Ocala area info needed...

[trymixdiver]

I will be around Ocala ( some place called Lady Lake )June 22 thru july 4th.

I will be visiting my parents but i will have some time to get wet a few times.

Here are some things to consider before you reccomend a dive site or sites for me:

I have only tech gear so i will be bringing none of it. My dive buddy on the trip is AOW only so i cant get any tech diving in, no point draging it all that way.

We are not cave or cavern certified so those are out.

we will both have to rent everything except a mask and snorkel.

Andy

I am assuming its not worth bring my drysuit or regs from my doubles?

My buddy will be using a single tank and diving wet. I may as well do the same ?

 

[Wendy]

Check this section of the board for past threads about diving near the Orlando area, the answers are going to be about the same, except you will be closer to the springs and further from the ocean.

Also check into Devil's Den in Williston. Its an ow dive, but its underground, very cool to do at least once.

 

[Dr. Jay]

If you want some pics of Devil's Den, check out the following websites:

Aquatic Outpost
Devil's Den

I was there this past weekend. If you can get past the silt that the multitude of OW classes stir up, the dive is not all that bad. There's a few nice swimthroughs. The next closest to Devil's Den is probably Blue Grotto - a little deeper.

Let me know if you need any more info.

 

[FallenMatt]

there are bunch of places near ocala, it all depends how you define "near". (i drive up to 200 miles from orlando to go diving so anything up there is "close" )

wendy and dr. jay mentioned Devil's Den. There are two places on two sides of the same highway, basically one in front of each other. Both of them are private places so you need to expect to pay entrance fee ($20+ if i remember)

both have their charms: Blue Grotto is deep (a little over 80 feet), crystal clear water, it is (if i remember corectly) a sinkhole. You get to see BEATIFUL blue light streaming in if you look up from the depth. You get to do a little U-turn underwater, swimming around the obstacle down there. Basically big, spacious dive. But besides few rocks, fish and snapping turtles.. and a cool dive bell made out of glass.. that's basically it.

Now devils den is about 40 feet deep, a little bit deeper if you manage to squize into some wierd places Bunch of catfish, rocks, semi-cave dive (it ain't but you can pretend it is Last weekend we've spent over an hour hanging out at 15 feet playing with fish...

The problem is that both places may have silt problem if you come by late during the day...

They are close by though so if you are willing to pay both entrance fees you can go to both places.

Both of them have mini dive shop in there so you can rent some gear/fill your tanks.

You can also try a longer drive and go to Blue Spring. It is a state park so you get to pay less for the entrance but the state rangers are _VERY_ strict about park rules (no lights if you are not cavern certified and need to be out of the water by 5 pm)

it is about an hour north from Orlando. Those are the places i actually dove but there is bunch of other places if you are willing to drive a little bit longer.

 

[trymixdiver]

Well it looks like i will skip the ocean diving as i get to do that in La Jolla every weekend if i choose.

What i am looking for is a totally different environment to get wet in and those places sound like the ticket.

So what i am hearing is that i need to get there early to beat the OW classes and have a good chance at some vis.

what is rental scuba gear gonna cost me in FL for say 2 or 3 dives at these locations ? Around here i could rent it all for $50-$60 each, is this in line with Fl ? Do people even bother renting a wet suit in that 72 F water ? i am used to mid 40 to upper 50s here, drysuit temps.

Andy

thanks for the info all you have given me, it is just what i needed.

 

[Dr. Jay]

trymixdiver once bubbled...
what is rental scuba gear gonna cost me in FL for say 2 or 3 dives at these locations ? Around here i could rent it all for $50-$60 each, is this in line with Fl ? Do people even bother renting a wet suit in that 72 F water ?

$50-$60 sounds about right for one day. Here's a link to the Ginnie Springs fees. They are about in line with all the other shops. If I remember correctly, it's like $47 including tax to rent everything but a tank from Devil's Den.

Everyone I've seen divin' in the Den or the Grotto has had some sort of exposure suit on. There was a guy there last week with a long-sleeve shorty, and that's about the least I've seen. I would personally recommend at least a 2pc for the 72 degree water.

Have fun

 

[FallenMatt]

you need to remember that Dr. Jay is a native floridian, i doubt he ever dove in a water below 72 degrees so that's "the coldest i ever been" for him

use your judgement then...

my personal experience, i dive the same 2 piece 3mm wetsuit all the time, the coldest dive i ever did was 64 degrees in the gulf.

you can dive single 3 mm in a spring, no problem with that, but i am a skinny guy and with the shallow dive (like in devils den) with a looong time underwater after a while it gets to you...

last weekend we've spent total of 1 hour 40 minutes underwater in devils den, on two dives, not counting floating around and playing with Dr Jays new camera etc. We've finally called off our last dive because we were getting cold and well, there was not much else left to see (i had still 1200 PSI left in the tank) and that was with two piece 3mm suit and hoods.

 

[BlueWaterDiving]

Why not go to 40 Fathoms grotto. There you can dive and have some fun. Your dive duddy can dive there also. Im not much on all this typing so if you would like to know more. You can call me at 386-299-8671. Hope you have fun.

 

[Wendy]

Oh I almost forgot about 40 fathom grotto. Its interesting cuz there is a bunch of stuff sunk in there like motorcycles, planes, cars, etc. But you need to arrange for a guide to dive there. Also it is deep so you need to keep track of your depth.

 

[The Chairman]

but don't forget you need a "Grotto Guide" to dive there. You can't go in on your own like a regular dive site. Too easy to get in trouble down there. If you want to do it, let me know and I will see if I have the time available (yes, I am a guide).