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.Originally Posted by everdeeper43015
~G
Gibby, just how much ARE air fills at that other place? I heard it's brutal.
Whoever said money can't buy love never bought a puppy.
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.
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.
Had an air TOPOFF (about 1800PSI) on my trimix tanks done at 40 fathoms. The bill was $15!!! Ouch
Mike Edmonston
NAUI Technical Instructor
Oxycheq Experimental Dive Team Test Pilot
US NAVY Submariner TM2/ss 1988 - 1996
Currently US ARMY Military Police NTM-A TSS-COSTALL Spin Boldak Afghanistan 2010 - ??
Instructor Trainer and NATO Advisor to Afghan National Police Force and Afghan Border Patrol
I may be mistaken but aren't the owners of those two sites related?
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.
TJ (2)
When I get out of cavediving, it will be to learn how to use a walkerFW
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!Had an air TOPOFF (about 1800PSI) on my trimix tanks done at 40 fathoms. The bill was $15!!! Ouch
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
Last edited by Rich; 03-05-2008 at 10:44 AM.
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
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...
Safe Diving
Mike Edmonston
NAUI Technical Instructor
Oxycheq Experimental Dive Team Test Pilot
US NAVY Submariner TM2/ss 1988 - 1996
Currently US ARMY Military Police NTM-A TSS-COSTALL Spin Boldak Afghanistan 2010 - ??
Instructor Trainer and NATO Advisor to Afghan National Police Force and Afghan Border Patrol
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
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