long but narrow crack that drops straight down. After you finish there, a drift with the current downstream takes you to the Devil's Eye spring. That is a round hole ~ 15' diameter with depths usually in the 20' range. PLEASE don't give in to the temptation to go inside the cave that starts here. Also, if you see tanks laying on the bottom, or stringlines tied to various things, it would be good to leave those alone. A cavediver's life depends upon these. (Hint: spend a little time here upside down, the tubers heading toward the Santa Fe river can be, shall we say, mesmerizing.) Then, if the tannic river water does not cover over it, the Devil's Ear is just a little further, actually on the edge of the river proper. A large gash in the rock, the outflow from this spring is something else. Once again, PLEASE stay out of the cave. YOUR life depends on it.

And then, if the river is down somewhat, the visibility in the Santa Fe can actually be quite good, and at such times, a drift dive downriver is a really good dive. Make sure you tow a float flag, as boat traffic does exist.

 

[pdoege]

You can explore the outside of the ballroom. That is a nice area for practicing drills and bouyancy. The next two dives can be done at Devils. Down the run to the Eye for the first dive and then down the run to the Ear for the second.

You will be able to see lots of fish and other creatures depending on how busy things are. Your max depth in the ballroom entrance and eye will be about 20'.

The ear can be deeper maybe 45' or so, but you can always stop shallow if you'd like.

Anyway, half the fun of OW dives at Ginnie is the relaxing and comraderie with the other divers. It is a great way of seeing different gear configs and meeting people.

Peter Doege

PS. Hey Doppler, I remember being a newbie at Ginnie and rapidly hoovering my way thru AL80s even on shallow dives. When I had 5 dives under my belt I thought that a 1.0 SAC was awesome, almost unobtainable.

 

[KidK9]

Instead of Ginnie, go to Devils Den. I think you'll enjoy it more.

 

[H2Andy]

jeffreyd, you can nicely explore all of Ginnie that is open to OW divers in three
dives.

dive 1: do the Ginnie Ballroom. Max depth is about 55 feet, but you don't have
to go all the way in. there is a permanent line, and you can carry a light without
being cavern or cave certified.

dive 2: do the "tour" that David described. Don't carry lights. If you enter
the run at the headspring, you will see Little Devil, Devil's Eye, and Devil's Ear.
be very careful, as these entrances lead to complex systems. if at all possible,
drift dive down the Santa Fe to the Ginnie Springs exit. if the river is clear enough,
this can be enjoyable.

dive 3: take a longish SI, and do the Ballroom again. there's always something
else on the walls or the roof to look at.

 

[Itote]

I agree with all the above replies. I went this past sunday and had a nice time. The river is full of fish. It was also full of college kids too. Must have been the annual "See Who Can Loose Their Bikini Top The Most" convention, but who's complainin?
And yes, the visibility can be ,well, spectacular
Chris

 

[Backscatter]

We'll be heading down to the Gainesville area on October 21st. It'll be the first out of town dive trip for my wife since we completed OW. I did a trip off SC last weekend, but she does not have any interest at this point in any of the Carolina offshore diving.

We're planning to get into Gainesville around noon. I'm thinking of hitting the Blue Grotto on Friday, and then going to Ginnie Springs for the day on Saturday. Is the Santa Fe likely to be good for a drift dive this time of year? We're planning on driving back on Sunday, I don't think we'll have any time to dive.

Thanks for any input,

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Holy resurrected thread batman!?!

 

[Backscatter]

Holy resurrected thread batman!?!

Is that a bad thing?

Just looking for some updated/additional information.