Ginnie springs - safe for AOW?

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it's cramped and there's not much to see. just my opinion but I dont think it's a very interesting OW dive.

Whats cramped about the devils run? If you need more room than whats available in the run and adjascent river, you have no business in the water at all. There's a ton to see in OW including all kinds of wildlife and any karst visible from the OW.
 
Oh, there's lots to see in the inlet and the river! I think he was talking about descending into the slot which is the Ear, or the hole which is the Eye, neither of which is very large.
 
I might be game to go dive the 22nd/23rd... send me a message and let me know what your weekend is shaping up like. I was actually there last weekend. The ballroom is awesome. I did my night dive for my AOW there as well. I would efinitley say that OW/AOW is fine for the ballroom dive.
 
Oh, there's lots to see in the inlet and the river! I think he was talking about descending into the slot which is the Ear, or the hole which is the Eye, neither of which is very large.

exactly
the run is gorgeous!
maybe I'm still a little bitter after last weekend where instructors dropped their OW classes by the truckload into the ear and eye.
didn't mean to come off sounding that harsh!
:)
 
That's different -- while they have as much right to be there as you, they should be mindful of the fact you were trying to enter and exit.


Saying there isn't much to see is a bit much, IMHO. Personally I find beauty in almost everything underwater, no matter where it is.
 
i hate open water divers in the ear and the eye.
it's a lousy open water dive and there are cave divers entering and more importantly exiting the system.
if you have to take a peek try and stay out of the way

Oh BOY !!!!
Er ... I am trying to be polite here.
But you did come across harsh.
I always do my deco in the back of the eye.
And as far as gettting in and out , well , I just dodge em :D

At Ginnie , we have to share at least the entrance to the Eye and the Ear with OW divers. It's Ginnie's rule that they can dive there without lights so ...
It's just a part of diving there.

Jean
 
I think what he's saying, is OW divers clutter the opening of the eye/ear (especially the ear) and it makes it hard to enter/exit for cave teams who would be more than happy to get out of their way if they would simply pay attention. If they'd just move for a split second, the entering and exiting cavern/cave teams wouldn't have any issues.......basically the same rules that cave divers already adhere to as a common courtesy between themselves (exiting team has right of way, and to stay off to the side until you're ready to enter).
 
exactly
the run is gorgeous!
maybe I'm still a little bitter after last weekend where instructors dropped their OW classes by the truckload into the ear and eye.
didn't mean to come off sounding that harsh!
:)

To throw my $.02 in here. LiteHedded is my regular dive buddy, and trust me, he is not harsh. I say that because it's true, and also because I might need him to save me in a cave sometime ;)

Here are some of my detailed concerns with the Eye and the Ear.

A few weeks ago, we were there and there was an instructor giving a briefing to his OW class of about 15, which I was listening to. He told them, "in there Ear, there is a great big log, I want you all to drop down to the log and sit on it or hang on to it. Then if you want, go down to the bottom and stand there there and then pull yourself to the opening and hold on in front of the opening to feel the flow". There was no mention of the fact that there were cavern/cave divers going in and out of that opening. So here is a cave team coming out of the ear. There are 3 or 4 OW students hanging on for dear life in the flow and blocking the exit of the cave team. Well, the cave team is coming out one way or the other, physics works that way, and the flow is going to push them out eventually, especially if they need to get out. Now the OW student gets knocked from their handhold and the flow takes them and they are taken by surprise and go shooting for the surface. Not only does it put the exiting team in jeopardy, it could also put the OW student in jeopardy. In this case, it really isn't the student that is the problem, it is the instructor who doesn't explain the environment and what they might encounter.

Then, there is my personal favorite. You are holding a stop at 20' in the Ear, and some of the OW students drop down butt first as their tank crashes into your head. They are not used to decending into the upflow that strong, so they totally dump their BC's and they are overweighted and it leaves a lump....and it has more than once. Again, they don't mean to do it (at least I hope not) but not understanding the environment it happens.

Of course, let's not forget the same OW class who were later all standing at the bottom of the Eye in a big circle, blocking the entrance. Again, they don't know any better, but their instructor does...well should.

The spring run is beautiful and I love to swim it myself. I still think that it is irresponsible for instructors to bring their OW classes there to dive in the Ear and the Eye without preparing them.
 
watching inkdiver take an al80 to the back of the head is always fun.
:)
 
^^ Good post -- I think that perhaps LiteHedded came across a bit strong.


basically the same rules that cave divers already adhere to as a common courtesy between themselves (exiting team has right of way, and to stay off to the side until you're ready to enter).
Right, but...you can go on TDS and see plenty of people complaining about how other divers don't follow those rules.

If cave divers don't follow them, how can we expect open water divers to follow them?
 

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