One of North America's most prehistoric places, this underground
spring is inside a dry cave and has been home to many extinct animal fossils dating back to the Pleistocene Age. The water is crystal clear with a year round 72
degree temperature. There are ancient rock formations with stalactites and fossil beds dating back 33 million years.
There is a small gift
shop and 2 large changing areas with showers and bathrooms. They also have cabins to rent as well as a camping area and RV park complete with picnic tables and
charcoal grills.
This is privately owned property so there is a fee for entry as well as snorkeling and diving. Everyone is required to complete
an insurance liability waiver upon entering the property. You MUST be at least 18 years of age or with a parent on property to complete the waiver.
Devil's Den is very close to Blue Grotto so you can dive one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
Markers - None.
Details - Freshwater sinkhole with a constant 72° water. Visibility can be limited as this is a frequent training site.
Marine Life - A few fish and a small turtle named Nelson.
Recommended Certifications - Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Enriched Air (Nitrox), Multi-Level, Peak Performance Buoyancy. |
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The Blue Grotto is the spring side of an inline sinkhole. The water is crystal clear with a year round 72 degree temperature. At times, visibility can be
limited because this is a training site.
There is a gift shop, cabins and cottages for rent, an RV area, pavilions and a bathhouse. For diving, they
have a location for air and Nitrox32 fills.
This is privately owned property so there is a fee for entry as well as snorkeling and diving. Everyone is
required to complete an insurance liability waiver upon entering the property. You MUST be at least 18 years of age or with a parent on property to complete the
waiver.
Blue Grotto is very close to Devil's Den so you can dive one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
Markers - None.
Details - There are 3 distinct areas for diving.
1. A large open water basin with platforms for training, this area goes down to 40'.
2. The upper cavern has a wide entrance and descends down to 50'. Near
the entrance is an "air bell" with viewing windows and breathable air pumped in from the surface. You'll find some interesting artifacts in this area.
3. The lower chamber has no ambient light and offers no direct sight of the surface and has a depth of 100'.
Marine Life - Lots of curious fish and a turtle named Virgil.
Recommended Certifications - Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Enriched Air (Nitrox), Deep, Multi-Level, Peak Performance Buoyancy. |
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Only 27 first-magnitude springs exist in Florida, and Alexander
Springs is by far one of the easiest to enjoy. The spring is a constant 72 degrees and extraordinarily clear. Surrounded by a floodplain forest of maples,
sweetgum and cabbage palms, this recreation area feels almost tropical.
This site has a lot to offer since it's within one of the National Forests
in Florida. There is a picnic area and they offer camping, backpacking, swimming, and boating. This is also the only area in the Ocala National Forest where scuba
diving is permitted. There is also a large bathroom complete with showers and a changing area.
Since this is part of the National Forest, there is
a fee for entry.
Markers - None.
Details - This is a shore entry area with a sandy bottom. In the deeper pool area, you can see the sand bubble up where the water feeds the spring. There is
a slight current so the water is always clear. It is a bit of a hike from the parking lot to the dive area but there are plenty of picnic tables around to setup
your gear.
Marine Life - Lots of small fish.
Recommended Certifications - Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Enriched Air (Nitrox), Peak Performance Buoyancy. |
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The Devil's Spring System
The Devil's Spring System is home to three separate springs: Devil's Eye,
Devil's Ear and Devil Spring, which together produce nearly 80 million gallons of water daily.
Devil Spring (also known as "Little Devil") is a fracture
with a breath-taking view as you look skyward. Even from the very bottom, it is not unusual to look up through the clear water and be able to count the leaves on the
trees overhead.
Devil's Eye is a round opening. At the bottom is the entrance to a small, intricately decorated cavern. Certified divers may enter the
cavern and explore up to the limit of what they can see, using available sunlight.
Devil's Ear is a canyon-like opening located where the Devil Spring
run joins the Santa Fe River. At the bottom of this opening, water gushes from a cave opening with nearly fire-hydrant-like force. Although the water in the Devil's
Ear basin is generally crystal clear, it is common for it to be covered with a thin layer of tannin-stained river water. This phenomenon enables divers to sit in the
basin's clear water and look up at the sun and trees through a unique, stained-glass effect created by the river water.
The Ballroom at Ginnie Springs
The chief attraction here is the Ginnie Cavern, whose wide, open entrance can be found at the bottom of the basin. Ginnie Cavern is among the handful of
sites that experts consider sufficiently safe to allow exploration by divers who lack formal cavern or cave diver training. Certified divers of all experience levels
may take lights into the water with them at the Ballroom and use these lights to explore the underwater cavern. The cavern's upper room is illuminated by light from
the entrance. Looking back toward the entrance from this room provides a breathtaking view. Like most of the cavern, the upper room's walls are composed of an
extremely light and highly reflective limestone, which adds to its natural beauty.
Moving to the back of the upper room, divers pass through a large
opening into the amphitheater-sized area called the "Ballroom". Although surface light is clearly visible from most places within the Ballroom, divers will want to
carry dive lights to see everything there is to see. The Ballroom provides divers with the opportunity to examine many of the unusual geologic formations that are
unique to the Floridian Aquifer. The Ballroom's ceiling contains an excellent example of sponge work, a gigantic, limestone swiss cheese. Midway between floor and
ceiling, divers will find evidence of a bedding plane, a distinctive horizontal crack that is crucial to the movement of underground water. At the northwest corner
of the Ballroom is a beautifully carved phreatic tube, a perfect example of the most common form of underwater cave formation. Nearby, a larger bedding-plane
formation collects air in mercury-like pockets on the ceiling. At the very back of the Ballroom is a large, welded grate. This grate prevents divers from entering
the dangerous, silty and maze-like cave system that lies beyond. Nevertheless, most divers enjoy pulling themselves up to the grate, so that they can experience the
"in-your-face" force of the 35 million gallons of water a day that pass through the opening.
Santa Fe River
There are many Santa Fe River
dives, but most divers like to enter the water at the Devil Spring system and drift dive the nearly 1,000 feet to Ginnie Spring. Along the way, they may see
Pleistocene-era fossils from giant ground sloths and other prehistoric mammals.
This site is private property so there is a fee for entry and diving.
Markers - None.
Details - Only certified cavern or cave divers may enter the water at the Devil Spring system while carrying dive lights.
Devil Spring - 4 feet wide, 50 feet long and almost as deep.
Devil's Eye - 20 feet across and equally deep.
Devil's Ear - Canyon like opening.
Ginnie Spring Basin (Ballroom) - A large, bowl-shaped depression measuring over 100 feet across and 15 feet deep. A 150-foot long run connects the basin to the nearby
Santa Fe River. A large-diameter, heavy duty guideline runs from the back of the Ballroom to the cavern entrance. This helps ensure there is never any doubt as to which way is out.
Santa Fe River - Visibility in the Santa Fe River can reach as much as 30 to 40 feet or more.
Marine Life - ?
Recommended Certifications - Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Enriched Air (Nitrox), Drift, Multi-Level, Night, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Cavern, Cave. |
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