Guided Diving in the Florida Springs

Private guided dives in north central Florida’s open water springs and caverns

$200.00

We offer guided dives to certified open water divers in our local freshwater spring basins and “open-water friendly” caverns (Ginnie Ballroom, Devil’s Den, Blue Grotto, and Paradise).

Popular open water spring basins include Manatee Springs, Royal Springs, Troy Springs, and Orange Grove Sink. These sites feature wide open springs, with little to no overhead, where divers can ascend directly to the surface at all times. Additional shallow sites suitable for junior open water divers include Fanning Springs, Alexander Springs, and Rainbow River.

Open water divers who would like to experience a taste of cavern diving are welcome to dive at our open water-friendly caverns in Florida. These sites include Ginnie Springs, Devil's Den, Blue Grotto, and Paradise Springs (AOW required). These sites do not require a cavern or cave certification, and can be dived in standard single tank recreational gear.

To see a full list of available dive sites, please see this interactive dive map from one of our partners, Spring Run Diving.

Several state park open water sites (Manatee, Orange Grove, etc) contain cave or cavern zones. Guided open water dives will not venture into the overhead, and we will not carry lights at these dive sites. We do offer guided cavern dives at these sites to divers who are cavern or cave-certified.

Our guided open water dive rate is $200 per person/day, which includes up to two dives at the same site. Guide fees do not include gas fills/tanks, rental gear, or site admission/entry fees. All guided dives are private, and one-on-one. We provide complimentary water and light snacks on all dives. Additional same-day dives or long distance sites may be available for an additional rate.

If it has been more than 6-12 months since your last dive, we ask all divers to complete DAN’s “Prepared Diver” eLearning Course, which uses real-life dive accidents to review common, preventable mistakes. This course is free and provided as a service to the dive community by Diver’s Alert Network (DAN).

Planning a multi-day visit? We are happy to recommend sites and suggested dive itineraries, along with discounted package rates.

*Book Guided Dive Here**

Guided Cavern Dives

$250.00

We offer guided cavern dives at sites restricted to certified cavern and cave divers throughout north central Florida, including the Devil’s Eye system at Ginnie Springs, Little River, Peacock Springs (Upper & Lower Orange Grove, P1, P3), Madison Blue, Emerald, and Buford Sink.

Our guided cavern dives dives are conducted using full cavern protocol (rule of thirds, lines, etc.), and led by an experienced cave-certified guide in full cave gear. Due to the nature of Florida caverns and rule of thirds (especially in single tanks), divers should expect short (~ 20 minutes) dives. Additional dives and tanks may be added upon request. Divers are welcome to practice reel and line-handling skills during the dive.

Certified cavern/cave divers are welcome to dive in single-tank, backmount doubles, or sidemount configurations. Proof of cavern or cave certification (or an upcoming course expected to lead to such certification) and previous experience and/or training in your chosen configuration must be provided upon final confirmation of booking. Depths at some sites exceed standard recreational limits; all divers are expected to remain within limits of your training and certification.

Please note: Overhead diving at these sites requires a cavern or cave certification. If you are not cavern or cave certified, you may dive at one of the open-water friendly caverns (Ginnie Ballroom, Devil's Den, Blue Grotto, Paradise) which do not require a cavern or cave certification Please see our recreational guided diving rates and booking form to book these dives.

Our guided cavern dive rate is $250 per person/day, which includes up to two dives at the same site. Guide fees do not include gas fills/tanks, rental gear, or site admission/entry fees. All guided dives are private, and one-on-one.

*Book Cavern Dive Here**

"Back in the Water" Package

$250.00

If it has been more than 6-12 months since your last dive, we recommend the "Back in the Water" package, which includes three dives at two separate dive sites, as well as free access to DAN’s “Prepared Diver” eLearning Course, which uses real-life dive accidents to review common, preventable mistakes.

The first dive, at Fanning Springs, is conducted in water shallow enough to stand, with a deeper 15-20' section near the spring vent. The subsequent two dives are conducted in nearby Manatee Springs State Park, with a dive in the shallow headspring (Dive #2) followed by a deeper dive at Catfish Hotel (Dive #3). A grilled lunch is included.

Guide fees do not include gas fills/tanks, rental gear, or site admission/entry fees. All guided dives are private, and one-on-one.

While we do not offer formal SDI refresher courses, we are happy to guide divers who have been out of the water for a while. If you are looking for a formal refresher course, please see our partners at Spring Run Diving.

*Book Package Dive Here**

Where the Water Flows

North Central Florida is home to unique geology - beneath our feet water flows through karst limestone riddled with holes like a rocky sponge. The result? Our Florida springs.

Dive like the locals! We offer guided open water and cavern dives with an experienced local Gainesville cave diver, from popular tourist destinations to off-the-beaten path treasures. Learn More