Florida Trip 12-14 Dec 08

I know I haven't written in awhile. Life just seems to get in the way of sitting down and writing lately. But, right now the 2 1/2 year old and the 8 1/2 month pregnant wife are both taking a nap, so I thought I'd sit down and do a quick blog.
3 of my dive buddies and I went to Florida last weekend on our yearly manatee visit. Dive Buddy Dee and I started this 3 years ago and we've been going ever since. Originally, I had 18 people say they would go on the trip, but as usual, when it came time to put down money, everyone except 4 of us backed out. So, Dive Buddy Dee, M2, F+10 and I headed down to Florida in Dee's RV early Friday morning.

Our first stop was Blue Grotto in Williston, FL. We signed in, got our fills, geared up and went diving. We went to Peace Rock, and then down into the cavern exploring all there was too see around in the "horseshoe." When then worked our way back up and into the Fresh Air Bell where we took a couple pictures. Then we worked our way slowly to the surface. After we got our, we refilled our tanks and just BS'ed during out surface interval. I took off the top of wetsuit different than I normally do. Normally, I just peel it off inside out. But, since I thought I'd be putting it back in soon, I worked it off my arms instead of sliding it off inside out. (This will be brought up again a little later) After about an hour being up top, and none of us were warming up, we decided to cancel the second dive. So, we loaded up all the gear and headed to our second stop of the trip, Crystal River, FL.

We got to Crystal River and F+10 went and checked into his hotel. M2, Dee and I were staying in the RV to save some money. After he was checked in, F+10 met us at the restaurant and we all sat down for some beer and a good meal. After we ordered and were having out first beer, I reached to my right wrist to play with my KIA bracelet I wear in memory of Cartney. It was GONE!!! I reached all up my sleeve to see if had moved, but my arm was bear. When I realized I had lost it, it felt like someone had kicked me in the chest. I never take that bracelet off for anything and now it was gone. I thought long and hard about it and then I remembered, I slid my wetsuit off instead of turning inside out and that must have been where it had come off. I knew I had a spare at home and I would call Blue Grotto on Monday, so there was no sense of worrying about it now. But, I was VERY bummed by not having it.

The next morning, we went to breakfast and stopped by the two dive shops in Crystal River we were going to be with the next two days. Bird's Underwater and American Pro Diving. We talked to the people int he shop and did some souvenir shopping. We then got our gear ready and headed to AmPro again to get ready for our Drift Dive down Rainbow River. It was an awesome dive!! It always is.. 60-80 foot viz, max depth of about 20-21 feet and a 1 knot current. Just a relaxing dive down the river. We got cleaned up and then headed to "Cracker's" for our dinner. Another awesome place to eat in Crystal River. And, as always, we left there too full!!

Sunday morning, we met at 0600 and headed to Bird's for our manatee snorkel. We got there, got signed in and left the docks right at 0700. They took us to a place called "Three Sisters." Last year during our trip, I swam for 10 minutes before I even saw my first manatee. This year, I stepped off the ladder of the boat and couldn't even move because 5 manatees were right there in front of me!! It was amazing!! To make a long story short, there were more manatees than I have ever seen and the majority of them were playful. In the hour and a half I was in the water, I don't think I went any more than about 30-45 seconds without a manatee on my hand or in my face. It was the BEST manatees visit we have ever had!!! After our hour and half in the water, we got back in the boat and were back at the dock at 0900. We waited around for the DVD's they made of our swim and then headed to lunch. After lunch, we headed back home to GA. We were in my driveway by 1645. It was a GREAT trip!!

On Monday, I called Blue Grotto to tell them what I had lost and to see if anyone had turned it in. The guy told me he hadn't seen anything like that, but he would take down my name and number and call me if anyone did turn it in. He also asked where we parked on Friday. I told him and we hung up. About 10 minutes later, my phone rang and it was Blue Grotto. He had gone out to where we were parked and he found my bracelet right where I told him it might be!!! He said if I would give him my address he would mail it to me. On Thursday of that week, it showed up in my mail!!! How cool is that???

The pic is me holding Manny in the fresh air bell at Blue Grotto. The video is one I shot while swimming with the manatees.

I also want to wish each and every one of you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!
**D**

Manatees

Back in 2006, we had discussed getting a group together and going to visit with the manatees in Crystal River, FL. I had just learned what they were a few months earlier and was really interested in seeing them up close We had been talking about the trip for a couple months and a guy at work was saying we were wasting our time going to see those things. I disagreed and set up a group trip to go down there in November. The group started with about 10 people and as time drew close and people needed to make reservations and pay money, as always, the numbers started to drop. In the end, it ended up only being two of us making the trip. Dive Buddy Dee and I were the only two. We made the trip and when I finally got to meet the manatees face to face, I fell in love with them. They are awesome animals and the fact that they are listed as "Endangered" every one's help is need to keep the manatee numbers up. West Indian manatees in the United States are protected under federal law by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which make it illegal to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal. West Indian manatees are also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978 which states: "It is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee." Anyone convicted of violating Florida's state law faces a possible maximum fine of $500 and/or imprisonment for up to 60 days. Conviction on the federal level is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 and/or one year in prison.

During our yearly trip back to Crystal River last week to see the manatees again, a bunch of us decided to help out in any small way we could. One thing we did was pay for the PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors) Manatee Awareness Specialty that was offered by the shop we booked our manatee visit through to certified divers. Some of the money goes to PADI for processing, but some also go to the Manatee protection programs. Another way a couple of us decided to help was to adopt a manatee through Savethemanatee.org. They have manatees from 3 different areas in Florida to choose from along with pictures and bio of "your" manatee. When you adopt, you get an adoption package with a lot of other info in it. My package hasn't arrived yet, but I will post about it when it does. I adopted a younger manatee in Blue Springs State Park named, "Georgia." (of course) I hope to make a trip to Blue Springs during the Winter and see Georgia with my own eyes. That will be cool. I also have a friend that has also adopted "Lenny" in Blue Springs and M2, one of my dive buddies, adopted "Deep Dent." It's a great way to help out. You can even give an adoption as a gift. How many people do you can say the gave or received a manatee as a gift? And for as little as 25 dollars, it's also an inexpensive gift.

If you are interested in learning more about manatees or would like to help, just visit http://www.savethemanatee.org/.

Dive Trip 15-17 Feb 08

Our dive "club" went on a weekend trip to Florida for some diving and a manatee visit. Our numbers ranged fomr 6 on some dives to 12 on others during the weekend.

Friday, 15 Feb, we left middle GA around 0900 and headed down to Ginnie Springs. After stopping for gas, food, etc, we arrived at Ginnie around 1400. Being a Friday, the place was almost deserted. We got in two dives that afternoon. Both dives for me and my buddy were in the main Ginnie Spring. He was on dives # 2 and 3 after certification, so we were working on his comfort and skills. He did go in the ballroom and down to the grate on both dives, so I guess he's more comfortable than most would be on numbers 2 and 3. Our second dive, we were the only two in the Spring. Some of our group dove the Devil's side for their second. There were, of course, cavers on that side, but again, not many. After breaking down the gear, we drove to Crystal River, where we would be for the next two days. We had a great meal, as always, at Crackers in Crystal River that evening.

Saturday, we booked a drift dive down Rainbow River (KP Hole State Park) with American Pro Diving Center. The drift was awesome for the first 30 minutes or so. Long nosed gar, bubbling sand, soft-shelled turtles, and some serious outflow from "The Blow Hole".. Beautiful dive. Unfortunately, a group that was supposed to be behind us, overtook us and completely destroyed the viz for us. If it had silt on it, they went through it, kicked it or stood on it. They were wearing scuba equipment, but they were far from being "divers." One guy even lost complete buoyancy and landed on top of one of my guys and planted his face in the sandy bottom. How this group ever got a c-card is beyond me. We let them get ahead of us and tried to enjoy the rest of the dive with less-than-pristine viz. It was a great dive if you can forget the non-divers wearing scuba gear. The picture is from the Rainbow River dive. I crawled into the cavern and snapped the pic of my group on the outside. Saturday night, another good meal at Fat Boy's BBQ.

Sunday morning, we arrived at Bird's Underwater at 0615 for our morning with the manatees. After trying to find manatees at three spots to stay away from the crowds, they had to head to the main spring where there were no less than 12 other boats loaded with people. It was stupid crowded there. There were manatees to be seen, but not in great numbers and with the amount of people around, not all of them were playful this time. But, everyone in the group still got to see at least one manatee and pet them, especially those that had never seen one before, so it was well worth it. After the manatee visit, we went to a place called "Three Sisters" and some of the people on our boat snorkeled in that area while others of us rested in the sunlight. After a pretty good lunch at "The Ale House" we said goodbye to Crystal River and were on our way back to GA around 1500 and made it back just in time for some big storm to hit our area.
All in all it was a great time and we had a group of 14 people go on this trip. So, I consider it a great success.

Lessons Learned on this trip:
1. Go to Ginnie (or any dive site) during the week. You have it all to yourself.
2. Do not book manatee visits on President's Day weekend. 2 reasons: It could already be getting warm and the manatee numbers start to dwindle and it is also the busiest weekend of the year for Crystal River, which we did not know when we scheduled it.
3. In Crystal River, whether you dive with American Pro or Bird's Underwater, you can't go wrong. Both are class acts that respect the area, the environment, and the manatees.

Dive Trip 18-19 Nov 06

I have just returned from a great trip. A few months ago, a friend I work with, Dee, received her Open Water certification. After discussing the training, she said we needed to put together a trip to go and see the Manatees after they migrate to Florida for the winter. I hadn't been diving for awhile and #1 Mom granted me a "kitchen pass" for the trip, so I started planning. We found a group of about 4 others that wanted to go and I made all the arrangements from the itinerary to the lodgings for everyone. Of course, I sent countless emails out get every one's vote on everything. After it was all decided, we had a trip to Ginnie Springs on Saturday and then we would head to Crystal River, Fl that evening, crash there and do a Manatee snorkel and cavern dive on Sunday with Bird's Underwater. Everything was set. Of course within a week or so of going, the first 2 people fell out due to other commitments and finances. But, we still have a group of 4 going. The week of the trip, all communication stopped coming from the other two and I had feeling it was going to be me and Dee, but, because I wasn't hearing from the other two, I didn't know for sure. Well, just as I thought, we never saw them all weekend, so they just blew us off. Oh well, it's times like that, you realize who you can rely on and who not to count on. Scuba Steve told me, "Welcome to a large portion of the dive community. Everyone will talk a good game, but when it comes time to put out the money, you'll see who's serious." Lesson learned. People not going doesn't bother me, but when the cavern tour had a minimum of 4 people before they would take us and 2 of our 4 are no-shows, that cancels the tour for the rest of us. And that's what happened. I got a call on Friday telling me that no one from my group had scheduled for the Cavern dive and they couldn't do it with only 2 people. I told them I understood and to just put us with a snorkel group and we'd go dive another site after the Manatee thing.

So, Saturday morning we head out of Warner Robins around 0830 and get to Ginnie Springs around 1130. I was shocked at the lack of people there. There were two O/W classes and a few cave/cavern divers. At the most, I saw 10 others in the water at any given time. We had a blast. Dee had never been to Ginnie and so we did the complete tour from the basin out to the river and back. We did an hour and then did about an hour and a half surface interval. I wanted her to check out the Ginnie Cavern, but, since she is newly certified wasn't going to push the issue. During our first dive, she got to the edge and peered inside for a long time. I figured she looked interested. During our surface interval I asked if she wanted to try it. She said she would go in a little bit and see how it is. We dove in and I went in first. She followed and was just amazed at the sites you see in an overhead environment. Next thing I know, we're all the way at the back of cavern hanging on the grate feeling the rush of water coming out of the floor. It was an awesome time!!! She was bit by the "cavern bug."

After Ginnie, we headed to Crystal River. We got in about 1830, check into out rooms, hung our equipment up to dry and headed out to eat at Cracker's Bar and Grill. AWESOME food!!!! And a LOT of it!!! I was stuffed when I walked out of there. We retired to our rooms, called home to our families and crashed until the alarm went off at 0515. I got ready, loaded all my equipment and the tanks back in the truck and went and picked up Dee from her room. We headed to Bird's Underwater for our Manatee swim. After we got there, we found out our luck had changed. On Saturday, a group of 3 other people had come in and signed up for the cavern tour package so we were back on for the snorkel/dive day. Awesome!!! The only thing, we could have slept another 45 minutes if we had known that. :) We got our gear ready and waited for the rest of the folks to show up. After we watched the video on how to behave around the Manatees and what all the rules were, we loaded into the boat and headed out to the Manatee site. Before we got there, a dolphin came up next to the boat so we stopped and watched him. Our Dive master, Michael, says that although dolphins do come into the area, they hardly ever come near the boats, so we were getting a special treat. After a few minutes, the dolphin swam off, so we headed towards the Manatee site again. We arrived at the site and got another quick briefing. After that, we entered the water just hoping to see a Manatee. Seeing a Manatee is fairly easy, but find one that is playful isn't guaranteed. I was in the water about 4 minutes thinking, "I'm never going to even see one" when all of a sudden I got bumped in my right side. I turned and there was a Manatee. He found me and came to me. I reached over and started rubbing it's back and it rolled over to have it's tummy rubbed. As I was doing that, I got bumped on my left side. A second one had found me and he wanted to be rubbed also. So, after thinking I wasn't going to see any, I one on each hand and then a third one bumped my from behind. I didn't have three arms, so I was just spinning around between the three taking turns. # 3 left for better waters I guess, but my first two buddies stuck around. #2 is the one in the picture up top. He was covered in barnacles from living most of his time in the ocean. #1 was smooth as they come. (Which is about as smooth as elephant skin) At one point, #1 came straight at me and pressed his nose right up against my mask and smashed it into my face. So, I guess I was kissed by a Manatee. :) #2 actually scared me at one point. He had rolled over and I was scratching his belly, when, all of a sudden, I felt his flippers on each side of me and he was trying to hug me. It kind of freaked me out and I slowly pushed away. Michael says they do that, but they also sometimes drag swimmers down not realizing what they are doing. So, it was a good thing I did push away. But, he still said it was a privilege to be "hugged" by a Manatee. I took a group of pictures and Michael videoed us with the Manatees. It was truly an AMAZING 30-45 minutes!!! After that, the divers in the group geared up and we hit the cavern. Viz was only about 4 feet in the open water and when we dropped the first time, we all got separated. We did the "look for one minute and surface" drill. After we all surfaced, we re-grouped and dropped closer together. We stayed together and entered the cavern. It was cool. Viz was about 15-20 feet inside. I really think that after the manatees, nothing was going to awesome, but we still had a good time. We did about a 35 minute guided cavern dive and then surfaced after our safety stop. Back to the boat and back to the Marina. After that, we went to eat while they were making the DVD of our Manatee swim and then we headed back to GA. We got back home about 1740 on Sunday. It was an amazing trip!!!

For anyone that wants to join us next time, just drop me a line and we'll include you the next time we plan a trip.

For those of you that cancelled due to other reasons, maybe next time.

For those of you that blew us off: Your Loss.

All of the pictures and the movie I took will posted on my website in the scuba gallery as soon as I can get them downsized and loaded up. This bottom picture is one taken at Ginnie Springs. As you can see, like they say: “Visibility forever.”

I also want to say a special "Thank You" to #1 Mom for giving me the Kitchen Pass and allowing me to go on the trip. It won't be forgotten.