The Florida Diver

08/19/2021

Terrible photo, but I just tried out the twin-set. Now I ask the question, "why did I wait so long to get in a backplate"?

This was by far the easiest dive ever. Zero effort to maintain perfect trim! First time I could hover in the same spot indefinitely, without a single kick.
After a few more dives, I will be looking to go after that cave cert. Cheers~ Rob

03/29/2021

Hey everyone, hope you guys are doing fantastic.

I wanted to give a little information on why my page has been dormant for months. I don't want to go into specifics, but my significant other and I have separated due to serious trust issues. She was also my dive buddy and helped with the video's, or at least let me sneak away to do some editing. That's been pretty impossible lately, being a single dad, I have zero time.

I do plan to continue this page in the future, so please stick around if you wish. I occasionally still go diving, but it's going to take some time before I even bother to bring the camera.

Again, I hope you all are doing well. I smile everyday, regardless of the poo I have to step in.

See ya guys

12/20/2020

We are finally getting our cavern cert. Today was our first day in the water, and it was a lot of fun! We practiced safety drills and got evaluated for proper bouyancy / trim.

Oh, and I'm happy I got away from PADI, and started TDI.

08/09/2020

Had a blast wreck diving off the Daytona Beach coast.
This was the USS Mindanao and the Everglades located in approx 80ft of water, 12 miles from Ponce Inlet. The viz was slightly below average, but the marine life was plentiful! We saw many Goliath, rays, snook, cuda, lionfish, sand dollars; fish that fly.. and even fish that walk! Couldn't have been a better saturday. Who knows the name of the walking fish (resembles a frog)??

07/03/2020

Here we go again.. Florida state parks will begin closures today.

It appears that this will be a partial closure and not include all parks. I am not sure which parks will remain open, but their post has a link providing more details.

Starting Friday, July 3, to protect the safety of staff and guests, some Florida State Parks will be closed to visitors, and some parks will be closed to beach access with day use still available. These closures are in line with county ordinances. For a complete list of closures, closure details (i.e. if day use is still available) and reopening dates, please see our Safety Updates page: https://bddy.me/3dUPG6q

06/17/2020

How is our diving family doing? We haven't made too many trips since this virus started, but we are slowly making a comeback.
~Happy Diving!

05/02/2020

A partial opening of Florida State Parks to begin Monday.

The state parks website announced that 80 of the 175 parks will re-open with reduced visitor capacity and limited hours. Many parks, such as DeLeon, Wekiva, and Blue Springs, will remain closed until a later date.

A full list is available at the bottom of the attached link.

Effective Monday, May 4, DEP will implement phase one to reopen the Florida State Parks. As these parks are re-opening, DEP will be taking measures to ensure the protection of staff and the public. During this early phase of re-opening, visitors should expect limited hours, capacity and amenities.

03/23/2020

Time to sell the gear.. Just kidding!

We decided after last week to postpone any trips until further notice. Stay safe!

At the direction of Governor DeSantis and to successfully uphold CDC guidance, DEP will close all Florida State Parks to the public effective Monday, March 23. DEP has taken many measures to continue providing resource recreation at our state parks during this time, such as limiting operating hours and reducing visitor capacity at parks with high visitation. Unfortunately, this has not resulted in the reductions needed to best protect public health and safety as Florida continues to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we work to prioritize the welfare of our communities and staff. We look forward to welcoming you again to our award winning state parks as soon as possible. As always, we will be providing updates to the public on the Florida State Parks webpage and social media channels.

03/20/2020

Ginnie Springs (Ball Room)
High Springs, FL
Admission: $32 per person
Depth: 50ft
Temperature: 72
Date 3-15-2020
Diving Available: Open Water, Cavern, Cave. Dive within YOUR limits!

North Florida Springs are currently being effected by high water levels, leaving many dive sites closed. Ginnie Springs was still crystal clear on 3-15-2020.

03/15/2020

So we traveled to Royal Springs this morning only to find out the river water flooded the basin. The water had risen at least 8ft, and was dark brown. So, we drive around the corner to Peacock Springs (Orange Grove) and see that conditions aren't favorable here either. We ended up at Ginnie Springs (which was packed!) and had a good dive. But darn it, the flat tire on the ride home was the icing on the cake! What a day..

Still happy to enjoy the water!

03/09/2020

We need a new Picture and would like our community to help! (Must be an underwater photograph that you took)

03/07/2020

Jupiter, FL- Kyalami Charter (Area 51, Rock Ledge)
Admission: $80
Depth: 60-90ft
Temp: 75
VIZ: 25-30ft
Date: 3-5-20

We had a good time in the Atlantic, even with moderate to poor conditions. The current was ripping and it was challenging to slow down enough to film / photograph my targets. We saw a few sharks and a massive loggerhead turtle. We are still newbies in the ocean and I had no idea a turtle could be bigger than a diver! This was our first time seeing sharks as well (nurse and blacktips) and did my best to capture the moment without shoving my camera right up to them. I am excited to say that we will be planning many more saltwater dives this year after spending last year in the springs. Great change in scenery, and a boat full of happy, friendly divers.

I have a few video's currently in the "works", but haven't had much time to sit down and edit them. I plan to finish Hospital Hole as soon as possible, and then make a video about this location.

Happy Diving ~ Rob