new caves to dive?

Hi there,
We are two divers from far north. We have been to Fla 5 times but always dove the same well known caves like Little, Ginnie, Telford, peacock, Orange, EN (we have our trimix course), cow, Madisson, Manatee. We would like to try others sites so here are some questions.

We dont have scooters and we dive backmount.

What about Jackson Blue, Hole in the wall, Bonnet, Lafayette Blue... Can you help us choosing some interesting new sites from the list above or others, we are open to any suggestions. We just dont want to go to caves that are sidemount or with curent too strong (i heard Jackson Blue need to be dove with scooter!)

We like chalenging caves, we dont mind current like Ginnie, Little...

We will probably stay in the region of peacock or Ginnie, around that. but we dont mind to travel a few hours to try new sites. We have 2 double each so we are good for a all day diving without fills.

And what are the conditions right now? Floded caves?, closed caves? We are planning to get in Fla in 3 weeks from now.

Thanks for helping us.

Phil

Apparently lots of flooded caves right now.

You don't need scooters for Jackson Blue right now, but ya never know how much stronger the flow will get...

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Originally Posted by Phil

, Bonnet, Lafayette Blue

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Bonnett is more likely undiveable,and I was in Lafayette a couple weeks ago and viz was 10ft.

Just a big cavern but Buford is a great day dive, if you havent been to JB, hole and Twin you should definatly spend a couple days up there vs gainesville. Indian and Emerald are also open now, Indian you need a guide but an awesome dive. You can also look into Die Polder if your mix certified.

have a great trip!

Why Buford and not Eagles Next. Are you guys Full Cave? Sites make a differnce on that. If you have 100 full cave dives you can do DiPolder, Alachua, Hart Spring. Emerald might be good right now. Cindy Butler

If the millpond clears up, JB, Twin and Hole in the Wall are beautiful! Plus, you'll get to meet Edd, Stacey, Cabo, Piper and Scuba. It's an experience not to be missed!

Its a great dive even though it not much of a cave but I wait until the water is not so high. I could not imagine what going through the swamp would be like now after all the rain. I posted a couple of photo in the cave area and put some up on my flickr site as it a very pretty dive.

I'm not saying Buford isn't cool but you are in the area of one of the most fantastic caves in the world, Eagles nest. Buford may be pretty but it's still a cavern that requires a "heck of a lot of work" to get into. I have always thought every cave has it's own attraction, I just couldn't understand the ommission of the nest. I was really wanting to know if something was going on I don't know about ie bad vis, entry problems etc. Cindy

BTW FWIW, he mentioned EN in his OP :smt003

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Originally Posted by JSNTP

If the millpond clears up, JB, Twin and Hole in the Wall are beautiful! Plus, you'll get to meet Edd, Stacey, Cabo, Piper and Scuba. It's an experience not to be missed!

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How long the drive from Forth White to JB, Hole in the wall and twin?

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Originally Posted by Cindy

Why Buford and not Eagles Next. Are you guys Full Cave? Sites make a differnce on that. If you have 100 full cave dives you can do DiPolder, Alachua, Hart Spring. Emerald might be good right now. Cindy Butler

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Yes, we are full cave and trimix.
We never ordered our Abe Davis or Wakula Award. How should we manage to get in a site that require that kind of credentials if we dont have the award in hand? We already dove Cow by showing log book but it was easy because the persons who were taking care of the access knew us for a long time.

We were planning on doing Die Polder but the guide we were planning to use (that we know) have a class during the week we are planning to get down. We need to get in touch with another guide. What are generaly the cost for 2 divers to get a guided cave dive in Die Polder?

Phil

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Originally Posted by Phil

How long the drive from Forth White to JB, Hole in the wall and twin?

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2.5 hours.

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Originally Posted by Cindy

I'm not saying Buford isn't cool but you are in the area of one of the most fantastic caves in the world, Eagles nest. Buford may be pretty but it's still a cavern that requires a "heck of a lot of work" to get into. I have always thought every cave has it's own attraction, I just couldn't understand the ommission of the nest. I was really wanting to know if something was going on I don't know about ie bad vis, entry problems etc. Cindy

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Cindy, Just did Eagles Nest yesterday. Had a great dive, basin is nice and clear (except for the pond scum) and the vis in the system was excellent, especially once we got to the Super Room. While on deco a couple of OW guys came in and went down to the top of the cone and 'played around' for a while. Have a feeling the conditions may have 'deteriorated a bit' after that.

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Originally Posted by Phil

Yes, we are full cave and trimix.
We never ordered our Abe Davis or Wakula Award. How should we manage to get in a site that require that kind of credentials if we dont have the award in hand? We already dove Cow by showing log book but it was easy because the persons who were taking care of the access knew us for a long time.

We were planning on doing Die Polder but the guide we were planning to use (that we know) have a class during the week we are planning to get down. We need to get in touch with another guide. What are generaly the cost for 2 divers to get a guided cave dive in Die Polder?

Phil

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I dont think most guides charge, at least the people i've been with havent, just the $25 for the boyscoutts entry and maybe $2 for something. There are a bunch of guides you can try and call to schedule a trip out there, very cool dives. I didnt mean to omit the nest, just saw that in your origional post and i stand by Buford as a cool dive for many reasons so if your in that area for a day diving the nest check it out!

Enjoy your diving!

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Originally Posted by mmcauliffe

BTW FWIW, he mentioned EN in his OP :smt003

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You guys throw me with the intitials. I'm sure though that everyone knew that but me!