Is it worth a drive from NY to FL?

[gerardnealon]

Hey guy/gals, I was thinking about taking a drive down from NY and spend a few days diving in your Florida Springs. I have never dove in florida at all. The only springs I have seen on the boards are Ginnie and Morrison springs. My fiance and I are not certified cave or cavern divers. I was wondering, do you think it is worth diving these locations without being able to penetrate the caves?? If so, what would be the best spring to check out, and how many dives/days are enough to get a good feel for the place. I dont want to take a trip down to florida for something that is not really fun for non cave divers. Thanks for you time.

 

[H2Andy]

well... if you're going to drive all the way to the middle of the state, I'd say keep
on driving south until you get to prime ocean diving territory (West Palm, Ft.
Lauderdale, Key Largo).


if you must dive only springs, i would recommend Ginnie Springs and Paradise Springs
(both private -- they allow you to dive cavern with lights and no overhead training is
needed). the public parks won't allow you to carry lights without a cavern cert.

also, you can hit Devil's Den and Blue Grotto near Williston. Not great diving, but
interesting for one or two visits. these are "caverns" but again you can dive
with only an open water cert.

Then, you could visit Manatee Springs. only open water dives are allowed without
overhead training, but the setting is beautiful and good for a couple of dives.

 

[simbrooks]

I would say you can get a little bored, or at least not much more access with a cavern card than OW to all but a couple of springs. There are a few days worth of state parks and commercial springs you can visit to make up a long weekend or so, maybe even a week with some travelling around - i'd guesstimate its about 2-300 miles from Ginnie to Morrison and there are a few other springs in there around each of those. As to worth driving, its got to be a good 1000-1500 miles down from NY to FL, a good 15-20 hours of driving, would it be worthwhile flying and renting a car - depending on what you are driving it might not be much more expensive (maybe 2x) and certainly less time consuming. The ocean might be a better choice though with reefs and wrecks only another couple of hours drive beyond the caves if you are heading down I-95 anyway. When are you thinking of coming?

 

[gerardnealon]

well... if you're going to drive all the way to the middle of the state, I'd say keep
on driving south until you get to prime ocean diving territory (West Palm, Ft.
Lauderdale, Key Largo).


if you must dive only springs, i would recommend Ginnie Springs and Paradise Springs
(bjoth private -- allow you to dive cavern with lights and no overhead training is
needed). the public parks won't allow you to carry lights without a cavern cert.

Well, I would love to do some ocean diving down there, but these springs sound really cool. I have never seen a cave before. Are you sure you are allowed to enter the cavern at Ginnie Springs, because their website says they enforce a no lights rule. BTW, is camping allowed at these places?? Thanks for the reply.

 

[Firebrand]

http://www.floridacaves.com/

This site provides a list of the diveable caves plus their minimum certification required, and other pertinent information. Note the lists that have (OW,...) as those can be dove by anyone possessing a c-card. However, like H2Andy, if you're coming all the way from NY, get some ocean diving in on the east coast, straignt down I-95!

 

[H2Andy]

Are you sure you are allowed to enter the cavern at Ginnie Springs, because their website says they enforce a no lights rule. BTW, is camping allowed at these places?? Thanks for the reply.

there is one cavern at Ginnie (the Ballroom) which is open to all divers.

OW waters in the rest of the system (properly called the Devil's System)
are not allowed to carry lights.

 

[gerardnealon]

I would say you can get a little bored, or at least not much more access with a cavern card than OW to all but a couple of springs. There are a few days worth of state parks and commercial springs you can visit to make up a long weekend or so, maybe even a week with some travelling around - i'd guesstimate its about 2-300 miles from Ginnie to Morrison and there are a few other springs in there around each of those. As to worth driving, its got to be a good 1000-1500 miles down from NY to FL, a good 15-20 hours of driving, would it be worthwhile flying and renting a car - depending on what you are driving it might not be much more expensive (maybe 2x) and certainly less time consuming. The ocean might be a better choice though with reefs and wrecks only another couple of hours drive beyond the caves if you are heading down I-95 anyway. When are you thinking of coming?

Thanks for the info. Well my reason for driving was because of gear. I was planning on bringing all my steel tanks and such. I have driven to Florida once, and flown dozens of times. It is a very long trip by car, but worth it in the end for some good diving ;-) I kinda of wanted to keep the expenses down, I have no idea what charter boats get down there to take you to the reefs and wrecks. Is Ginnie Springs northern florida? I think florida is a 9 hour drive state. With it being in northern florida, that isnt so bad. Ohh yea... My fiance is a school teacher, so I was hoping to come down spring break. Thanks for the great info and your time.

 

[gerardnealon]

there is one cavern at Ginnie (the Ballroom) which is open to all divers.

OW waters in the rest of the system (properly called the Devil's System)
are not allowed to carry lights.

OK cool. How is the cavern at the Ballroom??

 

[gerardnealon]

http://www.floridacaves.com/

This site provides a list of the diveable caves plus their minimum certification required, and other pertinent information. Note the lists that have (OW,...) as those can be dove by anyone possessing a c-card. However, like H2Andy, if you're coming all the way from NY, get some ocean diving in on the east coast, straignt down I-95!

Yea I think I might have too. Thanks for the link, that helps a lot.

 

[simbrooks]

Thanks for the info. Well my reason for driving was because of gear. I was planning on bringing all my steel tanks and such. I have driven to Florida once, and flown dozens of times. It is a very long trip by car, but worth it in the end for some good diving ;-) I kinda of wanted to keep the expenses down, I have no idea what charter boats get down there to take you to the reefs and wrecks. Is Ginnie Springs northern florida? I think florida is a 9 hour drive state. With it being in northern florida, that isnt so bad. Ohh yea... My fiance is a school teacher, so I was hoping to come down spring break. Thanks for the great info and your time.

I completely get you, as for a drive, my GF comes from NJ and i think she suggested it was 16 hours from there, which makes me think it might not be much quicker from Long Island She doesnt drive particularly slowly either. North FL would be about an hour at most two closer to you than Orlando. Boat dives run around $50 per 2 tank trip, the commercial springs are around $30 for the day, air or nitrox is somewhere between $3-10 a fill or by the cuft in the right places.

The ballroom is a nice cavern, you can see most of it in one dive, a couple more might max you out. You can do a night dive there, not technically cavern, which might give you an idea about cave diving - its pretty safe, just remember where the exit is. There is a thick line running out of that cavern and other commerical springs, state parks are about $10 for the day but have no permenant line and enforce the no lights rule.