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I just got back from 2 weeks in Florida and had a great time. I was down visiting my parents and it just so happened that my LDS had a trip planned for Crystal river during that time so I was able to get some dives in while I was there. The trip was being led by my old OW instructor and this was my first time actually getting to dive with him.
We were going to pick up 2 other people at the airport but since we had several hours to kill we decided to give Ginnie Springs a try. This was my first time in a cavern and I was a little nervous. It was also the first time I had ever seen water that clear. WOW. We checked out the site and he briefed me on what to expect then we geared up and headed in. The vis was a bit freaky since all I have ever been in was our silted quarry where 15' is a really good day. I spent most of our half hour down there keeping track of the rope that lead out and was breathing pretty heavy. I wasn't really comfortable but knew that I could thumb the dive at any time so I was OK. Hehe. There was a spot in there where John swam through a hole that I probably could have made it through if I had tried a bit harder but it felt pretty snug so I stopped. After about a minute I waved my light to get his attention and to let him know I wasn't following when all of a sudden he came up behind me. Relief. We spent some time sifting through the stuff that had been blown out of the spring and when I hit 1000psi we headed out. It didn't look like cave diving was going to be in my near future. We talked quite a bit about the dive on the way to get the others at the airport and John found it humorous that I was thrown by good visibility. The experience was a bit humbleing and I told him it really drove home the part about being certified to dive in conditions similar to those you were trained in.
The next day we swam with the manatee first thing in the morning. We went out with American Pro Dive Shop and our DM was a guy named Mike. For those familiar with the shop it was the Mike with hair.
Conditions were good and we had 5 of the giants with us the whole time. They really are amazing. They swam right up to us and would roll over on their back so we could scratch their bellies. The neatest thing was that they had to really want to be there with us. If they didn't they could have easily slipped into their protected area and we would have never seen them. I earned my "Kiss A Manatee" Tee-shirt but I think she tried to slip me some tongue
After a bit of snorkeling Mike took me down into another cavern while John took the other two guys. They were down there getting their OW certs so he worked with them on their checkout dives. I explained yesterdays dive experience with Mike and we went down. The entrance was covered in a wall of fish. Very cool. This dive wasn't as unnerving as the one the day before but there was still a spot he motioned for me to swim into but I got there and my tank and belly was rubbing so I backed out, pointed to it and gave the "problem" sign. We exchanged 'OK's' and continued on. It was a spot that I probably would not have felt comfortable in on dry land if it was that tight. Since I had explained it to him pre-dive he knew what was going on. There were some neat fossils and shells to poke through and the time went pretty quick. I hit our turn around pressure and we swam out and joind the others for a few then did our safety stop. This time was a bit easier and my breathing was more under control. Still no caving in my future.
That afternoon we hit Rainbow river for a drift dive. I loved it. Perfect vis, 72deg. water and a 1 knot current. I wanted a rocket launcher at one point though to blast a boat that didn't understand what "NO WAKE ZONE" means. There were snorkelers and divers in the water and that group was hauling butt up river. I wish I knew who there were with because I would make a phone call. It was probably a private boat though. We got a good hour in the water on that dive and aside from the boater it was great. I love drift diving.
The next day John took us to Blue Grotto. On the surface it is just a puddle, but opens up to a really cool cavern. At the top is an air bell. That was weird. We were able to take out our regs but still showed 27'. Hehe. Very cool. After about a half hour of looking around and working with the others on their skills we hit the bell again. John gave the other two instructions to go to the surface and exit the water while he watched and he and I were going to continue on for a few minutes. Around the back of Peace rock the cavern drops to about 100'. He was taking me on my deep dive! We swam down followng the line they have there and I hit 91'. I was expecting it to be different than it was. I guess I was expecting to get narced. When we got out weall wanted to do it again so we swapped tanks and headed back in. This was the last dive the students would need for their OW certs and John had a little surprise for them. Towards the end of the dive he had me take them off to the side for a minute while he went over to Peace Rock. He signalled with his light and we all swam over. He had their cards ready for them and had laid them on the rock. We shook hands all around and congradulated them then headed up. We all wanted to do another dive but John said not there. He had one more place to take us.
Next stop, Devil's Den. OMG! This has to be one of the coolest places on earth. You go down a bunch of steps into this cave. There is an opening in the top letting in light and steps leading down to the bottom where there is a platform in the water. There are lots of swim throughs and little paths that we followed. On this dive I wasn't bothered a bit about being in a cavern. I was doing great on air consumption and was even taking pictures. Still no Cave cert. in my future but very possibly a cavern cert.. Every cavern dive got easier and by the end I was fairly comfortable. I wish we could have done a dozen more dives. The next morning we ended with another trip out to the manatees. We had a 13 year old boy in our group that took pictures this time out and he got some really great shots. When I get access to them I'll post them. There won't be any of mine though unless you really want a dozen pics of backscatter. The dark and the built in flash were not a good combo. I swear they would have been really cool pics.
All in all the weather was good. The mornings were chilly but since we were in springs the water was warmer than the air. By noon things warmed up a bit but stayed around 65-70. I would have liked to get in more dives than we did but it was a good 3 days. Now I need to take the written test for AOW.
Joe
We were going to pick up 2 other people at the airport but since we had several hours to kill we decided to give Ginnie Springs a try. This was my first time in a cavern and I was a little nervous. It was also the first time I had ever seen water that clear. WOW. We checked out the site and he briefed me on what to expect then we geared up and headed in. The vis was a bit freaky since all I have ever been in was our silted quarry where 15' is a really good day. I spent most of our half hour down there keeping track of the rope that lead out and was breathing pretty heavy. I wasn't really comfortable but knew that I could thumb the dive at any time so I was OK. Hehe. There was a spot in there where John swam through a hole that I probably could have made it through if I had tried a bit harder but it felt pretty snug so I stopped. After about a minute I waved my light to get his attention and to let him know I wasn't following when all of a sudden he came up behind me. Relief. We spent some time sifting through the stuff that had been blown out of the spring and when I hit 1000psi we headed out. It didn't look like cave diving was going to be in my near future. We talked quite a bit about the dive on the way to get the others at the airport and John found it humorous that I was thrown by good visibility. The experience was a bit humbleing and I told him it really drove home the part about being certified to dive in conditions similar to those you were trained in.
The next day we swam with the manatee first thing in the morning. We went out with American Pro Dive Shop and our DM was a guy named Mike. For those familiar with the shop it was the Mike with hair.
Conditions were good and we had 5 of the giants with us the whole time. They really are amazing. They swam right up to us and would roll over on their back so we could scratch their bellies. The neatest thing was that they had to really want to be there with us. If they didn't they could have easily slipped into their protected area and we would have never seen them. I earned my "Kiss A Manatee" Tee-shirt but I think she tried to slip me some tongue After a bit of snorkeling Mike took me down into another cavern while John took the other two guys. They were down there getting their OW certs so he worked with them on their checkout dives. I explained yesterdays dive experience with Mike and we went down. The entrance was covered in a wall of fish. Very cool. This dive wasn't as unnerving as the one the day before but there was still a spot he motioned for me to swim into but I got there and my tank and belly was rubbing so I backed out, pointed to it and gave the "problem" sign. We exchanged 'OK's' and continued on. It was a spot that I probably would not have felt comfortable in on dry land if it was that tight. Since I had explained it to him pre-dive he knew what was going on. There were some neat fossils and shells to poke through and the time went pretty quick. I hit our turn around pressure and we swam out and joind the others for a few then did our safety stop. This time was a bit easier and my breathing was more under control. Still no caving in my future.
That afternoon we hit Rainbow river for a drift dive. I loved it. Perfect vis, 72deg. water and a 1 knot current. I wanted a rocket launcher at one point though to blast a boat that didn't understand what "NO WAKE ZONE" means. There were snorkelers and divers in the water and that group was hauling butt up river. I wish I knew who there were with because I would make a phone call. It was probably a private boat though. We got a good hour in the water on that dive and aside from the boater it was great. I love drift diving.
The next day John took us to Blue Grotto. On the surface it is just a puddle, but opens up to a really cool cavern. At the top is an air bell. That was weird. We were able to take out our regs but still showed 27'. Hehe. Very cool. After about a half hour of looking around and working with the others on their skills we hit the bell again. John gave the other two instructions to go to the surface and exit the water while he watched and he and I were going to continue on for a few minutes. Around the back of Peace rock the cavern drops to about 100'. He was taking me on my deep dive! We swam down followng the line they have there and I hit 91'. I was expecting it to be different than it was. I guess I was expecting to get narced. When we got out weall wanted to do it again so we swapped tanks and headed back in. This was the last dive the students would need for their OW certs and John had a little surprise for them. Towards the end of the dive he had me take them off to the side for a minute while he went over to Peace Rock. He signalled with his light and we all swam over. He had their cards ready for them and had laid them on the rock. We shook hands all around and congradulated them then headed up. We all wanted to do another dive but John said not there. He had one more place to take us.
Next stop, Devil's Den. OMG! This has to be one of the coolest places on earth. You go down a bunch of steps into this cave. There is an opening in the top letting in light and steps leading down to the bottom where there is a platform in the water. There are lots of swim throughs and little paths that we followed. On this dive I wasn't bothered a bit about being in a cavern. I was doing great on air consumption and was even taking pictures. Still no Cave cert. in my future but very possibly a cavern cert.. Every cavern dive got easier and by the end I was fairly comfortable. I wish we could have done a dozen more dives. The next morning we ended with another trip out to the manatees. We had a 13 year old boy in our group that took pictures this time out and he got some really great shots. When I get access to them I'll post them. There won't be any of mine though unless you really want a dozen pics of backscatter. The dark and the built in flash were not a good combo. I swear they would have been really cool pics.
All in all the weather was good. The mornings were chilly but since we were in springs the water was warmer than the air. By noon things warmed up a bit but stayed around 65-70. I would have liked to get in more dives than we did but it was a good 3 days. Now I need to take the written test for AOW.
Joe
. I do have a 6.5 semi dry/semi wet suit that I have rarely used.
