Friends of Wakulla Org circulating E-mail

[Walter Pickel]

I could guide you guys on Sunday if you are interested.

[RN]

Instead of a guide system, why not suggest a system in which there is a diving committee. In order to dive the site, you must meet the qualifications set forth by the committee, and be "guided" three times for evaluation of necessary skills, and system familiarization. After the three dives, you would be on the list of approved divers.

I think this should be in place at all guided sites (like Alachua and Black Lagoon).

Marc

Emerald currently has a committee system in place. Emerald falls under the same jurisdiction as Wakulla within the state. If they were willing to do that with Wakulla, it would probably already be done. While I also prefer to be able to dive without a guide, sometimes it takes baby steps to get where we want to go, especially when it comes to a location like this where there is such strong opposition. Let's ask for a little and prove ourselves before we ask for more.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Wakulla has always been a completely different can of worms than Emerald since the park is centered around it... Emerald was barely a swimming hole.

[tflaris]

Wish I could...Teaching an OW Class.

[RN]

Wakulla has always been a completely different can of worms than Emerald since the park is centered around it... Emerald was barely a swimming hole.

True, so that much more difficult to get access to than Emerald.

[Benderr]

Emerald currently has a committee system in place.

Yes. You must get permission to access a public resource from private people who own dive training agencies and private people who own scuba equipment companies. Putting such a system in place at Wakulla Spring will result in the same de facto ban on diving that is in place at Emerald.

[SuPrBuGmAn]

True, so that much more difficult to get access to than Emerald.

I just don't think we should look at Emerald as an example of what the state parks should be doing with public lands. I don't want that precidence when there's many other state parks with practices already in place that work fine... and far less outside intrusion. Guides, to me, would be a worse burden on diving than the silly prereques at Emerald.

[caverphill]

Let's just nuke it shut.