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Florida Springs and Caverns

Splash makes about a half dozen trips per year to North Central Florida to dive the many springs. Our activities range from open water diving in Blue Grotto and Crystal River, to cave diving in Peacock Springs and Little River, to technical training at Forty Fathoms.

Most of us drive down, since flying introduces too many complications after diving and it's hard to bring our tanks on a plane. We usually stay either in High Springs or closer to Crystal River.

Places to dive

Map of the springs and caverns

Some of our favorites:

	Peacock Springs State Park
	Madison Blue Springs State Park
Forty Fathom Grotto

Photos!

The water temperature from the springs is a constant 71–72 degrees year-round. Some locations are a few degrees colder. We tend to stay in the water for extended periods of time, so when choosing exposure protection consider something warm. Many prefer at least a 3mm full wetsuit with hooded vest, or a 5mm.

In the summer, air temperatures tend to be in the 90's during the day. In the winter the high can range from the mid 60's to upper 70's.

Places to stay

We try to coordinate lodging for everyone who goes on a trip. Talk to us to see if you should reserve a room.

Cadillac Motel, our favorite place to stay in High Springs.
Alamo Motel, also in High Springs
Property is also available for daily rental at Ginnie Springs.

Trip costs

Florida springs trips are currently being run "a la carte"—no trip fees are collected other than course tuition. This is a list of the additional costs you can expect to pay if you come down with us:

Lodging: $25–50 per night or more. Depends on season, single or double occupancy, location, etc.
Gas fills: $8–20 or more per day depending on the dive site and what gases you need.
Dive site admission: a few cave diving sites are free, but most sites will cost between $10 and $35 per day.
Repeat visitors may benefit from purchasing a Florida state parks annual pass; talk to Ron or Dori for details.
Food: we go out to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Depending on what you eat (and drink), this can cost you between $20 and $50 per day.
Transportation: it's about 900 miles to High Springs from Alexandria, one way (12–16 hours). Take that distance, your car's gas mileage, and the current gas price and do the math. For obvious reasons, we usually carpool, so if you drive with someone else expect to bear half the cost of gas.
Some of us drive the entire distance to Florida at once, but others spend the night in a cheap motel off I-95 when they can't take it anymore. If you plan to do this, remember to consider the hotel cost.
Also, since the springs are pretty far apart a lot of driving is done in Florida itself. Most cars will need to stop at a gas station once every three or four days.

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