Non Cave Diver looking for good spring to Dive

[gunnergunzz]

I am going to North Florida in April with the family to dive some springs. We are not cavern/cave certified and want to know what springs are good to dive. We so far plan on Ginnie Springs, Manatee Springs and Troy Springs. Any other suggestions and what about gators in these areas? I dun wanna be lunch.

Thanks for any suggestions

 

[scubafool]

I am going to North Florida in April with the family to dive some springs. We are not cavern/cave certified and want to know what springs are good to dive. We so far plan on Ginnie Springs, Manatee Springs and Troy Springs. Any other suggestions and what about gators in these areas? I dun wanna be lunch.

Thanks for any suggestions

You have a decent starting list already. To that I would add Alexander Springs, though some don't like it, and Blue Springs in Orange City. These are more Central Florida, but you could do both of them in a day trip from North Florida, and are probably worth the drive. Peacock Springs also allows OW diving in the Orange Grove basin. I like that dive, but it might get old rather quickly for some. That is in the North Florida area.

As far as alligators go, I would spend almost no time worrying about that. The only attacks on divers that I have heard of have been on golf ball divers in dark water. While there can be gators present in most any spring, they aren't normally present when humans are. I have been in the water at the same time in the same area as them, and while I think that it is prudent to be aware of them, I have never felt that I was in danger. They just aren't likely to attack a bubble blowing creature that is, in many cases, bigger than they are.

Enjoy diving our exceptionally beautiful springs.

 

[Tim GGD]

try vortex springs

 

[JDostal]

A couple of hours away, but Jackson Blue is a PHENOMENAL cavern. Just unbelievably gorgeous. In my opinion it blows Ginnie way out of the water when it comes to a cavern.

Peacock/Orange grove is good too, but that's been mentioned...hrm...will try to think of more.

 

[drrich2]

Hi:

I 'dove' Alexander Spring before. The spring area itself wasn't all that large, but the day was made as a fine snorkeling adventure, particularly given that my wife, friend and I are into 'field herping,' looking around for turtles & what-not.

Here's a link to an online photo gallery with text descriptions I put together using a shareware program called B Gallery as an adjunct resource to Austin's Turtle Page, that shows and describes some of the area.

Here are a couple of shots from the gallery:

That big Florida Softshell was one of my all-time favorite photos I've taken. I used a Canon A620 in a Canon underwater case with the Canon lead weight kit, no strobe.

Richard.

 

[contender]

A couple of hours away, but Jackson Blue is a PHENOMENAL cavern. Just unbelievably gorgeous. In my opinion it blows Ginnie way out of the water when it comes to a cavern.

Peacock/Orange grove is good too, but that's been mentioned...hrm...will try to think of more.

They don't need to be in the Cavern!

 

[Bazooka Joe]

You could also try Blue Grotto and Devils Den. You do not need to be cavern/cave certifird for ether of those.

 

[pollywogg]

I second jdaviss's motion!!

 

[DogHouseDiver]

As an Open Water Diver going to North FL Panhandle, I think the suggestion of Vortex is good. Water is clear and there's plenty to see for Divers and snorkelers. Swimming/Tubing/Rope swings for others. For the non-cavern/cave types (I'm working on it) there are neat things to do. You can decend down to the cavern entrance in OW and see the reaper sign (don't go past it). There are natural and man made obstacles to swim around. For a first timer, its a lot of fun, after the 5th or 6th run you go less often but its still on the hit list. The folks at the shop are great too, they have almost everything you need and are friendly. I camped there once and had a great time.

If you keep an eye out and depending on the timing of your trip, you may be able to hit Morrison as well, its on the south side of I-10 and has been turned into a park (awaiting various hurdles to open but should be real soon). It has a nice basin, 2 cavern sections to check out, etc. It can end up blown out easily if the river flow is high, but if in town ask around for conditions or just drive over and check it out. Fill up at Vortex and then scout Morrison.

Jackson Blue and Merrit's Mill Pond are really neat, and especially so for trained cavern/cavers. I recently scouted them but didn't dive. You can OW dive the basin of JB, but out of respect for the caving community I decided not to dive OW or push into the cavern. There's plenty of that available when I get a cavern card and worth the return trip and pontoon rental from Cave Adventurers (going to plan a weekend on a pontoon this summer). There's a lot to do there for the trained, maybe not as much for the OW crowd. Its a matter of opinion. Its also worth seeing and there's nice facilities for the entire family at JB, the county has done a great job at the park. Just don't do anything beyond your limits which would be bad for all those who have worked so hard to keep sites like those open.

If hitting Pensacola or Panama City there are tons of saltwater wrecks to see, a day's notice will get you onto a boat trip to see planes, ships, oil rigs, tanks, and even the Mighty O. There are a few beach dives in the area but the springs will give you something to actually see.

Kids can watch the Koi fish at Vortex and have a blast at the place if its warm enough to swim. I'd recommend it for a first timer.

 

[DogHouseDiver]

I forgot to mention these two.

I had a lot of fun at Blue Grotto even though the vis wasn't that great. Its kind of a been there done that dive. I'm glad I went, we had a blast, and I saw it all in that visit. Its a circuit cavern and the diving bell is fun too. Lots of training there so keep an eye out for lost treasure near the platforms. I'm glad I went and my group had fun, the service was great too. However I'll only return if going with a new group, not because I have ANYTHING bad to say about the place AT ALL... I had fun there! But I have seen it all. So I'll go back when someone new wants to see it.

Following Blue Grotto my group made late entry to Devils Den. The place is really neat. We missed the last dive cutoff that afternoon, so i can't comment on the dive but others have recommended it. The grounds are really neat, and you can tell that in its day it was quite the place.

Also in that trip we hit Ginnie, and had a great night/drift dive around midnight. After seeing the Devil's Ear/Eye as far as possible without Cavern/lights, we crossed the river to "see" July spring (not worth it), then drifted down to the main spring run and Cavern which is a good dive for OW divers. The drift down the river was fun at night, but it must be done safely if at all.

We were at Ginne during a holiday weekend and it was "Redneck Riviera Redux" there. At 2am kids were riding on the hoods of cars, ripping through the grounds while blasting their stereos and tromping all over campsites... its surprising how fast a group of drunk kids with baseball bats will turn tail at the site of a bunch of divers (most ex-military) reaching for the handles of dive knives. The place may not always be that rowdy but if you plan to sleep at all, camp at Devil's Den. Nice place, good facilities.

Dive On. -DogHouse.