Open Water Dive Sites of North Florida
Visit here for information on cave dives in the area.
Best for:
- Ascent Training: Troy
- Fundies Training: Manatee, Blue Grotto, Troy, Royal, Orange Grove
- A Quick, Mostly Shallow Dive: Ginnie Springs (closest)
- Spring Hopping: Orange Grove, Royal, Troy as these are in same area about 10 minutes apart with free or inexpensive entry fees.
Tips
- Address: available on each site’s website.
- Suggest confirming open status and prices via websites.
- At State Parks: read the brown signs at the entrance for current rules for each site.
- All locations have amble parking, picnic tables, and grill stands.
Prices/hours subject to change. We don’t control them and try our best to update below when able. Please email us if you find an error.
Ginnie Springs, High Springs FL
Devil’s Run
- $32 plus tax
- 10 mins West of High Springs
- Max depth in OW 20ft/6m in very limited areas, most depths 8ft/2.4m max
- Devil’s Run, Ginnie Springs (ballroom) run, and several other springs on property
- Several caverns/caves
- Nice amenities (showers, hot water, changing rooms, bathrooms, covered pavilions)
- Topside attractions: swimming, tube/kayak/canoe rental, volleyball, onsite deli weekends and summer
- Floods rarely
- Hours: Must check-in during office hours: 8-4 winter, 8-6 or later summer. Must be out of park by midnight.
- http://ginniespringsoutdoors.com/
Winter View
Summer View
Blue Grotto, Williston FL
Blue Grotto
- ~$45
- 45 mins South of High Springs
- Max depth in OW 35ft/11m
- Several platforms at different depths
- Fish and turtles
- Can be crowded on weekends
- Large cavern
- Nice amenities (showers, hot water, changing rooms, bathrooms, covered pavilions, fill station)
- Almost never floods
- Hours: 8am to 5pm
- http://www.divebluegrotto.com/
- Intro video – https://youtu.be/N_E-5v_nwNQ
Devil’s Den, Williston FL
- $38 plus tax
- 45 mins South of High Springs
- Doubles NOT allowed
- Max depth in OW is 20ft/6m in limited areas
- Platform
- Can be crowded on weekends, esp. Saturday
- Almost never floods
- Hours: 9-5 weekdays, 8-5 weekends
- http://www.devilsden.com/scuba-diving.html
Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland FL
Catfish Hotel Sink
- $4pp or $6/car, or park pass
- 45 mins Southwest of High Springs
- Catfish Hotel Sink (best for training) and Headspring (high flow)
- Catfish: Max depth in OW is 35-40ft/12m depending on water level
- Headspring: Max depth in OW is 20ft/6m
- Capacity limited and can be crowded on weekends, arrive early
- Duckweed at Catfish will vary in thickness
- Amenities: Bathrooms, covered pavilions, changing room
- Topside attractions: hiking, swimming, kayak/canoe/tube rental, tours/guides, onsite food vendor some days, sometimes manatees in winter
- Gets better as rivers rise/flood, up until the point that the parking lot floods and park closes
- Hours: 8am – one hour before sunset
- https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Manatee-Springs
Fanning Springs State Park, Fanning Springs FL
$4pp or $6/car exact change cash, or park pass- 45 mins Southwest of High Springs
- Max depth in OW is 18ft/5m
- Amenities: bathroom, changing room, covered pavilions
- Topside attractions: hiking, swimming, sometimes manatees in winter
- Sensitive to flooding with high river levels
- Hours: 8am – one hour before sunset
- https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Fanning-Springs
Troy Springs State Park, Branford FL
Troy Spring
- $4pp or $5/car exact change cash, or park pass
- 30 mins North of High Springs
- Max depth in OW is 70ft/21m
- Some flow in deep part of sink, still in open water
- Civil War w/reck in the shallow run
- Lots of turtles
- Amenities: bathroom, rinse station
- Topside attractions: swimming
- Sensitive to flooding with high river levels
- Hours: 8am – one hour before sunset
- https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Troy-Spring
Royal Springs (Hugh Byron Hollingsworth, Sr County Park), O’Brien FL
Royal Springs
- Free
- 40 mins North of High Springs
- Max depth in OW is 35ft/11m
- Amenities: porta-potties, small pavilion, tank rack
- Topside attractions: swimming, boat ramp
- Sensitive to flooding with high river levels
- Hours: daylight
- 20091 157th Lane, OBrien FL
- https://suwanneeparks.com/royal-springs-2/
Orange Grove Sink at Peacock Springs State Park, Luraville/Live Oak FL
- $4/car exact change cash, or park pass
- 55 mins North of High Springs
- Max depth in OW 35ft/11m
- Usually a thin layer of duckweed at surface
- Amenities: composting toilet, changing room, covered pavilion
- Topside attractions: swimming, hiking with interpretive trail
- Moderately-sensitive to flooding with high river levels
- Hours: 8am – one hour before sunset
- https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Peacock-Springs
Orange Grove Sink
Visit here for information on cave dives in the area.
