Trip Report Manatee Springs

[DEEPSEAWOLF]

Manatee was great. Lots of BIG fish to be seen this time. We arrived at about 9:30 am and were the 14th & 15th divers in the park. We didn't do catfish sink because the water was down and there were already a few groups cycling in. Gibbon also wanted to test his new gear so we opted for the more stable situation of the main spring. The outflow was incredible! It seemed more so than usual and even other divers coming ou of the sink were stating that.
Two thirty minute dives with a max depth of 30 feet. Considering we drifted down the run a bit of that, we barely had any down time in deeper water. There were many large bas and mulle and a few huge bream as well. carp were everywhere, as were the catfish. Manatee was, as always, a relaxing dive, except for the Hurricane Force Climb into the mouth of the cave to hit that 30' mark! I look forward to diving it again on Tuesday with Smokeaire, showing him around.

 

[Wendy]

You mention the water level was down in Catfish SInk. To what step on the stairs was it at?

 

[simbrooks]

It was a few weeks back (7/11/04) when i went with Wings, but it was barely on the bottom step (the big platform part). IIRC last december it covered the bottom couple of steps reasonably. Is it really down by that much? Does it go up the steps that much?

My computer shows i hit about 67ft around the reaper sign, which might have been lower than me by a foot or so, i think last december it was around 70ft - although that was on an analogy rental guage, not my personal electronic one.

 

[Wendy]

I was there the sunday after the storm and the water covered the platform at the bottom of the steps.

 

[Gibbon]

The water was just over the bottom platform at the sink. (maybe 2 inches max)

 

[jviehe]

WHat the hell?! I was at Manatee today. I dont remember seeing you, though in all fairness someone dumped a load of silt on my head down in the cavern. My group of 4 was number 27-30 at the site. Catfish was hell on the first dive, but after lunch we were the only ones in there and it was real nice. Theres some black walls in there. My HID was ineffective. Main spring was nice too. Saw some nice mullet, a striped bass and even a bowfin.

 

[DEEPSEAWOLF]

We were in at 930 am at the main spring. There was a class with a surface float tying off in the main spring. We did a thirty minute dive roughly, then sat at the tables next to the sink for an hour before heading back for another thirty minute dive. If I remember,...
in park @ 930
in water at 10am
out of water @ 1035
SIT for an hour, back in @ 1137
out of water just after noon
heading out of the park @ 1245-ish
At that point, cars were flooding into the park!
Also as Gibbon said, the water at the sink was barely two inches deep covering the concrete platform. I'm used to seeing it at least over the first step.

 

[jviehe]

And no offense, but your hard to miss. I was at Manatee last january, and the water was a foot below that concrete step.

 

[DEEPSEAWOLF]

We were in Gibbon's car instead of the megastickered van with the personalized plate. As for the hard to spot, that's about to change, too. I'm working on getting the new dive trailer setup for the business. (As soon as I can find a small trailer cheap!) Then I will be taking it wherever we go. It will be bright red with stickers everywhere on it like the van has now. I am looking at buying a strobe this week as well. Then I am quite visible when underwater! :dazzler1:

 

[simbrooks]

DSW, remember that dive stickers are also adverts saying "steal me"!! It doesnt sound like the water level changes that much in the spring. I heard that some people have dove it when the flow was reversed - hydraulically i can understand how (being an engineer in that field), but with all the flow passing out there, i find it hard to believe that the water level could change that much to switch it.