Tiedemann's Diving
Center Trips

Jeanne and Ed's Trip to visit the Manatees and Springs of Central Florida January 3 through 7, 2011

Download and print the brochure in pdf format

Please take a moment to read our Florida FAQ's page designed to help answer a majority of the questions you may have regarding this trip.

In January of 2011, we will be running our annual trip to Central Florida for some truly unique diving. We'll be diving with the Manatees and enjoying the unlimited visibility of the beautiful Springs of Central Florida. We have three different types of dives planned during our three days of diving together and will be using Gainesville, Florida as our base of operations.

Up close and Personal with the Gentle Giants... On our first day of diving, we will be diving the Springs of Crystal River, Winter home for the Manatees. The river has a number of different Springs (the water coming from the Springs is a constant 72 degrees in temperature and crystal clear). This warm water attracts the Manatees. The Manatees are very large mammals which are very much like seals (but much slower). They are one of the most interesting animals we can hope to see underwater. If we are careful not to disturb them, we may be able to get close enough to have your picture taken with one. Since the Manatees are an endangered species there are restrictions on where divers can dive in the river. These restrictions are making it more difficult for us to see the Manatees. This year could be the last year that we get the chance to dive with these fascinating creatures.
Ancient Rock Formations, Stalactites, Fossil Beds, and more... On the second day we will be diving Devils Den - an underground spring inside a dry cavern in central Florida. The remains of many extinct animals from the Pleistocene Age (2 million - 10,000 years ago) were discovered at Devil's Den, including the bones of early man, dating back to 7,500 B.C.	Looking through the sinkhole...

The World's Favorite Freshwater Dive!
On our third day we will be diving Ginnie Springs. Ginnie Springs is one of the largest and most interesting Springs in Central Florida.  It has often been called "the world's favorite freshwater dive" and it's no exaggeration. Over the years, thousands of divers from around the world have marveled at Ginnie Springs' crystal-clear water and startling natural beauty.

They have several of diving's most notable freshwater dive sites right here on the premises, including world-famous Ginnie Spring and the Devil Spring system. These underwater sites are among the world's most used systems for certified Cavern and Cave Divers.

The Springs of the area offer almost unlimited visibility. The waters coming out of the Springs are crystal clear and diving in the Spring can give you an unreal feeling of flying through the air. This is a diving experience not to be missed.

Accommodations
We'll be spending Wednesday through Saturday evening at the Cabot Lodge in Gainesville. Right off I-75 and centrally located to all our dive destinations, the Cabot Lodge offers such a relaxing atmosphere that you'll get the feeling you never left home. Included is a complimentary continental breakfast complete with fresh fruit, yogurt, pastries, bagels and a two-hour complimentary cocktail reception with free, freshly-popped popcorn.

The Cabot Lodge is located in the center of our three dive locations and several dive shops for those "last-minute" items. And with a dozen restaurants all minutes away, you can always find something you'll like.

The cost of the trip includes: escort service of Ed Tiedemann, room accommodations for five days and four nights at the Cabot Lodge in Gainesville (based on double occupancy), continental breakfast at the Lodge, three days of diving, boat rentals, all entrance fees, all air fills and the use of tanks and weight belts. Non-divers can join us on the trip as well. If you want your own private room the extra cost is slightly higher.  The Cabot Lodge is located in the center of our three dive locations.  And with dozens of restaurants all minutes away, you can always find something you'll like.

The fee does not include food or transportation to Florida and transportation in Florida (you will need to have a car or be in a car pool to reach the dive sites). Divers on the trip usually fly to Gainesville, Jacksonville or Orlando and rent a car. We will be helping to set up car pools to save on car rental expenses. Please contact us with your travel information so we may assist you in any of your travel needs.

One reason for planning our trip to the springs of Central Florida is that during the Winter months, the Florida Keys and East coast of Florida can be very unpredictable. High winds can make boat diving (which we have to do in the Keys or on the coast) difficult if not impossible. The springs offer almost guaranteed good diving and the visual beauty is unbelievable. Another reason for choosing this area is that it is only a couple of hours from the Orlando area. With so many great things to do in Orlando, you can enjoy some great diving and have a fun-filled vacation.

We will have a meeting at the Center before the trip so that everyone can get to know each other and review the details of the trip. The number of divers that can go on the trip is limited. Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to go.  A deposit of $100.00 is needed to hold a place on the trip for you. If you have any questions about the trip you can reach us at the Center, 516-796-6560.

Open Water Certifications
If you have not yet done your Open Water Dives for certification, this three-day trip is ideally set up just for that. This means a great vacation and having the chance to complete your open water training at the same time. There are not too many people who can say that they did their open water dives while swimming with the Manatees or seeing the crystal clear springs of Florida. The additional fee for certification includes all the instruction and your certification card. If you need equipment, you can rent a full set (BC, wet suit, hood, regulator, pressure gauge and "octopus") but you must transport the equipment from Long Island to Florida to get that great price.

Advanced Specialty Courses
Since we are going to dive in some very interesting areas we will also be teaching some of the most popular Advanced Specialties that we offer at Tiedemann's Diving Center. Our Advanced Open Water Diver program is a program designed to help you be the best you can. It is based on taking 4 of our Advanced Specialties and logging 24 dives. With the dives on this trip and the numerous club dives planned for Long Island, you should have no problem doing your logged dives to reach the needed 24.

If you really want to be the best you can, plan to keep going after your Advanced towards your Master Diver Certification. This is the highest level of civilian certification. Master Diver Certification is awarded to divers who have done 50 logged dives, 4 specialties and have taken Rescue Diver. A great goal that will make you the best you can be.

Here is a list of the programs we will be offering during our Central Florida trip:

Underwater Navigation Nothing makes you feel more in control than knowing where you are. This program helps you to develop an all-important awareness of where you are while underwater.
Night Diver It is a whole new world at night underwater. See what it's all about. You must have Night Diver qualifications (which you get with this program) if you wish to go on a club night dive.
Computer Diving Have a computer and not sure how it works? Thinking about getting a computer? Then this is the program for you.
Underwater Photography and Digital Photography With a night in the pool, you're ready to take the challenge of taking pictures in our local waters.
Enriched Air Nitrox All divers can benefit from the increased safety margins that Nitrox provides. Complete your lectures in New York and make your certification dives in Florida.
Cavern Diver and Introduction to Cave Diver Following our trip we will be running Cavern Diving and Introduction to Cave Diver courses. These courses are based on a minimum registration and require sign up in advance to complete the academics needed for the course.

Jeanne Tiedemann’s Travel Service

If can’t join us on one of our trips remember that Jeanne Tiedemann can set up a complete dive vacation to just about anyplace in the world. When it comes to a great vacation she is the expert with years of diving experience all over the world. Her expertise in dive travel are available to you at Tiedemann’s Diving Center. Just call for an appointment. Don’t forget this service is free. Special discounted dive packages and bulk airfares are available.