Newbie saying Hello!!!

[Bre Anne]

Welcome! Central FL here so usually dive West Palm or the Keys...both great places if your ever this far South

Where about in the Keys would you dive at? My boyfriend might be stopping there for work, so I might try to visit him. We’re both open water certified and we eventually want to get our advance done.

 

[In2theabyss]

Where about in the Keys would you dive at? My boyfriend might be stopping there for work, so I might try to visit him. We’re both open water certified and we eventually want to get our advance done.

Key Largo mostly, lots of great open water stuff there, including wrecks. Once you get advanced then the diving getting even better...i.e Spiegel Grove

 

[Bre Anne]

Oo nice, I’m hoping to get a few more dives in before doing my Advance next spring. How is the water around March-May?

 

[Caveeagle]

I’ve been to Ginnie Springs, but we weren’t able to stay long so would definitely want to go back. I would like to see blue grotto or devils den some time soon. Do you have any recommendations?

Ginnie is a pretty amazing place. They do allow OW divers to dive into the “ball room” cavern, although I would advise caution, and maybe even a guide on your first visit. It’s a pretty safe place, but it would be a serious issue if you has to make an emergency ascent from the back of the cavern.

Blue Grotto is another favorite, that is OW friendly. Which is good and bad. It silts out pretty fast when people are there teaching groups. If you can get there on a week day, or very early it is just. Spectacular dive.

Another of my favorites (for open water diving), is Orange grove sink, which is within Peacock Springs state park. Viz conditions vary, but when it’s clear, it’s a geogeous place.

There are a couple places that are good, if you just need a good place to splash. Troy Springs, Fanning Springs and Alexander sprigs are all good for a quick dive, but I would not go too far out of my way to get there.

Another site down near Ocala, is Paradise Spring. It’s privately owned, they seem to be pretty friendly to OW divers. I would certainly call this out as a “cavern” Dive where you need good lights and good buoyancy control, or you risk silting out the place. It has a max depth of 100’ in the Cavern and you can see lots of fossils and even cave crayfish if you are patient and have a good eye. If you really like this kind of diving, I suggest seeking out a cavern class.

 

[In2theabyss]

Oo nice, I’m hoping to get a few more dives in before doing my Advance next spring. How is the water around March-May?

Not too bad, can get choppy and 3-5 mil wetsuit. I always try to plan in a buffer day though just in case!

 

[Bre Anne]

Ginnie is a pretty amazing place. They do allow OW divers to dive into the “ball room” cavern, although I would advise caution, and maybe even a guide on your first visit. It’s a pretty safe place, but it would be a serious issue if you has to make an emergency ascent from the back of the cavern.

Blue Grotto is another favorite, that is OW friendly. Which is good and bad. It silts out pretty fast when people are there teaching groups. If you can get there on a week day, or very early it is just. Spectacular dive.

Another of my favorites (for open water diving), is Orange grove sink, which is within Peacock Springs state park. Viz conditions vary, but when it’s clear, it’s a geogeous place.

There are a couple places that are good, if you just need a good place to splash. Troy Springs, Fanning Springs and Alexander sprigs are all good for a quick dive, but I would not go too far out of my way to get there.

Another site down near Ocala, is Paradise Spring. It’s privately owned, they seem to be pretty friendly to OW divers. I would certainly call this out as a “cavern” Dive where you need good lights and good buoyancy control, or you risk silting out the place. It has a max depth of 100’ in the Cavern and you can see lots of fossils and even cave crayfish if you are patient and have a good eye. If you really like this kind of diving, I suggest seeking out a cavern class.

It seems like a lot of the springs here are cavern dives. I’m looking to buy my first BCD, and eventually work my way to a cavern certification. Do you have any recommendations?

Would you happen to know if there are any trails near Peacock Springs? I feel like if I head down that way I might as well see the rest of the park.

 

[Caveeagle]

Well, there are cavern dives, and then there are “cavern” dives. ..I know it’s confusing. There are a couple cavern spots where Open Water divers are “allowed”. The Ginnie Ballroom is the best example. Even thought it is a true overhead dive, where you are a good distance from a clear surface acces, there is virtually no silt, and the cave is inaccessible so they have not required cavern cert. Blue Grotto and Paradise are similar, but have silt and some other concerns. I would certainly encourage caution and to pursue extra training if you think you like this kind of diving. The cavern and intro to cave certs open up a lot of options.

Having said that, you can still have some great dives even staying out of the full overhead zone.

Peacock does have some good trails to explore. They take you on a Plath to to see the interconnected sink holes on the park, which is pretty cool. I think you can find a map of the Interpretive trail on their site.

You can’t swing a stick around here without hitting a dive instructor. And.. there are some good ones too.