Atlanta Technical Divers

[chicken]

I have been wanting to try cave diving and never quite got around to it. Last year a friend gave me two gift certificates for a "free" cavern course with Atlanta Technical Divers. The GC expired on December 31st 2009.

In November I contacted Richard Blackburn with Atlanta Technical Divers and scheduled my class for December. I asked about adding a intro to cave class and the price was awesome considering the cavern was free! After classroom and land drills it was off to Florida.

I have been OW certified since 1994 but was nervous. I trained with Mark Pergrem and Richard Blackburn in Ginnie and Peacock. After each dive I became more and more hooked on diving in a hole full of rocks. By Sunday I was planning my return for full cave and new places.

Mark and Richard were great instructors and I am heading back to dive with them in February. I still enjoy open water wreck diving but the cave bug has hit hard. I have replaced my wing and primary light and hopefully Edd Sorenson will be kind to my Visa as I explore his store next month.

[chimie007]

Richard is a good guy ! Cave bug is dangerous..... next thing you know you'll forget about salt water and daylight diving.... :)

[w ripley]

Cave bug is dangerous.....

And there is no known antidote (but my wife is still looking).

Congrats on taking the plunge.

[MORGAN]

Yes - the cave bug is fierce! Both my wife and I were bitten in 2004, and our obsession with cave diving is only getting more severe as time goes on.

You're off to a good start - Richard is a great guy and an excellent instructor. I haven't taken a class with him, but have seen him work with students. You'll get excellent training and have a great time.

Edd will be as kind to your Visa card as anyone you'll find - though cave diving gear is right up there with any other form of technical diving gear as a way to spend money! One big advantage, though: you're not paying for boat rides. You can do a lot more diving for less money cave diving instead of chartering dive boats. And spend the money you save on gear!
Have fun and be safe!

Mike

[Slüdge]

The best money you can spend is an annual pass to Jackson Blue. It's only 240 miles or so from Atlanta and an awesome cave for everything from cavern to long scooter dives.

[FW]

The best money you can spend is an annual pass to Jackson Blue. It's only 240 miles or so from Atlanta and an awesome cave for everything from cavern to long scooter dives.
:smt102

I think he likes Jackson Blue. The best deal is a state park pass. It is good at any state park, and at least three of them allow cavediving. There are actually more, but not quite so popular.

[Slüdge]

No doubt the State Park Pass is a great deal. But Marianna is fifty miles closer from Atlanta than Luraville (it's 100 miles closer from Columbus), and seventy miles closer than High Springs.

The "100 miles closer" makes it a slam-dunk for me.

[chicken]

The state park pass is $60 per year and Dive Outpost offers military style lodging for $20 a night, how much is the Jackson Blue pass and local lodging?

[Slüdge]

Annual pass to JB is $150. It's a very diverse cave in the way Devil's is. But you're treated like an adult. If you want to scooter, fine. If you want to dive solo, fine. A State Park Pass is definitely a great deal, but I tire of the State Park caves much quicker than JB. Camping at the Florida Caverns State Park is $18 per site, so two can camp for under ten bucks each.

But it's the proximity to Georgia that brings me back over and over and over...

[Spd 135]

The state park pass is $60 per year and Dive Outpost offers military style lodging for $20 a night, how much is the Jackson Blue pass and local lodging?

There is lodging in Marianna for about $40.00 bucks a night and it is not a bunk house. In JB you can dive big, small, cavern, silty, clear, rocky, scooter, sidemount, backmount, solo, way back, way close to the front,...............take your pick. And you also have many other fine caves within, a car ride or boat ride. The millpond has several, and within about fifty miles the possibilities are endless.

[icestac]

Congratulations! Hope to see you underwater sometime soon.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Slüdge]

There is lodging in Marianna for about $40.00 bucks a night and it is not a bunk house.

Call Edd at Cave Adventurers (850/482-6016) and he will give you the name of at least one motel in town that will give you a GREAT rate if you mention you're a cave diver.

[sskasser]

Call Edd at Cave Adventurers (850/482-6016) and he will give you the name of at least one motel in town that will give you a GREAT rate if you mention you're a cave diver.

America's Best gives cave diver rates.

[icestac]

America's Best gives cave diver rates.

Been there, done that, I'd rather be camping. Personally, I like the facilities at the RV park at the end of the Mill Pond behind the BP. Very nice.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Spd 135]

If you are not too picky the Executive has good rates. Rooms are clean, water pressure good, a/c and TV works good too. Tell them you are a cave diver.

[diverpaul69]

I did some cavern diving in Mill Pond last year and rented Ed's pontoon boat, We fell in love with the carverns. We got full cave certified this winter by Tami Thompson in Piquette Mine. I will be diving JB in March 17, 18 and 19. When I get there I will try to hook up with a buddy, I'll stop and see Ed. I'm sure he will have somebody in mind. Are there any camp grounds in the area I will be sleeping in a conversion dive van.

[Slüdge]

Are there any camp grounds in the area I will be sleeping in a conversion dive van.

Arrowhead is the one Jeff mentioned.

http://www.arrowheadcamp.com/

I've camped there and at Florida Caverns State Park.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/floridacaverns/

Edd offered to let us camp on his property free New Year's Eve. I don't know if that offer still stands, though.

[dnscarboro]

Those guys are great!. Cave bugs bites hurts only when the credit card bills come in....

[RHolmesJr]

Arrowhead is the one Jeff mentioned.

http://www.arrowheadcamp.com/

I've camped there and at Florida Caverns State Park.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/floridacaverns/

Edd offered to let us camp on his property free New Year's Eve. I don't know if that offer still stands, though.

Dont forget about the trailer that Edd rents as well. Hey Sludge, do you ever take hwy 27 down from Columbus instead of 431. We took 27 off 280 and found that it was 30 mins shorter. Nothing but farm land, but did not have to deal with red lights and constant changing speed limits, as well as GHP.

[Slüdge]

Dont forget about the trailer that Edd rents as well.

Yes, if you have four cave divers you can really get the per-person price down. I was concentrating on the one or two divers deal.

I haven't tried US 27, but I may. 431 is such a straight shot. I live literally ON the state line.