Paradise Spring

Nestled in a little tropical sink, the bright blue waters of Paradise open up into a deep cavern that slopes gently downward to 100′ feet. Tropical pothos and elephant ears ring the small open-water basin, warmed by the 74-degree water of the spring. Fossils line the Ocala limestone walls, and cave-adapted crayfish populate the small room at the bottom of the cavern.

🎥 How to Dive Paradise in 60 Seconds

Access: Parking is right next to picnic table area, immediately adjacent to steps leading to spring. Use caution on the steps; they are irregular and can be steep in places.

Admission: Privately owned; follow dirt roads to house and park in front of garage, just before the closed gate. Owner (Jen) will come out to greet you, collect admission fee, and check cert card and show you orientation video if it’s your first time. You must be AOW or have 15+ dives to enter, unless you have discussed permission in advance. 

Parking: Anywhere next to picnic table area and steps to spring. Spots are not marked, and parking can be limited; be considerate when parking and leave space for others. On busy days may need to park in grassy areas across from staging area.

Gear up: At picnic tables/gazebo.

Conditions: Cavern immediately descends down a steep slope 100’ into a small room; you are in an overhead environment for the vast majority of the dive. Water is slightly warmer (74) due to warm vent in cave. 

Cave/cavern: This is a cavern, with a small cave zone at the bottom. The cavern is lined for safety, and the cave zone is well-marked. You should be certified or comfortable with overhead environments and have excellent buoyancy control. OW divers should not descend below 60’ where the first line ends at ceiling.

Cautions: Does not flood; good choice if other sites are browned out. Common training location for advanced/tech classes on weekends. Closed Mon/Tues except by special request. Nitrox recommended; depth increases deceptively quickly – keep close eye on depth and NDL. Stay out of posted cave zone; a small tunnel descends down to 140′ – open water divers can shine lights from entrance to see the commemorative plaque to Tony Robert, who died in the passage during a cave-in in 1996.

Tips: This spring is loaded with fossils, but they can be hard to spot! If you are having difficulty, ask to rewatch the orientation video. Highlights include the whale bone; when descending/ascending swim to the steps – the whale bone is immediately underneath these steps in a few feet of water; you will need your light on to see it. It is huge! There are dinnerplate-sized seabiscuits in the ceiling at the entrance above the platform; they are white and blend in, use your lights and go slowly. There is a ribcage at approximately 60-65′ on the righthand wall, near the bottom by the log debris. Please respect all fossils and leave them in place for others to enjoy.

There are also two fun swim-throughs at the bottom of the cavern; facing the small room (with the cavern entrance behind you), swim over the rock pile to your left. There is a small hole that you can enter that goes up and back around to exit right above the entrance to the cave passage. It is a tight turn; use judgment in navigating. The second swim-through is on the right-hand side (facing the room), where a short passage branches off; note, this is a cave zone. Once you have turned the corner ambient light from the entrance is no longer visible. If you follow the passage back 10-15′, it connects to a parallel passage above – turn and return along this passage. Use extreme caution – it is extremely silty, unlined, with no ambient light.

Nearest dive shop: Ocala Dive Center; Aquatic Center of Ocala.

Food: None on site. Visit Ocala. 

Hot showers: No

Rinse station: Yes

Toilets: Yes

Changing area: Yes; indoors