Ginnie Springs
| Site Info | |
|---|---|
| Type | Cave, Open Water |
| Coordinates | 29.8361, -82.7001 |
| Region | North Florida |
| Access | Shore |
| Depth range | 20-200 |
"Cave, Open Water" is not in the list (Cavern, Cave, Wreck, Lake, Reef, Cove, Inlet) of allowed values for the "Has site type" property.
Details
The Ginnie Springs Outdoors property is privately owned. There are two major sites suitable for divers.
Ginnie Spring offers open water and cavern diving. Notably, open water divers are not required to be cavern trained to enter the cavern (the "Ginnie Ballroom"). This is probably the only site in the United States where open water divers are expressly permitted to dive in a true cavern environment. At the back of the cavern there is a cave system but it's been grated off since time immemorial and will likely never be open to divers as long as GSO owns the property.
Devil's Eye/Ear are the entrances to the Devil's system, which is the main draw for divers. This system is huge, complex, and beautiful, considered by some to be the crown jewel of Florida cave diving - at least, accessible Florida cave diving.
The water here is a consistent 72 degrees year round and when the Santa Fe river is not flooded the water is some of the cleanest and clearest water in the world.
Check in closes in the afternoon, but once you check in to the park your pass is good until midnight so you can dive as much as you like.
Access
Navigate to Ginnie Springs Outdoors (GSO) in your navigation application of choice. It's a business so it should be easy to look up. The address is:
7300 NE Ginnie Spgs Rd, High Springs, FL 32643
Check in
Divers must check in at the front desk. You must show credentials specific to the exact diving you are planning to do. For example, if you plan to conduct a CCR cave dive, you must have a card that says "CCR cave diver" or equivalent. The combination of a CCR card and a cave card are not sufficient and staff are aware of the difference.
After checking in and paying, you will receive a colored wristband and a car tag to hang in your window. Drive up to the site you wish to dive, locate a suitable parking spot, go diving.
In the summer months Ginnie gets very crowded with both divers and non divers, so it's best to be waiting at the door when they open. Otherwise check in times can be exceedingly long.
Facilities
Ginnie Springs is a developed recreational campground first and has all the amenities you might expect from a commercial campground. Facilities include fully enclosed bathhouses with toilets and showers. The main lodge has a shop that sells various convenience items that campers might need (common medicines, sports drinks, snacks etc).
In the busier summer months the bathroom facilities are usually disgusting, but still better than nothing. As there are no dedicated changing rooms, if you plan to use the bathrooms to change, expect to get mud and water on your clothes as the floors are usually quite muddy and the interior of the bathhouses are typically wet.
A full facilities list is located here.
Dive shops
GSO has a fill station on site. Cave divers will likely get tanks from either Extreme Exposure or Cave Country Dive Shop which are both located in the nearby town of High Springs.
Highlights
- Devil's Ear/Eye - widely considered to be the crown jewel of tourist Florida cave dives
- Ginnie Spring - probably the only place in the US where open water divers can experience a true cavern environment in relative safety
- Good facilities
- Extremely clear, temperate water
Safety
This site is a recreational campground first and a dive site second. Divers are heavily outnumbered in the summer months by locals. Loud music, golf carts, weed, drunk people, high people, drunk golf cart drivers etc. are all commonplace so be very mindful. Locals typically do not molest divers or their equipment, but caution is warranted and valuables should not be left in sight.
In both springs, tuber traffic can be extremely high and divers need to exercise caution in the water to avoid getting kicked. There are stairs leading to the water at both sites but these will often be blocked by locals standing on them. This can pose a safety risk so be prepared to politely handle this situation.
Think twice before diving on major federal holidays, and most of all, do not attempt to dive anywhere on Ginnie Springs property during Memorial Day. The park is closed to divers over Memorial Day in recent years but even if it is not, this is to be avoided at all costs.
