Is High Springs a good place for non cave or tech divers too?

[The Chairman]

Wreck diving is what interests me the most so I will definitely take you up on that gracious offer if I’m in town! I’m used to pretty chilly water, but do you think a 7mm farmer John setup with hood and gloves would be sufficient? Thanks very much!

For diving off of Jacksonville? That should be fine. For Troy Springs, that might be a bit overkill. I don't even use a wetsuit as the water is 70F year round. But hell, I'm built like a manatee, so that may not be good for you. The wreck of the Madison, a Confederate Paddle Wheeler sits in only about five feet. The spring is far deeper, and in March you might get to see the turtle porn as thousands of turtles descend on Troy Springs for mating.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

Not many boats go out of Jacksonville, and the ones that do are mostly about spearfishing.

Troy is ok. It’s a cone shaped hole that goes straight down to about 70 fsw, depending on the river level. No lights allowed, but don’t really need one. Viz is usually 30+. It’s better if you get there early, which is true everywhere, btw.

Troy is a state park, so it’s $6 to get in. Ginnie is private and it’s $30ish for mon-cave divers. Huge crowds this time of year.

My favorite cavern is Blue Grotto. It’s $44, but the biggest and most cave like. It’s big and open at the top, but you can go down to about 90fsw where it’s very cave like. You’ll need a light for that.

I have a 7mm farmer john which is good for cave dives because of the longer bottom times, but it’s overkill for cavern. I wear a 2mm shorty. I’m cold, but still prefer that over the 7mm.

Devil’s Den is an option too. Very close to Blue Grotto near Williston.