success, finally

Faithful readers of this Blog (both of you) may remember my bragging months ago that I was taking a Scuba open water dive class. After a few interruptions (nasal surgery, Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Jeanne, and several unnamed disturbances on both coasts of Florida), I finally finished the course by making my second open water dive this afternoon, at Ginnie Springs, up near Gainesville. See it here: http://www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com/

I don't think it was cave diving, strictly speaking, but we did get an in-depth look at the mouth of a freshwater spring. You could easily hide an 18-wheeler in the mouth, and the floor was almost 60 feet down, but it wasn't a "cave." There were no tunnels branching off to God-knows-where. You could see sunlight at the top, if you looked way back before the ceiling blocked the view and if the 20 other divers didn't get in your way. Cold, at 72 degrees, but not too cold; with a wet suit it was like a drink of cold water on a hot day. Loved it! And now I'm a certified, card-carrying diver. My next toy may have to be a speargun.