Finally made it to Cypress...

[Dive-aholic]

We finally made it out to Cypress Springs this morning! After 2 years of wanting to see this place and not having the time to head over there, we made the time. We had to meet a student at Morrison at 1pm, so we decided to make a day of it and head over to Cypress in the morning. We left the house with the Free Pass in tow and made it to the launch by 10am. After loading up gear and setting the boat in the water, we made the quick trip to the spring run and over to the spring head. What a beautiful place!







We tied up to a couple of stumps along the edge of the basin, suited up in the boat and stepped out to gear up. We knew there wasn't a whole lot to this site so we only brought AL80s with us with OMS IQ Packs and no wings. That's right no wings! We were about to monkey dive... This was my second time doing a monkey dive, but my first time doing it in my new 8/6 wet suit. I wasn't sure how we were going to deal with our buoyancy and the compression of the suits, but we did fine. Monkey diving is very relaxing and a lot of fun.





We need to work on cinching our tanks up a little more, but we already have an idea on how to do that. Next time they should be quite snug against us.

We explored the basin for a bit. Cypress has one of the most beautiful basins I've ever seen. The fallen trees around the depression at almost breathtaking.



After exploring the nooks and crannies of the basin, we headed over to the cavern/cave. We dropped down into it, having to pull and pull since the flow coming out of the crack was quite powerful. We made it back to the end of the cavern zone and the loose end of a wreck line going farther into the cave. I decided I trusted my reel more than that line so I wiggled my way into the cave and explored it for a few minutes. There isn't a whole lot to see in there. It pinches down pretty quickly, but what is there is very beautiful. I wiggled my way back out and began my exit from the cavern, snapping some photos on the way out.





We spent some more time in the basin exploring a bit and shooting some video (which I will post sometime this weekend when I get a chance to put together a clip). I played around with bottle off exercises both horizontal and vertical head down. It's a lot of fun controlling your buoyancy only through the use of your lungs. I really wish I could teach my recreational classes in this configuration.

[LCF]

Oh, that sounds like way too much fun!

One of my only regrets from the DYFO trip is that I didn't get to try monkey diving -- it had been a goal.

[SubMariner]

We finally made it out to Cypress Springs this morning! After 2 years of wanting to see this place and not having the time to head over there, we made the time.

Nice trip report, Dive-aholic. Thanks! Cypress really does have a wonderful basin, with viz so clear it's hard to believe your underwater. Until one of those big bass swim by you to verify it!

We haven't been to Cypress since they sold the property & it was restricted to boat access only. BTW, I noted in your pictures that there are signs up on the docks/stairs. Are they "No Tresspassing", or simply left over from the Cypress Springs dive site days?

Inquiring minds, y'know...

[Dive-aholic]

I can't remember exactly what the signs said. I want to say the are "No Trespassing" signs, but don't hold me to that. I didn't go on shore, but I did see others hanging out on shore.

[KMD]

Is this a site where the owners of the property said "No diving allowed" so divers said "F-U" and use the navigatable waterway rule in Florida to dive?


Kevin

[Mo2vation]

Is this a site where the owners of the property said "No diving allowed" so divers said "F-U" and use the navigatable waterway rule in Florida to dive?


Kevin

No Whay... divers finding a way to dive?



Those wacky divers.

Hooligans.



---
Ken

[Dive-aholic]

Is this a site where the owners of the property said "No diving allowed" so divers said "F-U" and use the navigatable waterway rule in Florida to dive?


Kevin

No. This used to be open to diving by land and then, I believe, a water bottling company bought the property. They don't care about diving there. They just don't want people on their land.

[SubMariner]

No. This used to be open to diving by land and then, I believe, a water bottling company bought the property. They don't care about diving there. They just don't want people on their land.

That's the story as far as I know...

[Dive-aholic]

Here's the video:

[mwhities]

I just had to try monkey diving this weekend. I stole my dive buddies al30 tank and strapped on my DSS BP/W (after Tobin's tool helped me fix an inflator issue.) and dove into the pool. Talk about feeling free. Is this also what sidemount feels like? I wonder if I could do that...

Thanks for the pictures, movies and the idea of money/side diving.

Michael

[Dive-aholic]

Sidemount diving isn't quite a free feeling as you probably felt with an AL30. But it is definitely much better than diving with backmount. It just feels so much more natural. You should give it a try in the pool with an AL80 and no wing.

I'm sure you could do it. And you wouldn't have to get left hand valves for any of your tanks, which would save you a bunch of money. Your configuration would be slightly different, and you might need help clipping your left bottle on, but otherwise, you can definitely do it.

[mtyra]

a steel 72 and a back pack was the way I used to do it back in the good ol days when I first started diving,being a poor college student I could not afford a bc,but I do not feel like I was missing much without one. I do miss the feeling of freedom without all the extra gear I use now,back then all I used was mask,fins,backpack and tank,regulator with a single hose on it and of course a snorkle. I am seriously thinking of buying a backpack again,my old one cracked about 6 years ago. And I really want to get over to cypress,I usually go to Morrison and Vortex a few times a year but have not made it to cypress yet. I have heard someone is renting canoes right near the spring now.