Times to avoid cave country?

[alias]

I am sure that this info is sprinkled around in different threads but it was hard to find. I have not been a cave diver for a full calendar year, and I would like to know what are the times/weekends to avoid being in cave country.

I saw the stern warnings about Memorial Day weekend+Ginnie and as I am looking into next winter I would particularly want to know is, for example, Thanksgiving weekend all nutty to be cave diving in Ginnie/Little River/Peacock/Madison axel (Possibly JB)? Do things get crazy in Ginnie only in tubing season or can cavers stir it crazy on their own too etc? When should I stay away for my piece of mind and when is it tolerable scuffle for parking spots and entry to the caves in these places?

[chimie007]

I am sure that this info is sprinkled around in different threads but it was hard to find. I have not been a cave diver for a full calendar year, and I would like to know what are the times/weekends to avoid being in cave country.

I saw the stern warnings about Memorial Day weekend+Ginnie and as I am looking into next winter I would particularly want to know is, for example, Thanksgiving weekend all nutty to be cave diving in Ginnie/Little River/Peacock/Madison axel (Possibly JB)? Do things get crazy in Ginnie only in tubing season or can cavers stir it crazy on their own too etc? When should I stay away for my piece of mind and when is it tolerable scuffle for parking spots and entry to the caves in these places?

Sites without tubers/swimmers do not usually get that busy.... Peacock, Cow, etc.

For day sites with swimmers like LR and Madison better to show up in the morning as swimmers show up late morning.

Ginnie is empty in winter especially when the weather is cold. Summer weekends are busy but Sat/Sunday morning are usually quieter as the tubers/swimmers are still waking up and getting about. Afternoons are the worse especially when the weather is good in the summer. I like to dive Ginnie in the morning and then come back around 6pm or later for a night dive. As you said, avoid Ginnie on holiday weekends.

The quietest time to dive Ginnie/LR/Madison is over the winter.

[JE]

I am sure that this info is sprinkled around in different threads but it was hard to find. I have not been a cave diver for a full calendar year, and I would like to know what are the times/weekends to avoid being in cave country.

I saw the stern warnings about Memorial Day weekend+Ginnie and as I am looking into next winter I would particularly want to know is, for example, Thanksgiving weekend all nutty to be cave diving in Ginnie/Little River/Peacock/Madison axel (Possibly JB)? Do things get crazy in Ginnie only in tubing season or can cavers stir it crazy on their own too etc? When should I stay away for my piece of mind and when is it tolerable scuffle for parking spots and entry to the caves in these places?

Residing in Gator {Gainesville}/Cave country for some eight years gave me plenty of insight for the best 'quiet' diving around most of the known cave sites. Bearing the heat & bugs {mosquitoes} of summer & the out-of-school locals, I avoid cave diving entirely. It is not only un-comfortable but also prone to thieves ripping into your vehicle for cash & gear-!
Be aware there does exist some bands of 'perps' moving thru the cave diving sites for easy prey> {Divers underwater with their cars un-attended-! Best to leave nothing in your car at all. I usually put my valuables either where I am staying or with someone who I can trust to take care of them for me until my dive is over with.
From Mid September thru the end of April I've enjoyed numerous cave explorations without incidence. Holidays included. Winter time in north Florida is the best because you will not be over-heated whilst suiting up. Nasty bugs are down too. April is questionable though, cause it could be rainy & bugs are beginning to come out. Keep up to date on storms coming thru the area too, as they may cancel out any dive plans.
Hope this helps.
Good luck

je

[alias]

From Mid September thru the end of April I've enjoyed numerous cave explorations without incidence. Holidays included. Winter time in north Florida is the best because you will not be over-heated whilst suiting up. Nasty bugs are down too. April is questionable though, cause it could be rainy & bugs are beginning to come out. Keep up to date on storms coming thru the area too, as they may cancel out any dive plans.
Hope this helps.
Good luck

Thanks. I think with my Arctic blood the Fl season is generally limited to Oct-Feb/March. I enjoy none of that cooking in drysuit stuff!

Last year I was there early Nov (fairly busy in town with conferences but empty in caves during week days) and late Jan (dead in caves). For this year I am thinking mid-Nov or late Nov/Dec and I had not thought of Thanksgiving (as usual because it's a non-Holiday for non-US person...) I was not sure if it is some 4-day mayhem to avoid.

[Sludge]

Jackson Blue never needs to be avoided. Swimmers are only allowed from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and even then cave divers have their own parking and water entrance.

The other nine months out of the year cave divers have the whole park to themselves.

[Me]

I've been to Ginnie twice over Thanksgiving weekend, and felt it to be very zoo-like. Inside the cave is fine, but you'll be dealing with campers and no parking before you get in the cave.

[JahJahwarrior]

I've been to Ginnie twice over Thanksgiving weekend, and felt it to be very zoo-like. Inside the cave is fine, but you'll be dealing with campers and no parking before you get in the cave.

Ginnie is usually not full of drunk tubers on Thanksgiving. Sure, there are lots of campers, but I wouldn't call it a "zoo." Busy but it's a nice environment, I think. Usual tips apply: early is usually better, a rule that applies to almost anything in life where more than one person wants to use a resource.

[wingman]

Jackson Blue never needs to be avoided. Swimmers are only allowed from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and even then cave divers have their own parking and water entrance.

The other nine months out of the year cave divers have the whole park to themselves.

That's true for the most part...i have found it a bit of a mess on the weekends during the peak swimming time frame....people everywhere...best to arrive early or late on those days.

[human]

I would say IMHO that, it's best to avoid planning trips from March to first of June (especially for those of us that are not lucky enough to live near by), related to the high probability of the caves not being dive-able. You can for the most part always dive Ginnie, but then again everybody that is wanting to dive will be there also if the other systems are out, thus adding to my original point of avoiding the March to June time frame. I've canceled three trips (2 last year and one two weeks ago) during this time frame with the systems being out.

[L.A.]

This particular Memorial Day at Ginnie was not bad. I arrived around 2:45pm with no wait to get banded. And, when I arrived at diver's entrance, I immediately found a close parking spot. Many of the campers were gone and I was pleasantly surprised.