Scuba Discovery at Blue Spring State Park

Blue Spring State Park Information:

Rated as one of Florida’s top rated freshwater dive destinations. Florida Dive Company is Blue Spring State Park ONLY approved Scuba Concessionaire. This gives our divers a guaranteed entry into the park. We begin this dive with an easy walk up the scenic boardwalk to our private divers staging area. This location is equipped with diver benches which allow you to assemble your gear and is a short walk to the diver’s entry. After you explore the spring head enjoy a leisurely and gentle drift dive downstream.
 
Enjoy many freshwater species such as Catfish, Bass, Brim, Gar, Turtles, and Manatees. (Wildlife is never guaranteed) Total dive/drift time ranges from 30-45 mins and with year-round 72-degree water temperatures and 100ft of visibility, makes this a perfect dive destination for all levels of diving. This dive destination makes a great family activity since divers and snorkelers can participate together.

Course Information:

For those who want to test the waters and try scuba, this is the course for you! The Scuba Discovery Program gives you a glimpse of what you can expect to experience in the underwater world as well as what you could expect to learn in the Open Water Scuba Diver course. During this experience program, you will go through the basic safety procedures for enjoyable scuba diving under the watchful eye of an active teaching staff.

You will learn skills such as equalizing your ears, buddy checks, basic buoyancy control, underwater communication, and more. You will also be given an introduction to basic scuba equipment followed by an underwater tour of Blue Spring State Park. 

Although this is not a scuba certification course, Scuba Discovery experience is a unique, fun, quick and easy introduction to what it's like to explore Florida’s underwater ecosystems.

Course Prerequisites

What is included:

  • Private Excursion 
  • Entry fees to dive locations
  • e-Learning Material (Must be completed prior to your in water training date)
  • Air tank rentals 
  • Quality Rental Equipment (Buoyancy Compensator,
    Regulator Set, Dive Computer, Fins, Mask, Dive Boots,
    Tanks & Weights)

What is not included:

  • Tips: (Dive Master & Instructor)
  • Transportation to Training Locations or Dive Sites

The Florida Dive Company Difference:

We offer smaller class sizes than a typical dive shop. This means you receive the added benefit of a semi- private class at no additional cost. Our reduced class size allows our students to have direct experience with our Instructors which we believe produces a more knowledgeable, safe and confident diver. We do not rush you or your training as we understand the natural progression of learning as each individual learns at different speeds.

We take pride in our instructional methodology and adhere to our course standards all while providing a safe, fun, and memorable learning experience that will last a lifetime.

Florida Dive Company offers e-Learning options with our all-inclusive package pricing.

No Hidden Fees! (Tipping is not included) 

Cost:

$150.00 Blue Spring State Park (seasonal location April - Nov only)

*Note: This price includes a 1 tank dive, add an additional tank for $75 (includes air tank and Instructors time.)

 

Welcome

Get to know the experts at Florida Dive Company! With a love for our local ecosystem and years of experience, our team is decdicated to helping you dive confidently!

Jim Newell

SDI/TDI/ERDI/PFI/FRTI Instructor Trainer

Florida Dive Company (FDC) was founded in 2017 by Jim Newell.  Jim's love for scuba diving quickly turned from a recreational hobby to a passion for providing education and training for other dive enthusiasts 🤿. Jim knew that he wanted to take a different approach to scuba diving and that is how FDC was born.  His goal was to reduce class sizes and bring a much higher quality of training to his students.

Jim takes pride in his instructional methodology and adherence to course standards, all while providing a safer, fun, and memorable learning experience that will last a lifetime.

Jim and his wife Christine have three daughters who also share the love for all things sun and ocean. They have 2 rescue dogs; Cole (Great Dane) and Gizmo (Toy Yorkie), who are best friends and take up way too much room on the couch.

Mikol Rowland

SDI Open Water Scuba Instructor

Mikol is a family man with a passion for almost anything related to water. With their three kids, he and his wife enjoy outdoor activities like diving, scalloping, fishing 🐟 , hiking, and hunting.

Mikol was raised on the water in Florida and he served 15 years of traveling the world with the U.S. Army (hooah!). P.S. Don’t forget to thank him for his service!

The Florida waters called him back for vacation adventures in the sunshine.

Looking for a new career, Mikol turned his love for the water into the professional world of scuba diving. As an Instructor, Mikol uses his positive attitude to keep diving fun and his military background to ensure constant attention to detail and safety every time he steps into the water.

Michael Lenardon

Dive Master

Photo and Bio coming soon!

Mary Ann Apolonios

Events & Marketing Manager

Mary Ann is a freediver and underwater photographer. Grew up in Orlando but her roots are from the Philippines. She is definitely an island girl at heart! You will always find her near the water, whether it’s spearfishing with her husband, kayaking with friends or fishing with family. She loves sharing her passion for the water with others, as she is a part of a community of freedivers that advocates the awareness for safe diving practices and never diving alone. Her freedive group creates meetups to spread knowledge on the buddy system to reduce the risks of dive related accidents.

Through freediving, she has grown a love for traveling. In the last two years she has gone to the Caribbean Islands and Hawaii for unforgettable experiences diving on famous shipwrecks, meeting with professional underwater photographers and diving with manta rays, whales, sea turtles and sharks. 

Did we mention, Mary Ann is a pastry chef too! (Yummmy 🎂)

On behalf of Jim and staff, welcome to the Florida Dive Company family!