Megadive Party '04-b

[simbrooks]

I find jumping off the dock and swimming there gets you there earliest and fittest!

 

[CBulla]

I'll be honest, I rented a boat from Crystal Lodge Dive Center (www.manatee-central.com) and for 3 hours we had a 20' john boat that 4 adults and lil Xavier and all our dive gear was loaded on without any issues. Total cost was $30. They also happen to be located at the Best Western right there, so lodging is right at the boats.

 

[H2Andy]

that's a good option too. two issues:

1. who's gonna skipper the boat? and

2. how early can we cast-off? six thirty to seven am is ideal for manatees

 

[CBulla]

I'll skipper if needs be, I'm an experienced boater.

 

[simbrooks]

Also a good boat handler (in a previous country), although possibly rusty from a bit of a dry spell lately (about a year now). I see on lots of pics others who seem to be photographed at the wheel of a boat (wildbill comes to mind, sure there are others).

 

[adder70]

I went on a drift dive with Lloyd Bailey from Gainesville. He took a little john boat and we all paid $2 to get in to K.P. Hole and cast off. There were at least 6 of us (8 I believe) and we all jumped in upriver and drifted down with the boat as our "dive float". It worked great and it was cheap. You just drift back to the park and drag the boat to the side where you can re enter fairly easily. Everyone else just walks out at the boat ramp.

My cousin lives in St. Pete and now has a boat, much to my surprise. (For DSW, this is David.) Perhaps he could be convinced to attend with his boat, whatever kind it is, and do this dive.

 

[CBulla]

Inexpensive diving trips.. thats what I'm talkin about!

 

[GrierHPharmD]

If it helps any, here's a nice link to the Crystal River area. If you look down a bit, it's got a map of King's Spring. Nice little cavern dive. (And yes, I know about the fatality there in March, but if you read the accident report, it wasn't exactly unexpected.)

The KP Hole run is the one that I was talking about earlier in the post about Rainbow River. I've done it several times, and enjoyed every one. It's easy enough for novices, but still has enough going on to keep it interesting.

I've only done King's Spring and the Three Sisters Springs at Crystal River. Has anybody else done any of the other springs? If so, how were they?

BTW, according to the people at American Pro at OceanFest, there are manatees in the Crystal River basin year-round. Homosassa's population dwindles pretty significantly in the early spring.

(Probably safer for divers that way. Too bad we'll miss those cutlets.)

 

[H2Andy]

tsk tsk...

he promises a link and yet he does not provide it...

 

[H2Andy]

I've only done King's Spring and the Three Sisters Springs at Crystal River. Has anybody else done any of the other springs? If so, how were they?

not really a good spring for scuba, but Gator Hole is awesome
for spotting manatees early in the morn