Paradise Springs Update

I was at the spring today and had a good day on my new O2ptima and expect to go back and get more time on it. I spoke with the owner Curt Chappelka and he authorized me to post this message to explain recent events at the site that involved its sale to investors looking to bottle water and or possibly the County.

From the onset Curt was undaunted in his efforts to keep the Spring open for diving. To that end he contacted me and asked me to contact the investors and I did. It could have been a win-win had they bought because the investors were looking for someone to manage the site and were impressed by the CDS track record for the property it owns.

I contacted Kelly Jessop and got the go ahead to talk to the potential buyers and Curt ... what could we lose??? After several conversations several of the purchaser wanted an "on site visit" at the last minute. It was also determined that it was fitting that the "Chairman" of this group meet with the CDS Chairman but Kelly (short of installing a JATO bottle on his car) would not be able to make the meeting on time, so Mike Poucher, a former Chairman, who also knows Curt stepped in and met with them. Mike said the meeting was productive and they’d get back to us.

As it turns out the spring will not be sold. No one has any correct speculation as to why one or more of the investors didn't have the desire to buy it. Also, the county turned it down for lack of funds. I also suppose some day the spring will come under enormous pressure to be sold. To prepare for that day Greg Flanagan, a cave diving pioneer and an Ocala based real estate lawyer has agreed to look out for the cave diver’s interests and make every effort to keep it open to diving with Curt's help should that day come.

It is of paramount importance to keep sites open and I am sure Paradise Springs will work with the CDS once again to let it be open to diving. There could be tax benefits to buyers if they let the land go to conservation usage. The assistance of not for profit organizations such as the CDS and the NACD could also be valuable.

These folks deserve your thanks .... now you know the rest of the story. All other versions are well, BS. /Ken

Ken,

Thanks for your help in coordinating these efforts be tween the various parties at Paradise! Also, does this mean that Paradise is currently open for business as usual?

John

Hi John,
Yes, Curt said his plan is to keep it open and to keep it up and running. Yesterday, we made a few repairs to the "Grim Reaper " sign and looked it over from top to bottom.

Dive sites are the key to reduce overcrowding and training sites save wear and tear on caves. We need to go diving or shooting. /K

What is the price to dive at Paradise? I live right down the road from it and have never gone there to dive. Also, what is the max depth there? I have been debating that with a few people and the verdict is still out. Thanks and safe diving.

The price to dive there is 30.00 i think and the max depth is 140 ft its a nice dive. I live close by too and only been there 1 time should go more though. Richard

Is it worth the $30?

Paradise is a great dive site! Huge cavern, low key, and a great place to practice.
Kinda warm too 74-75 degrees.

I'm not on the inside, but I greatly appreciate your efforts!

If your looking for a nice easy dive its well worth it. It coasts that much in gas to drive to lauraville frome here and you can get in a couple of dives and be home for supper. Richard

Does the owner allow solo diving? I just got my girlfriend OW certified and I dont think she is ready for a cavern.

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Originally Posted by everdeeper43015

Is it worth the $30?

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Paradise has a smaller niche of the dive market then most sites. Like Blue Grotto and Devil's Den they allow OW divers to dive it with only a OW cert and a waiver. However, it is much more "cavern/cave like" then most sites that allow OW divers.

For Advanced OW divers who have already done Blue Grotto and Devil's Den and are looking for a site slightly more advanced Paradise is worth $30. Also any interested cavern/cave divers would probably find it worth $30 to check it out once or twice or a place to take an OW diver who is thinking about getting cavern trained.

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Originally Posted by everdeeper43015

Is it worth the $30?

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It is a fantastic place to test new gear configs and/or practice skills for somebody like myself that hasn't been cave diving as long as some of the others around. The owner is much nicer than the owner of that other sink with the similar profile. Plus, if you need an air fill you wont be left with a roofie hangover and a hole in the rear of your wet suit.



~G

Gibby, just how much ARE air fills at that other place? I heard it's brutal.

This 'place' sold "regular" air for $10 and if you have a nitrox sticker on your tank its $18 for the "special" air. It is unfortunate that I watched him fill a $10 tank and a $18 tank off the same bank. I wouldn't say one word about $10 air, but when I called the guy out on the $18 air coming from the same bank he lied to me like I just fell off the padi truck.

FWIW compressor doesn't always work at Paradise Springs but given his general attitude I gladly rent a few $10 AL80s from him in place of filling my steels, suck it up and grab a weight belt out of the back of my truck.

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Originally Posted by Gibby

This 'place' sold "regular" air for $10 and if you have a nitrox sticker on your tank its $18 for the "special" air.

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Wow. I just did google on "Blue Grotto" and "air fill". First link to pop up was about some guy got yelled at for asking whether they had nitrox clean air. Maybe you got screwed but at least you didn't get yelled at. Seems like at $10/tank for air you could expect reasonable customer service.

Maybe the extra $8 was for the customer service: when he lied to you he did it without yelling.

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Originally Posted by Gary

Wow. I just did google on "Blue Grotto" and "air fill". First link to pop up was about some guy got yelled at for asking whether they had nitrox clean air. Maybe you got screwed but at least you didn't get yelled at. Seems like at $10/tank for air you could expect reasonable customer service.

Maybe the extra $8 was for the customer service: when he lied to you he did it without yelling.

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Had an air TOPOFF (about 1800PSI) on my trimix tanks done at 40 fathoms. The bill was $15!!! Ouch :mad:

I may be mistaken but aren't the owners of those two sites related?

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Originally Posted by Gary

Wow. I just did google on "Blue Grotto" and "air fill". First link to pop up was about some guy got yelled at for asking whether they had nitrox clean air. Maybe you got screwed but at least you didn't get yelled at. Seems like at $10/tank for air you could expect reasonable customer service.

Maybe the extra $8 was for the customer service: when he lied to you he did it without yelling.

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Ah Blue Grotto, the LAST time I was there, I carried my wife so she could actually say that she had made a dive there. The price of our admission, and a nitrox fill of a 63cuft cylinder was everybit of a hundred dollar bill. To add insult to injury they only missed the nitrox by 3%. I asked for 32, and ended up with 35.

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Originally Posted by Mike Edmonston

Had an air TOPOFF (about 1800PSI) on my trimix tanks done at 40 fathoms. The bill was $15!!! Ouch :mad:

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Mike, I was just teaching a mix class at 40 Fathom yesterday and I was amazed by how much has been done to the place. I talked to Drew (who I think runs the place) and Scott (who's doing the in house mix classes) and was very impressed with their professionalism, courtesy, hospitality and what they're doing with the place. The change topsides are many, new restaurant, bathrooms etc and the walkway down to the water has been completely redone (much wider, not nearly as steep) as have the floating dive stations, plus they're a NAUI tec facility now!

I used to hate going there, but now with the improvements I'll be heading there more often than not! When they're up and running fully, (construction is still ongoing) their Nx prices (banking 32%) will be 10c/ft, O2 will be 30c/ft, and I think He was either going to be 60 or 70c/ft... :)

Safe diving,

Rich

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Originally Posted by Rich

Mike, I was just teaching a mix class at 40 Fathom yesterday and I was amazed by how much has been done to the place. I talked to Drew (who I think runs the place) and Scott (who's doing the in house mix classes) and was very impressed with their professionalism, courtesy, hospitality and what they're doing with the place. The change topsides are many, new restaurant, bathrooms etc and the walkway down to the water has been completely redone (much wider, not nearly as steep) as have the floating dive stations, plus they're a NAUI tec facility now!

I used to hate going there, but now with the improvements I'll be heading there more often than not! When they're up and running fully, (construction is still ongoing) their Nx prices (banking 32%) will be 10c/ft, O2 will be 30c/ft, and I think He was either going to be 60 or 70c/ft... :)

Safe diving,

Rich

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Hi Rich,

Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking the facility. Just the price of the air fills when I was there. You are correct, the place looked 100% better when Bert and I were there last month. Hal and Drew (I think that was his name), were very nice and very professional. It is still a facility that we will continue to use for Trimix training, and I would have no problem recommending it to anyone.

...Just bring your own tanks full :yawinkle:...

Safe Diving

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Originally Posted by Gibby

I may be mistaken but aren't the owners of those two sites related?

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Paradise Springs was owned by Jim Paradisio, who sold it to Curt Chappelka in 1997. Jim's brother, Ed Paradisio own's Blue Grotto, Ed's son Eddie currently runs Blue Grotto.

Ed Sr. was often in the team of "extras" who were divers in the Sea Hunt TV series. He was the one that told me why I could never flip small doubles over my head without getting dinged! The ones used by LCDR Mike Nelson of TV fame were made of BALSA (Hollywood Jeeesh.) The other regular was Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who was Lloyd Bridges neighbor and dive buddy. The UW shots were at Silver Springs.


Your goal at Blue Grotto should be to get an invite to dive the cave beneath the parking lot and pavilions. It's a huge room (4x football fields) with a side mount tunnel at the end. /Ken