The spring itself is very popular with divers due to its diversity in the skills required to comfortably scuba dive there. Blue Springs is also a popular site for freedivers as the spring head reaches about 18m before it becomes a cavern. Many divers enjoy the challenge of the current rising from the deep aquifers, where water flow can exceed 100 cubic feet of water per second!
As you descend down into the spring you can see the remnants of fossils and shells from millions of years ago. Divers with proper cavern and cave certification enjoy depths that can bottom at about 36m.
After spending time diving in the spring head, Divers enjoy a beautiful drift dive back towards the main swimming entrance and can sometimes meet a friendly local manatee if they are lucky. Interacting with the manatees is forbidden, and often enforced by one of the volunteer manatee watchers that monitor the site.
Often times you will see several schools of alligator gar, you may find some plecostomus who really shouldn’t be there but are interesting to watch nonetheless, turtles, bass, and sometimes, otters frequent the run from the spring head as you drift along winding through fallen oaks and observing the hustle and bustle of the underworld of the run.
You can practice your buoyancy while drifting in crystal-clear waters. In order to do all of this though, you’ll need to arrive early - very early.
Check in with the rangers at the front gate. Be prepared with your physical dive certification card - they don’t take your e-cards - and prepare for a healthy walk to the scuba entrance from the parking lot.
The water is 22 degrees C year-round and the run can be very popular with swimmers, snorkellers and tubers as you drift back from the spring. Did you know?The flow from the spring can be strong and may catch you by surprise. You may want to dive a couple of pounds heavier, so you are not fighting the upwell current as much and makes it easier to descend.Essential informationLocation: Orange City, Florida, USA Depth: 1m-36m Diver level: Beginner to advanced Who to dive with Seminole Scuba www.seminolescuba.com