Yeah the dive has to be in a group. I've got the web site somewhere, don't have time to mess with it right now, but will find it and get back to you.
My advice would be if you want to go up there and do the dive, do it, I wouldn't make it two dives (what you would need to get the deep cert.).
I threw out the vertigo thing because the conditions there are pretty extreme and some people aren't used to it. The water is 55 degrees, which means a thick wet suit (that usually doesn't fit perfect), not to mention the cold water is disorienting by itself if you're not used to diving in water like that.
Then the dive itself has no reference point - you're in a perfect cylinder, everywhere you look is just a concrete wall. I've seen people panic down there before and things can spiral out of control in a hurry (I've had to catch people from doing something stupid and hurting themselves before.
2 hours from a hospital and a looooooong helicopter ride to a deco chamber is no place to figure out at 130 ft. that you don't like extreme cold and round walls and wanna be on the surface (just a warning).
As for diving in the aquifer, I assume you mean caving. My recommendation is the same I make to everyone who asks about caving: don't do it. Too many people relative to the number of people doing it get hurt or killed. Overhead environments with no direct line of ascent to the surface that can easily be silted out are a deathtrap IMO.
And you don't really get anything out of it, there's nothing amazing down there to see other than rocks (my opinion). I'd much rather be out in the gulf or someplace tropical.
If you're looking for something with a scientific lean then go up to Aquarina Springs in San Marcos. It's like $180 for the scientific diver certification course and once you're certified you can go dive there for free for life (not a bad deal if you're in the centex region).
Just be sure you're money on your buoyancy as that's a lot of the course (swimming through rings, swimming under grids, etc.).
I've trained a little over 500 people and have just north of 200 recreational dives under my belt. Most of my diving has been in the Bahamas and Hawaii, and the Gulf.
Bang for the buck: Blackbeard's liveaboard in the Bahamas. Sails out of Miami, 6 days, usually get 18-20 dives in, all you can drink/eat, good dives, great shark dive, all for $900.
http://www.blackbeard-cruises.com/
The Gulf of Mexico Flower Gardens trips are also good ones, and day trips out to the rigs (we usually hit three rigs on the trips).
The other good destination is Pensacola, lots of good diving and it's basically a days drive from SA (about 12 hours). You can go down on a Friday, get in 4 dives on Saturday, a night dive on the Saturday night, two more on Sunday morning, and then drive home (if you're up for that kind of drive after that much driving).
Pensacola's gonna be even better after June 1 or so - they're sinking a 900 ft. aircraft carrier off shore (it's called the Oriskany). I am teaching up in Dallas right now, and we'll probably have a trip set up to go to Pensacola within two weeks of its sinking, that's gonna be a kick ass dive.