freediving in FL springs : High springs?

[ezequiel]

I was looking about the springs in High Spring
The official page of Ginnie Springs Outdoors, in High Springs Florida. Visit our online shop for great deals on dive gear and accessories.

http://www.cavediveflorida.com/

I found a lot of information about the cave systems, and people doing it with scuba .
any one been there freediving ?
any recomendations?

I found that the park requires some cave diving certification for Scuba divers to allow them to use torch and lights. that means that there is a lot to see with out a torch and venturing inside caves .
if some one has been there, any good pics?

 

[cdavis]

There is a pretty active group of freediving cavers. Check out the "Florida freedivers" thread. Blue Springs State Park, Morrison, Votex, Troy, Ginnie, Jug, Eagles Nest, All are good for freediving and lots more. Warm Mineral is good if you want to train depth and don't mind the vis. See TampaDiving.com :: Your Source for Tampa Bay Boating & Diving Information for a pretty good list of all the caves and caverns in the state and dive reports from most of them. Go through Freediving Stories and you will find some good pics.



Connor

 

[ezequiel]

There is a pretty active group of freediving cavers. Check out the "Florida freedivers" thread. Blue Springs State Park, Morrison, Votex, Troy, Ginnie, Jug, Eagles Nest, All are good for freediving and lots more. Warm Mineral is good if you want to train depth and don't mind the vis. See TampaDiving.com :: Your Source for Tampa Bay Boating & Diving Information for a pretty good list of all the caves and caverns in the state and dive reports from most of them. Go through Freediving Stories and you will find some good pics.


Connor

thanks davis, will check them out .......
do you go often ?

 

[WillUnderwater]

I have freedove at Ginnie a lot - but there are many additional risks to be aware of - in addition to the overhead environment.

Definitely have a scuba safety diver in the caverns - if you don't it's not worth risking.

Something I have seen numerous times and even had to rescue someone on more then one occasion - is someone freedives into a cavern they are about to start heading back to the surface - and then divers/tech divers block the entrance coming in or out with no way to get to the surface. This is obviously very dangerous and why extreme caution and safety divers need to be present.

There are a couple very open caverns like the top half of Blue Grotto and Devil's Den that allow snorkeling if you are "with divers" and would be a good choice to see some of the cavern. Just remember - safety always first!

 

[cdavis]

I've never dove Ginnie, but it must be more dangerous than it looks. One of the guys who trains with me BOed after getting lost in the cavern. VERY lucky he was finally exiting and his surface support saw him.

Yes, I dive springs a fair amount in winter. Scott is another who does much more than me.

Connor