This is the place for
freshwater spring diving..... North-central Florida has an
abundance of freshwater caverns and caves.
Forty Fathom Grotto
Forty Fathom Grotto is the
home of Hal Watts (Mr. Scuba) and where I received my training
for cavern diving. The above picture of Hal was taken on one of
my training dives with him a couple of days before his 60th
birthday. Hal is a Guiness world record deep diver and founder
and President of the Professional Scuba Association, Inc.
Located northwest of
Ocala, the grotto, seen in the above photo, reaches a depth of
240' (forty fathoms). The green material you see on the surface
is free-floating duckweed. The grotto is equipped with an
underwater bubbler to produce bubbles which spread the duckweed
allowing additional light to enter the cavern.
Above you see a large
fossilized sand dollar dating back 54 million years! It, along
with other sand dollars and sea biscuits, can be found on the
underside of one of the cavern's ledges at a depth of about 40'.
Blue Grotto
Blue Grotto is located on
Route 3 just north of Williston, Florida. It boasts crystal clear
water, 100' depth, three platforms in open water, fresh air bell
at 30', permanent heavy duty guidelines, dressing and restroom
facilities with hot water showers, picnic areas, and, full
service shop with air station and rentals. This is an easy dive
but, because of the depth, I recommend that beginning divers be
accompanied by an experienced deep diver. As with all springs of
north-central Florida, the water temperature hovers around 72F
year-round.
Devil's Den
Beneath the greenery
growing from the rim of this sinkhole, is a beautiful walk-in
cavern (wooden stairs) where the diving begins about 40' below.
Devil's Den is also on Route 3 just north of Williston, Florida
and only a short distance from Blue Grotto. I found this to be my
favorite spring dive. There are many swim-throughs, nooks and
crannies to explore. The clear water and maximum depth of about
60' makes it an easy dive as long as one avoids the temptation to
explore beyond the main cavern. See also: Devil's
Den
Ginnie Springs
Ginnie Springs Resort is located on the Santa Fe river in High
Springs, Florida. It has facilities and recreational
opportunities for the whole family. Camping, cottages, nature
trails, volleyball courts, snorkeling, diving, two mile inner
tube run, canoeing, bicycling... a great place to get away. Phone
800-874-8571.
View of the main spring.
A large, open cavern is accessible to certified divers (cavern
certification not required).
Entrance to Devil's Ear
and Devil's Eye springs. Both require cavern or cave diving
certification for use of dive lights.