Dive Report:

Fossil Dive Trip!
Ginnie Springs,
Santa Fe River,
Florida
June 21-24th, 2006

pictures by: Jerry Fortenberry,
Tena Hendrix, Rick Jacquot

When diving in a waterway, river etc. you have to have the dive flag displayed so boaters etc. can see where you are. Jerry had the flag attached to his suit with about 40 feet of line.

Once we reached a likely spot to fossil hunt, we descended to the bottom of the river. The bottom depth is around 15 to 25 feet in places.

In order to find the fossils, you have to locate a gravel bed at the river bottom. Once you locate the gravel, you fan the silt dirt from the top, the current carries the dirt away and the fossils are exposed. This river is loaded with all kinds of fossils.

Fossil bearing gravel on river bottom.

Jerry fanning the dirt while looking for fossils.

Jerry sticking a fossil in his goodie bag.

A goodie bag is attached to your dive gear. It has a spring loaded opening that automatically shuts itself to keep your treasures from falling out.

Having a blast!

We would spend about an hour and twenty minutes under water searching for fossils, then my air would run low and we would surface to refill and inspect our finds.

Fossils in my goodie bag.

Jerry checking his finds while Tena takes pics.

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