This summer, 2005, our family vacationed in the Tampa area (middle west coast) and went on four different dive trips. We had a lot of fun and would like to briefly share our experiences.
We have heard a lot of stories from several people about having equipment damaged in transit. It seems that heightened airline security may have only have made the problem worse. In addition to the usual claims (damage, lost luggage, etc.) there have been cases of BC inflator hose ties being cut, and dive knives being tossed into bags unsheathed, puncturing bladders. For this reason we shipped our BCs, bags, knives and other items. We used USPS for this. Two to three day delivery with insurance ran around $120 (about $90 back as we managed to pack tighter) for the three of us. USPS will accept parcels of 106 inches - have them measure the box first - and up to 70 lbs. We packed 2mm wet suits and fins in checked luggage and brought the regs, computers and masks as carry-ons. Tell the X-ray operator you have regs in your carry-on (the Florida operator knew immediately but the Albany operator was not familiar with them) Everything arrived safely and our bags, though inspected were not jumbled.
Prior to going on vacation we purchased Ned DeLoach's "Diving Guide to Underwater Florida". This book has a lot of information and is currently in it's 11th edition. We used it to narrow down our choices. As we are a newly certified family with basic OW certification, we were interested in experiencing a variety of different dives, but none requiring more than moderate skill levels.
The day after arriving we went to the local dive shop, Narcosis Scuba , www.narcosisscuba.com, in Tarpon Springs to see what the dive boat schedule was like. We had purchased some snorkeling equipment there a few years before and had been served well. While there we rented tanks, weights and a flag. There was bad news, a red tide was in progress. Apparently it wasn't bad enough to close the beaches, but it was affecting the fish, and visibility was down Captain Joyce, the owner, stated that they would be going to other sites, farther out where the conditions were better. On the good side the water was warmer than usual. We scheduled a dive for later that week. Joyce recommend we might want to dive the Rainbow River in the mean time.
The Rainbow River (located near Dunnellon, northeast of Crystal River) is a spring fed river that has homes on one bank and is wild on the other. The water is very clear and disposable food containers are prohibited to keep it that way (put your food/beverages in Tupperware or similar containers). The bottom is a mix of white sand and eel grass. Depths range to 21 feet and there are openings in the bottom where springs empty into the river. Fish abound and, I am told, that gaters are removed whenever found to keep the area safe. A curious sight are the sand boils. These are small spring eruptions that push up sand on the bottom. The appearance is very much like boiling. The temperature of the water is 72 degrees F all year round (we used 2mm suits and were quite warm (going without a suit for an extended drift dive may court hypothermia.) Access to the river is easiest from the K.P. Hole Park. They will rent you a canoe (we managed to fit the three of us and gear into a single canoe). Paddle upstream about 1 to 1.5 miles, stand the dive flag in the canoe, and drift back. A few things to be aware of. It is probably best to pull on your wetsuit, at least waist high, and booties, before setting out in the canoe. The wooded side of the river has large trees with numerous roots and little space to spread out your equipment. Also, at least in our case, there was a fire ant colony right in the middle of the cleared area (Erica got bit only once as she had her booties on.) It might be best to gear up on the private side of the river if allowed. The drift dive itself was fantastic. In addition to the sights described above, we spotted cormorants, ---buzzards, and Gar fish. It was so nice to let the river do the work. Remember to take a good look at the launch site when starting out, you wouldn't want to drift past it and have to paddle back upstream after the dive.
WOW, don't miss this one!!
Devil's Den is a sinkhole that opens under a huge live oak. From above one can look down 15 to 25 feet (depending upon ground water level) to the surface of the water. Access is gained by walking down a stairway tunneled into the rock. There is a small landing, from which a long wooden stairway leads to a platform, which in our case was about 8 feet under water due to a high water level. Light floods into the cavern thorough the sinkhole and the hole is lined with plants and roots descending a few feet into the air. The water is 72 degrees year round and contains numerous large catfish and some panfish. The catfish will eat from your hand if offered fish food (see the management for food). We estimated visibility at 50 feet. In cross section looks a bit like a 200 foot wide Hershey's Kiss. In the center, under the sinkhole there is a mound of rubble. As one moves to the sides, the depth increases (we saw 56 feet max) and large boulders lay in jumbled heaps often with short tunnels through them (turn off your light and you can see a dim blue glow at the end) These are a lot of fun to swim through and about as close to cave diving as an OW diver can safely get. Our daughter had great fun playing fighter jet over, under and through these tunnels. Look for the fossils in the walls. Other fossils have been found on the cave floor, but these have been removed. The two entrances to the cave system are barred off with warning signs - it's a little weird seeing a picture of the Grim Reaper greeting you 30 feet under the surface. In some areas depressions in the ceiling fill with air making small air bells. You can reach a hand into the larger ones.
Devil's Den is classified as a cavern, not cave dive. In a cavern dive the light from the entrance is visible, in a cave it is not. The distinction is important. Cave diving requires special training and equipment and is not suitable to basic OW divers. Cavern diving is compatible with OW certification.
Devil's Den, www.devilsden.com, is located northeast of Ocala, near the town of Williston. This is a full featured dive site with air, tables, pavilions, and a rinsing station. On weekends we are told that the place is busy, we went on a Wednesday and had it just about to ourselves. For best effect bring a dive light, a large one is not necessary. To prevent damage to the fossils, etc, knives are not permitted, nor are they needed.
With over 6 miles of mapped caves Ginnie Springs is arguably the most visited cave diving destination in the country. There is a large diving park, RV resort, and dive shop. The facilities are first rate and very clean. Gear tables, rinse facilities, air and nitrox are available. Access to the main cavern is via a set of stairs into the spring. From there it is a horizontal swim into the cavern, where a rope leads down and to the back. The greatest depth we encountered was 51 feet. The entrance to the cave system is blocked with a grate so OW divers are permitted dive lights in the main cavern (not so in the other, smaller caverns - we didn't visit them.) We would estimate the cavern to be 75 feet long with a large sloping entranceway. The visibility was at least 100 feet. This is a Cave Diver centric site and cave diving rules about air management in effect (1/3rd inbound, 1/3rd outbound, 1/3rd reserve.) While a critical safety rule for safe cave diving, applying such stringent rules to a cavern where one is only a couple of minutes from the surface at most (we saw snorkelers in the cavern.) seems a little extreme. We took the remaining 2000PSI into the pool outside the spring and swam down to where the spring meets the river. The spring varied between 5 and 10 feet in depth. As we approached the river there appeared in front of us a tea colored wall, the Santa Fe River. At some times of the year the Santa Fe is a nice drift dive. While we were there the visibility was poor owing to a large amount of tannin in the water. We could sit in the spring and place our arm into tea colored river. It was much warmer and the line between the spring and river was very distinct.
Ginnie Springs www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com. While a Mecca for cave divers, we found the cavern portions open to OW divers, are not as interesting as Devil's Den. That is not to say that they were not interesting, but after reading all the hype, etc. we had expected more of the cavern. I have no doubt that we would have appreciated them more had we visited Devil's Den afterward and not before Ginnie Springs. As with Devil's Den the weekends are mobbed. We went on a Monday.
As mentioned above Narcosis Scuba is a dive shop located in Tarpon Springs. They run trips to inland dive sites and have a 30 foot dive boat. We took a two tank trip to the gulf. The boat is a fairly new 30 foot Sportcraft. It has a lot of flair and provided a dry and fairly smooth ride. Captain Joyce was running a trip to the Marquesas Keys and another captain was at the helm (forgot his name.) For some reason, red tide, weather, or whatever the visibility at the originally planned site had been bad the day before so the trip was changed to a shrimp boat in 85 foot of water. When we got there, the vis was so bad the divemaster couldn't find the wreck. The captain took us about 5 miles north to a small tug that rested on her roof in 75 feet of water. As this was our first Gulf , and boat dive the divemaster dove with us on this dive and pointed out a number of hiding fish. He and the captain were also quite helpful explaining how to enter and exit this particular boat.
The water was 83 degrees at the surface chilling to 82 as we passed through the thermocline at 40 feet (guess this isn't Lake George). The visibility on the bottom was 15-20 feet, not what we had hoped for but visibility was poor all over and the day was heavily clouded. Other than the visibility the dive was a good one. We saw many fish on the wreck, lots of holes to peer into, several barracuda, and a lot of grunts. We did not see a propeller, probably salvaged.
For our second dive the Captain took us to Mango Ledge. Mango ledge rises 3 or 4 feet above the sandy, sixty foot deep, bottom. The ledge contains starfish, shellfish, sponges and a bunch of stuff our fresh water eyes couldn't identify. We took some pictures and explored the ledge and the bottom around it. We were closer to shore and the effects of the red tide were becoming more apparent as several dead fish lay on the bottom. Coming back we took a turn at the wrong dead fish and missed the anchor line. We did our safety stop and surfaced within 30 feet of the boat. On the trip back we saw a lot of dead fish as we neared the shore. We had not seen any when we went out.
The conditions were not the best, but the crew did everything they could to make the trip as enjoyable as possible and we had a good time. Shortly thereafter many of the local dive shops started canceling dives trips due to the red tide. Please be advised that the crew works for tips (and earned them.)
Despite the smooth ride on the boat, anyone prone to motion sickness is advised to take medication prior to departure. Not only can waves come up should a storm arise, but once anchored over a spot, the motion of the boat changes affecting some people for the worst.
Narcosis Scuba www.narcosisscuba.com, seems to be flexible regarding the destination of dive trips. If you are in going to be in the Tampa area, contact them as they sometimes have special trips.
The town of Tarpon Springs was built in large measure on sponge diving. The Sponge Dock area, across from Narcosis Scuba, has preserved some of this history. A legacy of the Greek sponge diving industry are it's Greek restaurants. If you enjoy Greek food, we recommend you try Hellas. Not only are the portions large, authentic and reasonably priced, but the bakery will put pounds on you faster than a weightbelt. If shrimp is more to your taste, we can recommend Paul's Shrimp House just across the street from Narcosis. If you would like to try some salt water fishing, there are two boats that leave from the Sponge Docks. If you want to lie in the sun, Howard Park has a beautiful sand beach at the end of a long causeway.
