Next Sunday - Springs?

[simbrooks]

Ok, we were going to go to Venice (apart from GF doesnt have a thick enough wetsuit), so instead we were thinking of doing one of two things.

Option 1: Go to Williston, dive Blue Grotto and Devils Den in an afternoon.

Option 2: Go to Paradise Springs, do that shaft thing and then possibly see if we can hook up on a drift of Silver River with the folks from Paradise (have to try this week to work our if we can arrange that!).

Just wondering as we are only OW cert, we have a few dives in simpler overhead environments (with DM's), would the Paradise be beyond us, i have read varying reports claiming it is fine to its not for beginners. We have dove to around 80 ft and understand narcosis, but havent really had that affecting us. We wouldnt mess around and go down the silty holes in the shaft nor beyond the safety line either, not planning on making ourselves more statistics!! Had heard that they put a grill at the end of the shaft to make it impossible to get any further anyway - is that the case?

We need a nice pair of dives (if possible) to relax after the stressful day on the saturday - hence the thought of sharks teeth searching, except the cold!

Well anyway, i know that we can go into option 1 without much hassle, but i wasnt sure what the consensus was on option 2. If people wanted to go, we would love to see others there - who would like a warmer dive than Venice!!

Thanks again, Simon

 

[vettenorlando]

Hey Simon just FYI, I dove Devil's Den yesterday... It was great... but who ever told me that it was 72 degrees lied, it was 70 at the surface and mid 60's in places... Brr it was cold... but a lot of fun....

 

[Genesis]

Did the Den last week - it was fun, and I didn't think it was cold - of course I had my drysuit

 

[simbrooks]

Are both operations in option 1 (Blue/Devils) $27 to get in? Would either be a two tank dive to really get to see it all, thereby saving $27?

I dont know the prices of paradise springs, will have to check those today. I am pretty sure option 1 would be fine for us, and the drift dive in option 2, but i was unsure of the general consensus of the shaft in paradise springs.

Thanks for the info on devils den temps! We wont be diving dry.

 

[Genesis]

CAUTION - Be aware that Devil's Den, despite not having this posted anywhere on their web page, will not allow the use of doubles in their cavern.

While the "walkway" down to the platform would be tight with doubles, it would work.

They are completely inflexible on this, despite not being up front about it in their published information. It is prominently displayed at the front desk - which does you a lot of good after you've driven 6+ hours to get there with two sets of doubles in the back of your truck and no STA and singles wing! Now with this said, they DID loan me a Transpak - which I hated, by the way.

They also attempted to tell me that "Agency standards" prohibit those without cave certs from diving doubles. When challenged on this they attempted to find said standard - and later admitted that there was no such thing. At least they apologized for the attempt to play the "power of legitimacy" card on me.

What's even MORE stupid is that they have no problem with big singles (e.g. HP120s) with dual-orifice valves!

Oh, their shop folks, while nice enough, hide behind "the owners made this decision" yet refuse to tell you who they are or how to contact them, insisting that you send any correspondance to them for forwarding.

Never mind that a corporate search on the web reveals that information in about 30 seconds.

http://www.sunbiz.org/scripts/corde...FWD&n3=0000&n4=N&r1=&r2=&r3=&r4=DEVILSDEN&r5=

Given that this IS an overhead environment, albiet a cavern, IMHO their policy simply doesn't make sense - at all.

If this kind of attitude is common around that part of Florida, I won't be spending much of my money in that part of the state on diving. This sort of thing pizzes me off. I don't mind policies that are CLEAR before one gets there, but I do very much mind this kind of arbitrary garbage and the attempt to hide behind the "owners made me do it" game along with a refusal to give you direct contact info - especially when its required to be published as a matter of state law.

 

[simbrooks]

Genesis,

sorry about your experience, maybe i wasnt clear in what i meant, diving two single tanks (2 seperate dives) at either place (devils den or blue grotto), not a double set-up. Maybe one day i too will have the problem of having better equipment and not being able to use it, but for now just keep working away to buy more stuff!!!

I had heard that there wasnt much to see at devils den to make it worth more than one tank, not sure about blue grotto though. Was just wondering how correct this comment was compared to other places to dive around here in my options.

Also do any of these options prevent you from taking lights in - again we wouldnt be going beyond the limits set, just would like to see what is in the walls. I understand that Blue Grotto has some form of big light underwater, but that doesnt extend down to that lower part - do they mind OW divers diving that (i thought it was blocked in by a rockfall?) as it is out of the light zone? Some places seem to ask for cave (or cavern certs, for good reason) where some dont have those quite the same risk it seems - if its a deadend and not siltable. Just wondering.
Simon

 

[Genesis]

Devil's Den encourages lights, and you had better bring them - you will need them if you want to see anything worthwhile. In fact, BIG lights are good in there; my 10W HID can light was fabulous.

I didn't get as much time in the Den as I wanted, as my g/f and her daughter both had wetsuits and got way cold way fast. Oh, Devil's Den also bans solo diving with a threat that they will permanently expell you from the property if you're caught doing so - and this is ALSO not disclosed until you get there to the front desk. I suspect that one long dive there would probably give you "enough" there - but do bring a reasonably thick wetsuit, as a 3mil is not enough for a long dive (e.g. an hour) at low workload, and there's no reason to exert yourself in there at all. A full 5 would be ok, or a dry. They claim 72F water; I recorded 70F throughout. Its also quite shallow so your tank will last a good long time.

Many of the others around there BAN lights unless you have a cave cert for "safety reasons." IMHO that's yet more garbage, but there you have the politics of it.

This is one of the things that I really LIKE about living where I am - the local sites here, including one with a real cave, don't mind lights and such. They DO warn you not to go in there unless you're equipped properly and know what you're doing, but they will let Darwin do his thing if you insist - which, from my point of view, is the way I like it. There are no "dive police" out in the Gulf where I spend most of my time and if I want to penetrate a wreck in 130' of water there is nobody to stop me other than my good common sense if I am not properly equipped to do so.

 

[dutchfin]

All 3 of the springs you have referenced can all be done with a single tank. Depending on your own individual likes will tell if you will want to make a 2nd dive. I'm planning on making Venice On Sat., maybe we can talk about doing the Rainbow River. (@4-5 hr drift). No need to do it commercially, just the $5 to get in the park.

 

[simbrooks]

I do appreciate the politics of the light ban, it is true that if i had them that i wouldnt go in where it was not wise too.

As for a 2nd tank, i was wondering IF there was all that much to see in the same afternoon?

Is anyone else going on the saturday to Venice?? I was thinking of the sunday, but my GF and the temp dont currently mix, so that is out, also the time started out as 8am and then got later thru over time to 9am (makes it harder to get out of there to the church in Sarasota). Did i miss mention of that on the other Venice thread? I might be keen on the saturday if there is at least one going and the viz stays pretty good.

We have done Rainbow River, nice dive, we only managed just about 70 mins on one AL80, how do you do 4-5 hours?? You must have a few tanks and an SI for that surely? Do you do it a few times. We hardly kicked at all on the way down, i think max with the current would be 90 mins. Silver River isnt much further up the road from Rainbow if you might reconsider that?? Do you have your own boat for the river? We dont have anything but sit in kayaks that could be used in like manner. As for using Paradise for it, it was mostly for the use of the pontoon boat to store the gear, get us up near the spring head and hold the dive flag for us!! That would have been after doing the shaft in the field dive.

If i group wanted to go that afternoon we would be happy to join in.

 

[dutchfin]

Have access to a 10ft Zodiac (no motor). Park 1 car at the exit, then drive back and do the drift. Avg depth...15ft...2 tanks are plenty. If you get tired of diving, just hitch your gear to the boat and climb in and relax. Nice day on the river above and below the water. As for the Silver River, just seems to be a lot of boat traffic. (unfortunately, flying a dive flag doesn't mean everyone knows what it is.) <frown>