Manatees conditions?

[ARY]

Could Manatee be diveable this weekend? Have somebody visited it this week?

[John L.]

A good friend of mine was just there Sunday, and he said it was great diving. The flow was down quite a bit from it's usual ripping, and the vis was great, and he said it was the best time to dive.

[CaptainSpeleo]

When everything else is flooded, Manatee Springs is one of the very few that remain clear and diveable. The problem with diving there is the very limited number of cave divers that are allowed to dive there at any one time.

[tdmp]

I dove the system about a month ago. The flow was ripping and the vis was around 30ft. Sounds like it has improved, though. Does anyone know what the current status is to access Friedman Sink? I forgot to ask when I was there last.

[CaptainSpeleo]

It's about a 150 - 200 yard walk from the parking area to the sinkhole. I've never dived there without picking up a few deer ticks, no matter how careful I am. Once you drop through the small entrance shaft, it's clear water straight down through a big dome room. Make sure to go upstream against the flow. If you're not scootering, you'll be doing plenty of pulling and gliding. The tunnel goes up and down and gets as shallow as 30'.

[Capt Tom McMillan]

If you elect to dive Friedman's, you must be accompanied by someone that has entered there before. It is not a piece of cake, especiallay if you are a bit claustrophobic. It is somewhat of a squeeze going down that solution tube.