Top Five Springs For Scuba in Florida

June 15, 2022

Florida Springs offer visitors excellent sites to swim, snorkel, and scuba dive. Explore dark, mysterious caverns hidden under cool, refreshing springs and enjoy a unique and unsurpassed experience

Whether you want to look around Florida’s Blue holes or deep caves, there’s a truly wonderous experience for everyone. Yes, even for a curious Scuba beginner.

Find your next thrilling adventure with these five picks of Florida’s Scuba -friendly springs.

1. Ginnie Springs

Ginnie Springs is synonymous with cool, refreshing Scuba diving waters in Florida. Characterized as ‘Visibility – Forever‘ by the late diving pioneer and conservationist Jacques Cousteau, the fantastic Scuba destination offers an array of impressive networks of underwater caverns (like the ‘ballroom’) and waterscapes open to properly certified Scuba divers and beginners alike.

The exit is also remarkably visible from every level, but you might wait a while to discover the powerful aquifer source of these inviting springs.

Scuba newbies can choose to go for the ‘Discover Scuba Diving’ package for a day to figure out if they want to try for full certification.

2. Devil’s Den

There’s not much to see on the surface of Devil’s Den in Williston. That is until you step down the mysterious staircase that leads to glowing springs within the surrounding prehistoric cave.

The privately-owned spring is 120 feet in surface diameter with a depth of about 50-55 feet, which is a go-to spot for Scuba enthusiasts. And the favorite diving perks? Enjoy peeking into the nooks and crannies of limestone formations with some heavenly illumination of lights.

Beginners can also get training and certifications on-site. But, be sure to arrive with your favorite dive buddy before embarking on this trip – it is required!

3. Blue Hole (Ichetucknee Spring)

Imagine an underwater odyssey so calm, deep and inviting with a beam of lights penetrating the crystal-clear waters, allowing you to explore every aquatic species (turtles and fish) and waterscape. Sounds amazing, right?

Well, Blue-Hole Spring or the Jug Spring offers this and more. As the only first-magnitude spring in Florida, Blue Hole features water that remains at a constant 72° year-round, making it a Scuba-diving haven.

Only certified cavern Scuba divers are permitted to explore the mysterious blue waters, but you MUST have a dive buddy. Whether you enjoy this majestic spring at the surface level or down below, Blue Hole is an unforgettable experience!

4. KP Hole (Rainbow River)

The KP Hole Spring is a Scuba destination for beginners and Scuba-certified individuals. Offering constant 72 degrees water temps year-round, the spring lets you enjoy your summer exploring numerous varieties of fish, turtles, and aquatic plants and perhaps capturing an Instagram moment when sunrays hit the waterscape.

And the visibility?

Like the Ginnie Springs, this aquatic wonderland offers divers a 100-feet visibility range – you practically feel like you are gliding over the grasses on the current for this exhilarating yet relaxing dive.

5. Blue Grotto

While the thought of diving for the first time in a cavern can wake up your anxieties and paranoia antennas, the sensation of being submerged in a divine spring is not one to miss.

Enter Blue Grotto. With a dive depth of 30 meters (100 feet) and one of Florida’s largest clear water caverns, Blue Grotto is a Scuba-divers paradise. It allows you to observe fragile rock formation and nearly every undisturbed layer of silt!

You can also catch a glimpse of the elusive softshell turtle and freshwater fish that will surround you in a very inquisitive manner. Just make sure you have your diving buddy with you!

An Experience to Capture Your Heart and Imagination

Only in caverns and waterscapes can a Scuba-diving enthusiast hover amid nature’s handiwork. So, if you are in Florida and looking to scratch your diving itch, try these remarkable springs. It will be an experience for the books!