Blue Grotto, a north-central florida dive destination popular with

instructors and students and those looking for  relatively safe overhead

experience, came close to being sold for $2,000,000 (ya... two million

dollars).  Official Blue Grotto Site.

   however, owner Ed Paradiso felt that was not enough money, and

the sale fell through.  Of course, Paradiso is the same guy who charges

$18.00 for a Nitrox fill (exhorbitant in the area).  I would be surprised

if he ever sells Blue Grotto at all, given his expectations.  earlier,

the county authorities had decided not to bid on the property.

  bidding at auction maxed at around $1.5 million.  Negotiations

after the auction supposedly went above $2,000,000, but Paradiso

reportedly felt that was not sufficient.  Source.  Since the auction

started at $3,000,000 (to the disbelief of the atendees) before

it was re-started at a more reasonable $1,000,000, it's safe

to assume that Paradiso believes the minimum price to be

around $3,000,000.

    Blue Grotto is a nice place, but it does tend to get crowded, and

once a class or two of Open Water students is in there, you might

as well kiss visibility goodbye. 

   I actually did two of my OW dives there, as well as my DIR-F class,

so I'm fond of the place... Nitrox prices being the exception.

They have a guy there on weekends who has his own portable

smoker, and he serves up a mean b-b-q pork sandwich. oh yes.