Cave Country

My current location: cave country

Friends, I am in Florida! My husband, Carl, and I are in cave country. If you say "cave country" to most technical SCUBA divers, they will know exactly what you are talking about. If you explain to anyone other than a technical SCUBA diver that you are driving 20 hours to spend Christmas vacation in rural north-central Florida, they will think you are insane. But I assure you, friends, it is worth it. 

The state of Florida sits on a series of limestone caves. Natural springs are everywhere. Water rushes through a complex network of passages and bubbles up to the surface. If you are an adventurous person, you can swim down to the bottom of any river, lake, pond, or sink and find your way into a water-filled cave. If you have your dive gear, you might even explore further. 

I was trained as a cave diver a few years ago. I even did my closed-circuit rebreather training in a cavern in this part of Florida. There are plenty of caves to explore around here, and quite frankly, the cave diving community is an amazing group of people. This part of the country has a special place in my heart. 

Over the next two weeks, my husband and I will be diving in caves. I am beyond excited to have a real break from work - no email, no meetings, no proposals, not even any data analysis. It is the only real break I have gotten all year.

God bless Cave Country.