GINNIE SPRINGS, HIGH SPRINGS, FL
MORRISON SPRINGS, PONCE DE LEON, FL
VORTEX SPRINGS, PONCE DE LEON, FL
GINNIE SPRINGS, HIGH SPRINGS, FL
This is a nice resort-like dive site set around three spring boils that feed into the suwannee river. Every convienance is available - snacks drinks, beer, picnic supplies, full service dive shop, airfills ($4), VIP's ($10 w/ air fill), hydro's ($25). Nice modern ($unsure) and primitive ($10) camp sites. $10 to swim, $24 to dive. Excellent snorkeling and kiddy areas. Fauna includes bream, bass, suckers,turtles, catfish, etc. There are three actual dive sites: Ginnie Springs, Devil's Eye, and Devil's Ear. The biggest attraction is Ginnie Springs. At 15ft is the entrance to a 60ft wide, 70ft long cavern that goes to a depth of 60ft. The light is moderate to low, and lights are recommended. There is a huge guide-line throughout the length of the cavern, and it is considered safe for open water divers! This is a perfect place for you and your buddy to experience the unique diving environment of the Florida freshwater spring system. Devil's Eye and Ear, however, are limited to certified cavern and cave divers. (800)874-8571
Nice Spring dive, and free!
VERY DANGEROUS CAVE
The spring basin itself goes to a depth of 50' and emptys down a shallow stream into the suwannee
river. The entrance to the cave is at 40ft or so, just to the right of where you enter the spring.
Once inside, the passages immediately turn right and left - i.e. your instantly in
a cave environment. However, this tends to go unnoticed because of the immense passageways, 8ft
high and 5ft wide! To make things worse, there is little flow from the cave and it is extremely
silty; one fin dragging and visibility is at zero. I cannot stress enough to stay clear on your
dive unless trained and comfortable with these conditions.
There is plenty to see in the basin, however. Bream and catfish are common. So are freshwater flounders, but you'll really have to be looking to find them! Topside, there are also the usual tree-ropes to swing you out over the water. There is a nice deck leading right down to the water. Locals are usually abundant on the weekends, so get there early for best vis, which ranges from 40ft (worse case) to 100+ft(prime conditions). Not a bad trip from Ginnie Springs for a second day of diving. It is also an interesting night dive. Directions - from Branford, Fl take US129 north for 6 miles to O'Brien. Turn left on S-349 and go approx. 9 miles. Turn left on the graded road (just after the cow mailbox, across from very large farm) and go 0.7 miles. Turn left and go 0.2 miles to the spring.
I was very impressed with this dive. It is recommended for cavern and cave divers, but is considered "next to safe" for open water divers, and is an excellent way for an advanced diver to experience Florida's cavern/cave systems, and to view into Florida's Geological past in a way few people get to experience. The park is ran by father and son divers. Jim looks out after the dive shop while his son works in the field as an instructor. After paying your $24, your given a tour of the dive with wall-mounted models of the sink, and told of the wonders that await you below. (Technically, since there is no flow, its a sinkhole and not a spring.) The site is located just behind the diveshop. Quality air-fills are available ($5) while you unload. Rock steps lead down through tropical plants to a 25ft diameter pool. There is a nice deck set up to adjust and buddy-check. Once below, you'll see the enormous algae covered whale bone embedded in the side at 10ft. The main room slopes downward at a 45o angle and has a guideline which runs to a depth of 100ft. Beyond this point is limited to cavern and cave divers only, and goes to a depth of 140ft. The ceilings are up to 70ft high, and its such an awesome feeling to be able to "fly" around such a large room using your bouyancy techniques. Once you've reached no-deco time limits at your planned depth, your dive begins! All the way back up, sea biscuits, sand dollars, animals, and who knows what else are embedded in the rock. Thousands of enormous sand dollars cover the ceiling from 60ft up. The shelf formations are equally impressive. You can slowly come up following the ceiling, looking at amazing natural phenomenon and decompressing the entire way! How's that for a built-in safety feature. More than one species of catfish are present, as the sink is fed from two separate aquifers! There is also an enormous plecosthamus (algae eater) named Archie that someone apparently released into the sink. It takes alot more than one dive to take in everything, so plan your day around SIT times. There are bathrooms, water hoses, and picnic tables right at the site and Ocala is very nearby. The owners are very hospitable and knowledgable about their site and about diving. Reservations are recommended so they'll be expecting you. (904)368-5746
This is a very 'different' dive, but I like to do it now and then anyway because of what I find at the bottom. This is definitely an advanced dive. The site is located on church-owned land that isn't kept up - watch for broken glass. There are no facilities. Once you reach the dive spot, your greeted with a 75ft bluff that plunges almost straight down to the water. There is a couple of walkways down to the water, all are pretty steep. If you have a backpack-type dive bag, you may even fare best wearing it, carrying your tank, and suiting up at the bottom. A rope is recommended, if not required, for exiting up the 3ft high banks. A knife wouldn't be a bad idea, either. Once in, either hold wrists or use a buddy line on descent, as visibility is almost zero down to 40ft. Once below this, visibility increases to 25-30ft. Little light breaks through the murky surface, so lights are required. The depth ranges from 70ft in the middle part of the sink to 100+ft leading down to the cavern. Once below, you witness Florida sinks at their most primitive state, as nothing has ever been done to prep this site for diving. In addition, people have added various articles to the sinkhole - last dive I saw a Chevy Van, a Ford F150 pickup, a motorcycle, an old car rear-end, inverted, and a kitchen sink. Everything is covered with a thick layer of silt, like dust in an ancient house. Also last dive, I found a ascention line, thoughtfully placed by the UF diving instructors, in the middle of the sink basin. The line ends with an air-filled, 5 gal jug at 15ft for your safety stop. If you think you'd like a challenging, spooky dive, give this one a try!
Directions: From Gainesville, take S-20 through Hawthorne. When you get to where S-21 goes SOUTH to Johnson, continue on S-20 for 1.9 miles. Turn left on the paved road that runs up the side of the hill (road is across from a lake). Go about 100yds and take one of the two sand roads leading into the woods on your left. Roads are very sandy! Use caution to avoid bogging down. Follow the road back to the sink.
This is a very nice dive site with a very safe cavern and no cave system entrance. The spring has a flow of 90 mgd (million gallons per day) and feeds into Holmes Creek. There is a large basin, excellent for swimming and snorkeling. At maximum penetration into the cavern, 70ft depth, light can still easily be seen from the entrance. There is no silt because of the very swift flow. Once through the small (6ftx10ft) entrance, however, you enter a large (40ftx15ft) room with no noticible flow. What you do notice, however, is the large number of eels that inhabit caverns in the panhandle springs. There are literally hundreds of them! They're harmless, of course, and will stay out of your way. Its also a nice challenge to try to freedive into the cavern, using the rocks at the entrance to pull your way in. I've seen bream, bass, snakes, turtles, and if your lucky, you may even see an alligator. The park always has its share of 'pets', also. Squirrels, goats, and deer are accustomed to humans and will come up to you for food. You can rent canoes for a 3 or 10 mile trip down the creek. There are bathhouses and nice campsites available. Diving runs around $20 though night diving isn't allowed. Snorkeling/swimming/park entry fee is around $5. Rental equipment is also available. Nice short trip from PC for some freshwater diving. Be sure to check your gear for freshwater plants if you been diving in local lakes, rivers, etc, as the owners are trying to keep certain types of flora from taking over the spring. (850)535-2960
MORRISON SPRINGS, PONCE DE LEON, FL
A highly regarded dive site! This is another fine freshwater dive just a short way from the coast. Entrance fee for divers is only around $5, and camping is also available for a small fee. Air is available, as are rentals. Concessions are also available. The spring basin is very large and emptys into the Choctawhatchee River. There are two cavern entrances, neither can be penetrated beyond the glow of natural light. Lights are required, however, because of the tannic nature of the river water. The first entrance is large, and is at 30ft. The second is smaller and is at 50ft. Look for the boils on the surface if the water is murky. There are eels everywhere inside the cavern, as usual in panhandle caverns. Depths to 90ft are possible. (850)836-4223
VORTEX SPRINGS, PONCE DE LEON, FL Click to visit!
This is an excellent and complete dive facility. The basin is extremely large, and is popular with the locals for swimming and snorkeling - there is a springboard, a diving platform, and a swing-cable. There is a complete dive shop, and instruction is available. This site is used alot for certification dives when the gulf is rough, or students who want to certify in freshwater. There are two checkout platforms at 15ft, with a fresh air bell between the two structures so you can communicate without surfacing. The cavern entrance is at 50ft, a nice freediving challenge! Once inside, a lighted handrail leads 400ft back into the cave to 115ft depths. Night diving is allowed. The spring basin is full of Koi (japanese goldfish), carp (huge, but were a product of incestual farm breeding - that's why some of their backs are crooked, though it doesn't seem to affect them), FAT bream, bass, turtles, etc. (850)836-4979.
