Troy or Royal for new OW diver???

Out of experience which place do you think is better for a new OW diver?

I have personally dove Troy before but Linda at Rennaker's recommended Royal so she wants to do both but if you had to choose one which would be first?

I'm sure you saw this, but is royal springs mostly an overhead environment?

http://underwaterflorida.homestead.com/royal.html

Actually, this too:
http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/show...ring-Dive-Plan

I'll be adding this to my spreadsheet of N FL dive sites.

Nothing much to look at at royal but plenty of open water to mess around in. Just make sure they understand that it has a cave that cave divers avoid. Troy is great for open water.

Royal has a nice big wide basin, more than Troy, and is shallow. But, it does have an easy to get into overhang, and it's very silty. The cave is super duper silty. You remember that pair that died in there some years ago? I was solo diving Royal, and I found a piece of equipment that was not found on the deceased and matched the brand of gear that diver was wearing. I replaced it into the silt as respectfully as I could, and decided that I didn't need to dive Royal ever again.

Additionally, many times the sink isn't connected to the river via a surface stream, and in the summer it can get very green and warm on the surface. Viz often improves when you go down a few feet, but I've never seen it as good as Troy.

I'd take Troy any day over Royal. The water is prettier and it's the only state park with a CSA scuttled naval vessel in the spring run.

Troy is great for ow. Very large round basin that goes to 60' ish.

There's also remnants of an 1812 wreck in the run.
Lots of turtles

Thanks... Troy was my choice because I was familiar with it.

FWIW, Royal has the second highest fatality rate of OW deaths in a cave. Actually, since the grate was put in at Ginnie, Royal is currently the #1 most dangerous cave that is still open.

Troy is wide & a nice open water dive......a lot so see there including sharks teeth & maybe early Foridia artifacts...(arrow heads etc) Alexander Springs & Crystal river are also good open water dives...the Rainbow river is pretty cool too.
Royal is a swimming hole for locals during the summer months & school vacation hoards & as stated by Forrest, a dangerous place to "poke" your head inside the cave to have a look see. {don't do it} i have never seen clear water in Royal and there seems to be a lot of trash in the basin as well. (Beer & soda cans. soda bottles...etc} ! I've made a couple of dives in Royal and it didn't set well with me due to the pollution in the water.
FYI !

I took her to Troy today. Water was really green and VIZ was 20-30, Not like I remember.... LOTS of particulates in the water. It was ok though.

A 30ft ish reel line or cave line was flowing out the cave head. Little into our dive it came all the way out and snagged on a log. I remember last year getting flat on the bottom and looking in and seeing a cave line or "Gold line" about 10ft in. Right now I don't see it humanly possible to enter that cave due to flow but obviously someone has before. Has it ever been survayed? Any info on it?