Orlando

"Magilla" wrote:
> "Lee Bell" wrote
>
>> Ah well. Another case of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.
>
> Well said.
>
> I have no problems with the diver protection rules, they make sense even
> if seem strict to some. Just seems to me the manatee protection rules go
> beyond what's necisary.

A similar battle has been going on in La Jolla for years. They built an
artificial cove called the Children's pool, which the harbor seals
decided was quite nice. I think the current status is that you can use
the beach as long as you don't scare any seals into the water. Either
extreme kind of made sense to me (California has lots of seal habitat
and California has lots of beaches and dive sites), but now we have a
situation where federal wildlife officials have to make decisions based
on the interaction of human and animal behavior, which I think is
guaranteed to both fail to protect the seals and fail to please the
people trying to use the beach.

"Magilla" wrote:
> "Lee Bell" wrote
>
>> Ah well. Another case of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.
>
> Well said.
>
> I have no problems with the diver protection rules, they make sense even
> if seem strict to some. Just seems to me the manatee protection rules go
> beyond what's necisary.

A similar battle has been going on in La Jolla for years. They built an
artificial cove called the Children's pool, which the harbor seals
decided was quite nice. I think the current status is that you can use
the beach as long as you don't scare any seals into the water. Either
extreme kind of made sense to me (California has lots of seal habitat
and California has lots of beaches and dive sites), but now we have a
situation where federal wildlife officials have to make decisions based
on the interaction of human and animal behavior, which I think is
guaranteed to both fail to protect the seals and fail to please the
people trying to use the beach.

Last time I was there was Dec, but we live only 15 min from there, so as
soon as the weekend schedules clear a bit, I'll go over.
If its a very cold day, the manatee will stay near the cave in the 72 deg
water, but as the day warms up they move downstream to the St John's.
gary
Deltona, Fl



""Magilla"" <cavey_curtis@$$ yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ZQIHf.382150$qk4.167968@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>
> "Gary Owens" <gowens1@cfl.rr.com> wrote
>
>> No, you can still dive the cave, you just can't swim or float down the
>> run. And if you harass the manatees you get tossed.
>
> That's what it used to be, hear that's changed, maybe for just the peak
> weekends? I haven't made the trip since tipped off may not be able to get
> in. Have you been there in the past month?
>
>> But in all fairness the rangers watch very closely and they know sometime
>> the manatees will approach you without you knowing it. It can be a
>> suprise to come nose to nose with an 800 lb gray blob.
>
> In all fairness, most of the rangers have been very realistic about the
> situation, and their diving rules enforcement in general has been strict
> but fair. I've always found them very pleasant.
>
> Curtis
>
>
>

Last time I was there was Dec, but we live only 15 min from there, so as
soon as the weekend schedules clear a bit, I'll go over.
If its a very cold day, the manatee will stay near the cave in the 72 deg
water, but as the day warms up they move downstream to the St John's.
gary
Deltona, Fl



""Magilla"" <cavey_curtis@$$ yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ZQIHf.382150$qk4.167968@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>
> "Gary Owens" <gowens1@cfl.rr.com> wrote
>
>> No, you can still dive the cave, you just can't swim or float down the
>> run. And if you harass the manatees you get tossed.
>
> That's what it used to be, hear that's changed, maybe for just the peak
> weekends? I haven't made the trip since tipped off may not be able to get
> in. Have you been there in the past month?
>
>> But in all fairness the rangers watch very closely and they know sometime
>> the manatees will approach you without you knowing it. It can be a
>> suprise to come nose to nose with an 800 lb gray blob.
>
> In all fairness, most of the rangers have been very realistic about the
> situation, and their diving rules enforcement in general has been strict
> but fair. I've always found them very pleasant.
>
> Curtis
>
>
>

""Magilla"" <cavey_curtis@$$ yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:mpCHf.15628$id5.978@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Not the case anymore, have reports the eco-terrorists have won, divers
> now chased out when the damn things are present. They seek the contact,
> divers get penalized.

So, you have to enter from the boat ramp instead of the park and swim up the
stream... Navigable waterway, they can't do a damn thing to you... Long swim
though... Upstream swim to boot...

""Magilla"" <cavey_curtis@$$ yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:mpCHf.15628$id5.978@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Not the case anymore, have reports the eco-terrorists have won, divers
> now chased out when the damn things are present. They seek the contact,
> divers get penalized.

So, you have to enter from the boat ramp instead of the park and swim up the
stream... Navigable waterway, they can't do a damn thing to you... Long swim
though... Upstream swim to boot...

"Gary Owens" <gowens1@cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
news:ZpKHf.1422$_c.1380@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
> Last time I was there was Dec, but we live only 15 min from there, so as
> soon as the weekend schedules clear a bit, I'll go over.

Anyone made it past Cork/Cap Rock and explored the rest of the system yet?

"Gary Owens" <gowens1@cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
news:ZpKHf.1422$_c.1380@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
> Last time I was there was Dec, but we live only 15 min from there, so as
> soon as the weekend schedules clear a bit, I'll go over.

Anyone made it past Cork/Cap Rock and explored the rest of the system yet?

Not that I've heard, and I can guarantee It won't be me. I managed to look
down that little hole once when the flow was light. There is a reason I'm
just "Cavern", not "Cave". Something to do with 4000+lbs. a cubic yard for
that limestone.

Gary
Dalton, Fl


"Grumman-581" <grumman581@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:bSKHf.4081$Ob5.1453@tornado.texas.rr.com...
> "Gary Owens" <gowens1@cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:ZpKHf.1422$_c.1380@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
>> Last time I was there was Dec, but we live only 15 min from there, so as
>> soon as the weekend schedules clear a bit, I'll go over.
>
> Anyone made it past Cork/Cap Rock and explored the rest of the system yet?
>
>

Not that I've heard, and I can guarantee It won't be me. I managed to look
down that little hole once when the flow was light. There is a reason I'm
just "Cavern", not "Cave". Something to do with 4000+lbs. a cubic yard for
that limestone.

Gary
Dalton, Fl


"Grumman-581" <grumman581@DIE-SPAMMER-SCUM@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:bSKHf.4081$Ob5.1453@tornado.texas.rr.com...
> "Gary Owens" <gowens1@cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:ZpKHf.1422$_c.1380@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
>> Last time I was there was Dec, but we live only 15 min from there, so as
>> soon as the weekend schedules clear a bit, I'll go over.
>
> Anyone made it past Cork/Cap Rock and explored the rest of the system yet?
>
>