Peacock Springs

Site Info
Type	{{{type}}}
Coordinates	"N83°08'10.7"W 30°07'54.8"N 83°08'10.7"W
Region	US Southeast
Access via	Shore
Depth range	20-175 ft

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Looking out from within the Peacock I cavern

Peacock Springs is a submerged freshwater cave system connecting a collection of karst features (sinkholes and springs). It is located within Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park in north central Florida in the United States. The closest city is Live Oak, FL.

Details

Location

Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park is located a few miles east of Luraville, on 180th Street.

Depth

Peacock I

The spring basin is deepest near the cavern entrance at around 40ft.

Depths in the cavern are around 60ft. For cave depths, refer to the system maps.

Peacock II

Basin depths of 15-20ft.

Peacock III

Average depth of 50ft. There are a few exceptions:

• Hendley's Castle drops to a maximum depth of around 180ft
• Lower Orange Grove has a deepest point of around 175ft
• The tunnel to Peacock II is around 80ft although it is not passable as of 2023

Refer to detailed Peacock maps which include depth information.

Conditions

Conditions in the sinks and springs are variable. Temperature remains around 72F year round. Visibility is generally quite clear in Peacock I and II. Peacock III tends to have the milkier visibility characteristic of siphons, around 20-50ft.

Facilities

Peacock I/II/III parking area has:

• Gear benches
• Picnic tables
• Changing areas
• Porta-potties

There are steps leading to the water's edge at Peacock I. Peacock II and III have no steps.

Cave

The Peacock/Orange Grove system is extensive.

Adjacent to the central parking zone of the park, you'll find Peacock I, II and III. The main attraction for divers, Peacock I, features two interconnected tunnels under the wooden staircase at the water's entrance, forming a spacious cavern. The path to Pothole springs is straight underneath these stairs. On the cavern's extreme right, a narrow passage heads in the direction of Peacock II, though it's impassable for divers. Venturing left from the cavern, over a field of scattered debris, leads to a pathway diverging towards the Peanut tunnel, located to the right after a 300-foot swim from the surface. This section is shallow, ranging from 15 to 30 feet deep, before expanding into a larger, collapsed chamber. Depths here fluctuate between 30 to 70 feet. On the Peanut route, 1200 feet in, a left-hand side detour provides access to the Water Hole exit. Continue 200 feet beyond this detour to find the crossover passage on your right, creating a round trip back to Peacock I. A further 400 feet along, there's a detour on the left, 100 feet away from the main path, leading to another spring source for the system. The Peanut tunnel's course ends 200 feet after this spring source, just beyond the Peanut restriction area.

Peacock II lies just a short trek along Peacock Run, and as mentioned before, it doesn't have a cave entrance. The basin depth of Peacock II ranges between fifteen and twenty feet, making it an ideal spot for a refreshing swim on warm days.

Peacock III, characterized by its siphon nature, forms its basin through the outflow from Peacock I and II, often blanketed with duckweed. A vast cavern entrance marks the beginning of the cave system. The siphon effect typically results in visibility ranging from twenty to fifty feet within this system. The primary path is flanked by a labyrinth of tunnels, with an average depth around fifty feet. About nine hundred feet along the main route, a low and silty detour to the left leads to the system's sole spring tunnel. Further along, at fifteen hundred feet on the left, is the jump to Hendley's Castle. This route culminates in a large chamber, where depths can reach up to one hundred and eighty feet.

Situated 200 feet west of Peacock I, Water Hole marks the ninth and final entry point into this cave system. It's accessible via a path that winds around the basin, starting from the wooden staircase. Characterized as an off-set sink, it's often blanketed in duckweed. Divers typically access Water Hole by traversing from Peacock I. Its tunnel showcases a diverse array of geological structures, from fissure cracks to bedding plains, offering a contrast to the usual domed ceilings and flat silty floors found in other parts of the system.

Notes

• Since Peacock is relatively shallow, it is one of the few caves in Florida where deco is usually not required

Maps

Detailed maps are available for purchase from Cave Country Dive Shop and Extreme Exposure. Those two maps are reproduced in full here.

• 

  Map of the underwater cave system and sinks except Peacock III

• 

  Map of Peacock III

Notes

• The Crypt connects to Lower OG as of 2022; this is an extremely advanced no mount dive
• These maps do not show Baptizing Spring, which connects to the Peacock system; access is limited and this is considered an advanced dive.
• Recent work by the KUR has extended Peacock III far beyond the extents shown in the P3 map; these dives are also extremely advanced. If you visit P3 be sure to look for the KUR decompression habitat on the left side of the cavern, but please do not touch or enter it.

Access

Enter the park and pay the iron ranger. Per vehicle fees are $4. Sign in on the diver sign in sheet.

Upon entering the park you will be in the parking lot for Orange Grove. To get to Peacock 1-3, go to the rear of the lot and turn right. Follow the winding road through the woods until you arrive at the P1 parking lot.

Do

• Peacock is one of the most popular dive sites in the area. Be mindful of other divers, especially when entering the water.

See

With multiple entrances, many traverses are possible. The "Grand Traverse" goes from Orange Grove to Challenge, then Olsen, ending at Peacock I. Plenty of other shorter and simpler traverses can be conducted, such as P1 to Olsen Sink. Interconnecting tunnels also provide ample opportunity for setting up circuits.

If diving the Olsen tunnel, keep an eye out for Pothole in the ceiling. You cannot exit here but it is possible to spot light entering the system.

Life

• Cave-adapted crayfish may be found throughout the cave system
• Catfish inhabit the cavern and cave
• Alligators are known to frequent Peacock

Safety

To enter the cavern areas you must be cavern certified. To enter the cave you must be cave certified.

Hazards

• Gators are known to inhabit the entire Peacock tract
• Peacock II and III do not have steps and demand caution when entering and exiting, especially in backmount doubles

Nearby

• Cow Spring
• Telford Spring
• Bonnet Spring