When you think of Florida, you probably think of spring
break wet t-shirt contests, alligators, meth, and bath salts. But, there is
actually more to the state than most people realize. I recently visited the
sunshine state for a different reason all together: SCUBA. Now you’re probably
thinking of the Florida Keys, or at least of coastal areas. I was here for the
caves of central Florida, though. I’ve been trying to schedule a cave diving course for about a year and a half down there and finally got to get the first half of it (NSS-CDS Cavern and Intro to Cave) completed at the end of March.
All of the dives were
done at Ginnie Springs in High Springs, Florida. Early in the morning before
the snorkelers, kayakers, tubers, and assorted rednecks show up, the water is
crystal clear. In the channels leading to the caves you might see turtles,
small fish, and surely alligators plotting nearby how to devour unsuspecting
humans without being hunted down and turned into gator bites and handbags. Swimming
through the channel after the morning dive, chances are several people have
shown up and most of the turtles and fish have dispersed, being replaced by
bikini bottoms and beer bellies.
Most of the dives I did weren’t conducive to photography as
I was busy doing drills, often involving lights out. The best lights out drill
was probably the lost line search. When diving in a cave, you always have a
line running from where you are to the exit. Some are permanent, some are laid
by the diver, but all are there so you can find your way back to air. If your
lights fail or there is a silt-out in the cave, you will not be able to see one
inch in front of your face. Like a blind man at an orgy, you’ll have to feel
things out. Basically, the drill works like this: You go a ways back into the
cave, the instructor tells you to turn out your light, the instructor spins you
around in circles to disorient you, you tie off a safety reel/line and begin
searching for the line that will lead you back to the exit of the cave.
This is much easier said than done. You are searching for a
line that you were probably only 15 feet away from before the lights went out,
but you can’t see anything at all. The cave walls and floors are uneven and you
can’t tell the difference between a small ledge and an opening to another
passageway. I did a very methodical search feeling along the floor until I got to
the wall where I thought the line was located. I headed up the wall until I
thought I reached the ceiling (not even halfway) and then worked my way back
down, then moved parallel to the wall in the direction of what I thought was
the exit (it was). I don’t remember how long it took me to find the line, but
it seemed like an eternity. When I did get the line and the drill was over, I turned
my light back on and started to reel in the safety line I had used during the
search. I was absolutely amazed at what I saw. I had swum over the permanent
line, just missed going under it, and basically swam parallel to it for over 100 feet. According to
the instructor, who was up on the ceiling and following me with a back-up light
to keep an eye on things, my hand missed the permanent line by mere inches
several times. All in all it was a very enlightening experience. In this
controlled environment, it was also very cool and fun to do. Here are some pics from throughout the dive:
And big rooms where giant bolt snaps lurked.
Some very tight, silty passageways...that I'm not allowed to go into until the next phase of training.
And some all around cool looking cave stuff.
One of the coolest sights is the rainbow of colors caused by the
tannins that get mixed into the water near the Devil’s Ear entrance to the
cave. This comes from the water flowing through decaying organic material.
Bikini bottoms and beer bellies...
Unless you are properly equipped and trained, don't try this at home, kids. If you are into diving and want a cool new challenge, though, I highly recommend this course. And if you're not into diving, Ginnie Springs still has a lot to offer like swimming and camping. The people I encountered there were all pretty friendly. Just play by the rules...
