Ginnie Springs--did we miss something?

[Scuba_Jenny]

It's not all that bad.. there's brown fish too!

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .
But I always feel very sorry for the students who do their OW classes there. Hanging onto rock and looking down into a crack that you can't swim in doesn't seem like an exciting way to do one's first open water dive to me.

Interesting point, because as my wife and I were leaving in our disappointment, she asked me whether it's true that people actually do OW classes there, because it sure doesn't seem like "open water," as it's hardly much larger or more wild than a swimming pool unless one enters the cavern. Do people really do OW classes there, or do you mean they do the poolwork portion there? I did my OW out in the comparatively frigid and tempestuous seas off California, and compared to that environment Ginnie was more like diving in my bathtub at home--and about as interesting.

 

[The Mighty Thor]

I completely disagree.

For me, part of the joy of diving is experiencing different environments and seeing things I've never seen before. My wife and I drove about 2 hours to get to Ginnie Springs and it was well worth the drive, despite not being cave certified. The water was crystal clear. Coming from the NE I had never dived in water so clear before. I found the limestone formations beautiful and the mercury-like trapped air inside the ceiling of the caves very interesting. The tanic color of the Santa Fe, where it meets the spring water and creates a stained glass effect is unlike anything I had ever seen. Heck, I even enjoyed the grim reaper signs. This trip made me see the allure of cave diving, which I had not really understood up to this point.

 

[cerich]

My wife and I drove down from Atlanta to check out Ginnie Springs and get in a few practice dives before an upcoming big trip. This was only my second dive trip to a FL spring, the first having been to Devil's Den and Blue Grotto about eight years ago. My wife had never dived in freshwater. We found Ginnie to be disappointing and wonder whether we just didn't do something right. The people at the dive shop really didn't give us a good orientation, though we told them we were newbies at this and asked for whatever advice they thought might be useful to us. The orientation video didn't have any more information than what was available on their web site.

I can understand the allure for the Cave Diver, but for the OW diver there is only so much to see, isn't there? We went into the "Ballroom" or whatever it's called, checked out the grate that blocks the cave entrance, and after maybe 15 minutes of looking around and pointing our lights at the walls we shrugged our shoulders and left. Did we expect too much? Did we miss something? After that, we swam out into the river, which had horrible vis, so we left. We really didn't feel like gearing up again to see the nearby Devil's Eye, etc., because from what we understood that site has even less (or just as little) for the OW diver to see, as OW divers aren't even permitted to carry lights.

Although it was eight years ago and I have been to many more amazing places since, I recall having enjoyed Devil's Den and Blue Grotto in nearby Williston. If I recall, there were some lights and multiple ropes to guide the most casual OW diver to areas of interest. If I recall, we had no problem occupying ourselves for more than 15 minutes there and enjoyed about half a day at each place. I also spent a day diving in Mexican cenotes with a cave diving guide a couple of years ago and thought that was one of the most incredible dive experiences I have ever had. Have my expectations been raised too much by so much great diving?

The experience was also dampened by having to navigate past families with little children swimming in the spring and going up and down the same stairs we used to enter and exit in our dive gear. It was chaotic. Totally different from what we are used to from diving in the ocean. Totally different from what I (vaguely) remember of Devil's Den and Blue Grotto, too.

Are we morons? Did we miss something? Although diving in a freshwater spring is a novelty for me that I kind of enjoy, I think that as OW divers it would be a better use of the time and money we expended in driving 5-1/2 hours from Atlanta, staying a couple of nights in a hotel, etc., to apply those resources to a dive trip elsewhere, like maybe Boynton Beach or the Keys.

For the Cave Diver, I'm sure Ginnie is nirvana, but I think we'll stick to the ocean.

Hmm, guess you need to get a interesting trip to Ginnie in, on a Cave 1 class!

Let me know when you are ready!

 

[The Mighty Thor]

Here are just two more reasons why I thought it was a great dive experience.

 

[Chugwhump]

I have been to Ginnie only one time.
I enjoyed myself.
It was not a dive trip, it was a camping trip with the family, that I brought my dive gear to.
I enjoyed the Ballroom, I swam all over it.
I liked the Ears and the Eyes.
The outflow was really cool.
I drank the water.
My gear did not have to be rinsed!!!!
My gear smelled brand spankin' new after the dives!!
The neoprene wetsuit smelled like neoprene again!!
I am an ocean diver, warm salty seas thrill me.
We brought the kayaks and wandered the pothole springs along the Santa Fe River.
My whole family loved it, and I did some minor diving.
Ginnie worked for me, and limestone sorta does.

Chug
I guess it's not for everyone

 

[iztok]

Hmm, guess you need to get a interesting trip to Ginnie in, on a Cave 1 class!

Let me know when you are ready!

Wish my wife would let me. She doesn't dive and lets me do the diving as long as it is not overhead environment. I could probably get away with deco diving at one point but I guess caves are not in my future. I do wish there was a way to do a guided tour somehow for a single dive.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I completely disagree.

For me, part of the joy of diving is experiencing different environments and seeing things I've never seen before. My wife and I drove about 2 hours to get to Ginnie Springs and it was well worth the drive, despite not being cave certified. The water was crystal clear. Coming from the NE I had never dived in water so clear before. I found the limestone formations beautiful and the mercury-like trapped air inside the ceiling of the caves very interesting. The tanic color of the Santa Fe, where it meets the spring water and creates a stained glass effect is unlike anything I had ever seen. Heck, I even enjoyed the grim reaper signs. This trip made me see the allure of cave diving, which I had not really understood up to this point.

I didn't mean my post to come off as a general bashing of Ginnie Springs. I was just voicing my disappointment at throwing a few hundred bucks in gas, hotel, admission, air/weight rental, and two days of our time at what Scuba Diving mag touted as a good weekend "drive and dive" trip. We had a 5-1/2 hour drive each way, and that was too much to justify what Ginnie offers the OW diver. As I mentioned, I did a similar trip years ago to Blue Grotto and Devil's Den and vaguely recall having had more fun and there being more for the OW diver to see. I know the allure of cave diving--as I mentioned, diving with a cave guide in Mexican cenotes and seeing haloclines and amazing rock formations was truly other-worldly. But having done things like that I don't really see how I could get much enjoyment from just barely entering what turned out to be a pretty dull-looking cavern, looking around for 15 minutes, and leaving.

Oh well. Live and learn. I suppose if I had asked for opinions on SB whether it was worth going to Ginnie I would not have gotten a clear concensus. There is always some amount of enjoyment in even a brief dive in a new place, so why should anyone discourage another diver from checking a place out? But weighed against the time and expense, it was just a folly to make a weekend excursion to Ginnie Springs from Atlanta.

 

[TSandM]

I do wish there was a way to do a guided tour somehow for a single dive.

Standard operating procedure in Mexico

 

[SkimFisher]

Yes, it is a "pretty" dive. But I found I had to force myself to use the 2nd half of an 80. There's just only so much to see. I would rather take my $30 to Paradise Springs. I always tell people to do the Ballroom at least once. Most of the time those same people never go back unless they start going Cavern/Cave.