To prevent myself from doomscrolling in the event that something went down on inauguration day, I decided to go camping! I stayed at O’Leno State Park, and went diving at Ichetucknee Springs.
Since it was a cloudy, occasionally drizzly Thursday in January, there weren’t a lot of swimmers. The couple that were already there were finishing up when I arrived, and for the duration of my stay I had the place to myself.
The water may appear to be glassy and still, but looks can be deceiving: this particular spring puts out about one million gallons per hour, which you can really feel down at the vents.
Since I was holding my phone, I was swimming with only one hand, and as I approached the vent I just kinda… stopped, being able to move forward, for a second. As soon as I stopped swimming against the current, it flipped me around and pushed me back to the surface.
As small of a spring as it is, it’s really pretty, and has a few interesting things underwater. The dive sleeve I have for my phone doesn’t take the clearest underwater pictures, especially if it isn’t sunny out, and I unfortunately didn’t get any good pictures of the fish. The next time I visit (which I definitely will, there’s another spring called the blue hole a fifteen minute hike from the head spring that I want to check out), I’ll borrow my sister’s GoPro and get some better footage and pictures.
When I returned, Papaya was jealous that JT got to help me unload and she didn’t, so figured out how to get over the fence so she could join us. Whoops. She hasn’t gone out there again today, probably because it’s been rainy, but I’ll have to keep an eye on her…
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