Taking a multi-day trip to the Springs

[Divin'Papaw]

No! Paradise is cool, and there are some amazing fossils in there, but Alexander is the prettiest spring in Florida.

It's no secret that I grew up here in Florida, and I love the place. The nature is amazing and it's taken a lifetime and I've still not seen it all. However, bring bug repellant, especially for no-see-ums. Nothing can ruin a fun time quicker than being eaten alive.

Florida is awesome! My wife and I both consider ourselves Hoosiers (she was born in Indiana and I moved there at a young age) but Florida is our adopted home by choice. We moved here 7 years ago now and we spend alot of time every year exploring new and various parts of the state. We've barely scratched the surface.

 

[Rick Brant]

I know I have pushed this book before on this forum but if you need a book for your trip, check out The Swamp. It spends a fair amount of time on northern Florida and the springs but is really a complete history of the state and the wonder that is the Everglades. Extremely depressing overall but the descriptions of early Florida are amazing to read and try and imagine.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I know I have pushed this book before on this forum but if you need a book for your trip, check out The Swamp. It spends a fair amount of time on northern Florida and the springs but is really a complete history of the state and the wonder that is the Everglades. Extremely depressing overall but the descriptions of early Florida are amazing to read and try and imagine.

+1

A fantastic book on Florida including geography, history, and politics. Yes, a bit depressing at the end regarding the modern mess that politicians have made of things. But it is important to know and to fight for preserving what is important. It is very well written from award winning journalist Michael Grunwald. Much more readable than Marjory Stoneman Douglas' River of Grass, although I've read that and recommend it as well. But getting through that is more like a hike through the Everglades ... a good bit of work!

 

[The Chairman]

check out The Swamp.

Or better yet, check out the Swamp! Ain't nuthin' greater, than a Gator! Unless of course, it's 88,000+ of 'em all singing "No, we won't back down!" Yes, books are great, Ned DeLoach has a wonderful book on our Springs, called the Diving Guide to Underwater Florida, but nothing beats getting sand between your toes and finding a fossil shark tooth in the spring or spring run. All that lime stone was once a huge barrier reef, so the whole state is one big fossil, and I'm not talking about all the seniors that flock here for the sun and shuffle board!

 

[The Chairman]

In a world that keeps on pushing me around,
I will stand my ground!
And, I won't back down!

Unless it's a Jewfish. Yeah, I'll back down for one of those guys.

​

 

[Rilelen]

I appreciate the ranked list. Is Buford OW safe?

I'm super curious, what are you taking macro photos of in the springs? I have a macro to wide angle adapter and can flip between it and my diopter easily.

Hogchokers and cave-adapted crayfish! Also fossils (many if not most of the springs have fossil in the limestone), turtles, and if you're crazy lucky alligators or manatee close-ups.

Buford is an advanced cavern site. But - the cavern/overhead doesn't truly start until you are down around 120'; I wouldn't make it the first dive of the trip, and it gets deceptively deep very quickly. But it's gorgeous and as long as you stay out of the overhead, I'm cautiously okay with taking experienced open water divers there without a cavern/cave cert, when conditions are good. If you stay in the 80-100' range, there is a direct ascent possible to the surface and the shaft of lightbeams that plummets straight down means there is strong natural daylight.

To your other questions: I live in Gainesville and find it very convenient/central, you might also look at High Springs and Williston (depending on which springs you're planning to hit, and what AirB&Bs are available). Last dive of the day at BG is around 4:15, and DD shuts down around 4:30 so plan accordingly; I usually do two dives minimum at those places but I live here so YMMV. Ginnie should probably be fine on Friday/Veteran's Day - I like to do all the OW sites at Ginnie as one long dive (i.e., start in Devil's, bring a flag and drift the Sante Fe down to Ginnie and then do the ballroom - it's so shallow, I can usually do all those on one tank as one long dive). You can drink at Ginnie, too, so feel free to bring post-dive beers if that's your style!

 

[The Chairman]

Hogchokers

I had to look this up! I call them Spring Flounders.

 

[Green Frog]

Early on in this thread there was mention of Ichetucknee Spring State Park. I haven’t been there in decades, but it was still the most memorable drift I’ve ever done. As I recall through the mists of time, instead of tubing, we just did a snorkel drift, starting just below the spring and going down to the takeout point. Super neat fish life. I don’t know whether this, or better yet a scuba drift, is still available, but if it is, it would be a super experience. Does anybody here have info about this?

 

[The Chairman]

Super neat fish life.

Did you miss all the snakes?

You can still do it with a snorkel from the mid point. Only Kayaks and canoes are allowed in the upper part of the Spring run. Diving is allowed in Jug hole, but there's not much to see and it's a long assed-walk to do five minutes of scuba. Better to bring a snorkel and also do the upper spring while you're there. I live about five minutes from Jug. Huge schools of fresh water mullet, cats, and all types of bream/sunfish.

 

[Green Frog]

Yeah, I saw the mullet and cats, etc, but not a single snake. Even after all these years that would still be vivid in my mind! Seems like we went over Spring Break, and compared to what we left in Richmond, VA it was positively balmy! I did the drift in a rented 3mm shorty and was comfortable. We went further South on the same trip and did some snorkeling and scientific collecting somewhere along the Atlantic coastline. One my earlier experiences before scuba cert, but that encouraged me to eventually get certified.