Hospital Hole ????

[K Mejean]

Greetings Y'all!!!! After seeing that video from Hound Dog I am wanting to go dive Hospital Hole. So I need some info from some of you that have done it. Do I need a boat? Where is it at? and all that good stuff. Thanks for the help. I know y'all will come through with good info. Then maybe I will go dive it on Saturday.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Basic stuff...

tampadiving.com :: Diving :: Hospital Hole

There is overhang(overhead) apparently, so if the sulfide layer blocks out sunlight, you will be in a cave situation. The last report indicates the sulfur layer at 80', so still plenty of murky visibility cavern/ow type stuff to explore.

If the info at tampadiving is up-to-date, and its not always, land access is restricted and you'll need a boat.

 

[hounddog]

if you are going to dive hospital hole it would be wise that u have a little boat as the current can rip and times..yes i have walked up river many times even hitched a ride with boats going up the river.....!
there is a mariner just past rogers park and they hire out boats and canoes for the day.....!
when we were there last week the sulphur cloud was up too 60 ft and yes like others say once you go thru the cloud it turns into a cave dive as there is no light ........above the sulphur cloud it is still a great cheap dive.....!
i am going back maybe in two weeks time.....!

 

[DiveBandit]

Kev, I may be willing to do that dive with you. I was supposed to take the ball and chain to Disney, but that looks like it isn't going to happen.

Either way you'll need a boat to get there. Last time I was on the bottom there I was 15 y/o so I don't remember much about the bottom. I do know it's shaped like a boot, it's as dark as the Hudson grotto, but its 45 feet deeper than the Hudson Grotto. The sulfer cloud at 70 feet is much more pronounced then at Hudson Grotto.

Are you looking to touch bottom, or just play above the cloud.

 

[K Mejean]

Just play above the cloud. I kinda want to swim with the manatees. I have a 20 foot bow rider that I can put 3 divers on. I am planning on diving Sat. with CO Tampa and we were planning on going to Paradise Springs since we have neither one been there but I'm sure he will be up for this as well. I just need to know where the boat ramp is and all the other good info. I looked at the site posted but really didn't get a whole lot from it. If you want to go do it I will talk to CO Tampa about it and we can take my boat up there and give it a shot. Just let me know.
Ken

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I looked at the site posted but really didn't get a whole lot from it.

I'm not sure what other type of info you are looking for... The Tampa site gives you enough information to make a basic dive plan and more than enough information to get to the site.

A quick google on Rogers Park(reffered by the TampaDiving site as a close boatlaunch site) brings this link Hernando County Parks Department - ROGERS PARK which has a crappy map of its location, but more importantly an address that you can plug into any mapfinder website(Google, expedia, mappoint, ect).

Any topo map(or Google Earth) will allow you to find its location in comparison to the bridge at SR595, where you'll go 1000' upstream for the hole. Even better, the TampaDiving site lists GPS numbers. Thats more than enough to find the site.

What other information, exactly, are you looking for?

 

[manda100]

HH is easy to find, if you are a little unsure of how to find it you can usually ask people on the river and they will know where it is at. If not the river is very shallow on the left as you go around the bend where HH is located on the right, there is some kind of county or state sign on a tree but I can't remember what it says. As for the Manatees they didn't want anything to do with us while we were diving but they were curious about us while we were free diving. Have fun.

Manda

 

[Divergirl4U]

I have dove HH and yes you need a boat to get to the site. It is a nice dive for advanced divers as it has a sulfur layer that is considerent overheard enviroment and the vis can be very bad. I enjoyed the dive ... contact hound dog aka Michael for all the info you need
KP

 

[DiveBandit]

As for the Manatees they didn't want anything to do with us while we were diving but they were curious about us while we were free diving. Have fun.

Manda

I've always found them to be bubble shy. I guess the hiss of the regulator sounds like a boat motor to them so I don't blame them for haulin butt when they hear it.

 

[K Mejean]

All right maybe I should have read a little more before I said I didn't get much from the website. I found all the info I needed once I took the time to read it through again without a 3 year old talking in my ear. So I stand corrected.
As for freediving there is no way that can happen. I can barely manage to hold my breath long enough to retrieve my regulator.
Well Narcosis if you want to give it a shot on Saturday let me know. CO Tampa is good with it and so am I. If not no biggie we will head to Paradise Springs we have never done that one either.