What are the rules?

With the exceptions noted below, wee don’t have a lot of rules. What we do have are outlined in our orientation video, which is mandatory viewing. These deal primarily with:

Being considerate of others.
Protecting the environment.
Preserving the good visibility.

Regarding diving, we expect all our visitors to stay safe by remaining well within the limits of their training and experience.

Exception one: No solo diving

Every diver must be with a buddy or be part of a class. There is no solo diving (even if you have a card that says you can). This is a standard of practice for all north-central Florida dive sites, including state parks.

Exception two: No going past sight of daylight

Unless you are a certified and properly equipped Cave Diver, you may not go beyond either of the two warning signs. If we catch you doing so or if someone else reports you, you won’t get a warning. What will happen instead is that you will be banned from the property. Permanently.

Exception three: Certain equpment items

There are certain equipment items that we do not want to see people bringing to Blue Grotto. At least not without prior permission. You can see the list of these items here.

What rules must divers follow when visiting Blue Grotto? For the most part, these rules are covered in the orientation video that every visitor must watch before scuba diving here.

Before you can get a wristband that allows you to dive here, you must complete a liability release. On this form is a box you must initial indicating not only that you have watched the video but that you agree to abide by what it outlines.

The last thing you want is a situation in which we catch you doing something the video clearly says not to do. If you are forced to admit you did not actually watch the video, we will tell you to get out of the water, go back to the store and watch it like you were supposed to have done ahead of time.

What the video covers

The orientation video covers a lot of ground, but two topics relate directly to diver safety and enjoyment. These are:

Risks and hazards
Being considerate of others

Risks and hazards

This part of the video outlines risks and hazards that are unique to Blue Grotto. These include things like:

The fact you cannot always make a direct ascent to the surface.

Why you must resume breathing normally after leaving the air bell or risk a serious lung-overpressure injury.

What you will find in this section are not so much arbitrary rules but rather us saying, “This can hurt you. Don’t do it.”

Being considerate of others

This portion of the video is devoted to ensuring as many people as possible enjoy their visit to the Grotto. It includes things like:

Not impeding others’ ability to enter and exit the water.

Not damaging or defacing the natural beauty of this unique environment.

Preserving the exceptional visibility by practicing good buoyancy control and staying clear of the bottom.

We expect that everyone who visits the Grotto will think of others and not just themselves.

Safety-related rules

When it comes to diving safely, we have just one rule. That is:

Everyone who dives the Grotto must remain well within the limits of their training, certification and experience.

A set of standard safe diving practices is part of every diver training organization’s entry-level course. Before divers receive their certification, they must acknowledge that they understand and agree to follow these rules. This includes things such as:

Use only complete and well-maintained equipment.

Do not take uncertified friends or family members diving.

Continuously monitor air, depth and time and surface well within your available gas supply and no-decompression limits.

Always dive with at least one competent and capable buddy.

That last point is especially important as direct ascents are impossible throughout most of the Grotto. This means that, should you run out of air, the only way you are making it back to the surface is if you have a buddy who is willing and capable of sharing air.

What happens if we catch you breaking these rules?

If the transgression is minor, you may get off with a warning.

If the transgression is serious or we catch you repeating something you were previously told not to, we may tell you to get out of the water, pack your gear and leave.

Going it alone

From time to time, we get calls and emails from people asking, Do you guys allow solo diving? The simple answer is, Does solo diving fall within the limits of your training, certification and experience?

By default, every diver training organization expects you will always dive with a competent and capable buddy. Some organizations, however, offer a form of Solo Diver certification. For example:

SDI offers a Solo Diver course.
PADI offers a Self-Reliant Diver course.
SSi has an Idependent Diver course.

These courses are basically the same thing. Does this mean you can show up at the Grotto, flash your Solo Diver card and take off by yourself? Well, it’s not quite that simple.

To start, training standards prohibit you from solo diving in standard scuba gear. You must do so while wearing sidemount, doubles with an isolation manifold or a pony or bailout bottle.

Even more significantly as far as the Grotto is concerned, standards prohibit solo diving in overhead environments.

This means that, as a Solo Diver, you would be limited to diving to 30 feet or less in the open-water basin. This hardly makes it worth the effort.

‘Just to recap

If you take nothing else away from this article, remember these two things:

Most of what you need to know when diving Blue Grotto is covered in the orientation video. This is required viewing for everyone who dives here. Don’t tell us you watched the video if you, in fact, haven’t. It will get you in trouble.

Everyone who dives the Grotto is expected to remain well within the limits of their training, certification and experience. Failure to do so can result in anything from a stern warning to expulsion from the park.

If you have questions about anything you read here, let us know.