An Oasis in the Hill Country:

Aquarena Springs, San Marcos, Texas

By David Prichard and Lily Mak

Longtime residents of San Marcos, Texas, can remember seeing mermaids and a famous swimming pig in Aquarena Springs' crystal-clear lake. Now they watch scuba divers learning their skills in water flowing from what archaeologists believe is the oldest continuous inhabited site in North America.

Off Interstate 35 between Austin and San Antonio, Aquarena Center, as it is now called, was once the oldest amusement park west of the Mississippi River until Southwest Texas State University took over the 90-acre (36-hectare) property in 1994. The focus of the center has changed dramatically from entertainment to ecological preservation of the native plants and wildlife, including five endangered species.

Certified instructors must first complete the Aquarena Center's two-day Scientific Diver course before they can bring their classes to the designated scuba training area. The consistent 71-degree-Fahrenheit (22-degree-Celsius) water temperature, combined with great visibility and many varieties of fish, make the center an advantageous dive training site during the cold months of the year.

Liquid History

About 150 million years ago, this area of Texas was a submerged coral reef system. As the sea receded, geologic movement created the Balcones Escarpment, a fault line that separates the Texas "hill country" from the lowlands. The shift in the ground created the Edwards Aquifer, an underground reservoir that is 175 miles (280 km) long.

From 1979 to 1982, Dr. Joel Shinner, an archaeologist from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, conducted an underwater excavation of a small area near one of the springs at Aquarena Center. This dig produced more than 50,000 artifacts. The oldest of these reportedly dates back 12,000 years to the Clovis Indians. With an endless supply of fresh water and game, the artifacts uncovered suggest Native Americans have continually inhabited this haven.

The first group of Europeans to discover the more than 200 springs around the Aquarena area was a Spanish expedition in 1709. Franciscan monks later named the river produced by the springs after the holiday on which it was discovered — St. Mark's Day, or San Marcos. The San Xavier Mission was established at the Aquarena Center's present location and the springs became an important stop for travelers on the Spanish Camino Real from Nacogdoches to Mexico City.

General Edward Burleson, a former vice president of the Republic of Texas, bought the land around Aquarena Springs in the early 1840s. In 1849, he constructed what is now the second-oldest dam in Texas downriver of the springs. This created the present 16-acre (4-hectare) Spring Lake that covers the springs.

Before the dam forced the water level to rise to its present depth (the deepest part of the lake is about 28 feet [8.5 m]), the force of the water coming from the springs created a natural fountain. In 1846, William McClintock wrote about the largest of the springs, "…the channel here is 40 yards wide, the water 15 to 20 feet deep, yet so strong is the ebullition of the spring that the water is thrown two or three feet above the surface of the stream."

Several mills and an ice factory were built to harness the power of the springs in the late 1800s. The area was also an important stop for the Chisholm cattle trail from 1867 to 1895.

In 1928, Arthur Rodgers built the Spring Lake Hotel next to the upper series of springs and established the area as a resort. The Great Depression forced the closure of the hotel and it temporarily became a hospital. Rodgers' son, Paul, renewed the resort after World War II and laid the foundations for the beginning of an amusement park by offering glass-bottom boat tours of the springs in 1946.

A submarine theater was constructed in 1951 to allow patrons to view underwater mermaid shows like the ones made famous in Florida. "Ralph the Diving Pig" became a major attraction at the park with his "swine dives" and other aquatic tricks in 1969 until he retired nearly 20 years later. A Swiss sky rail ride was added to the park to help attract about 250,000 visitors a year during its best seasons.

After attendance began to decline, the land was sold to the university, which initially maintained it as an entertainment park but gradually converted the area into an educational center.

Divers Become Part of the Plan

Underwater maintenance for the submarine shows originally kept volunteer divers busy cleaning the view portals along with other duties. As Aquarena's emphasis shifted from amusement park to an ecological education center, the need grew for volunteer divers to conduct "underwater gardening" projects to transfer the springs back to a natural state with native species of plants and fish.

The spring waters were declared a "critical habitat" in 1980 and subject to the regulations of the Endangered Species Act. The area is also a registered archaeological site and is governed by the Texas antiquities laws. In 1996, an environmental review committee composed of federal, state and university representatives established the Scientific Diving Program to train all divers and coordinate all diving activities in Spring Lake.

The two-day course for certified divers covers a half day of classroom sessions on the geological, historical and biological aspects of the springs with emphasis on the antiquities and endangered species regulations as they pertain to divers. Heavy fines and imprisonment can be levied against divers who take artifacts or harm the wildlife in the lake.

Buoyancy control skills are evaluated in the class at an underwater obstacle course where divers traverse through a series of hoops and grid cages without touching them. The divers also conduct hovering drills and transport a heavy object over another grid without a lift bag.

Since there are still glass-bottom boat tours, divers are trained not to surface while out on the lake to avoid contact with the boats.

Orientation dives of the springs, including a night dive, complete the course so divers can observe the more than 50 species of aquatic life living in the lake. The last dive assigned to the student divers is to participate in a "gardening" project for the center. After completing the course, divers agree to volunteer their services for projects at least once a year to maintain their certification status.

These projects can include the eradication of non-native plants, like the Chinese hydrilla plant that can grow nearly 2 inches per day, or harmful nonindigenous fish. Once an area is cleared, divers can then plant native species, like the Texas wild rice grass.

In addition to the variety of common aquatic wildlife in Spring Lake (like bass, perch, catfish, gar, gambusia, sunfish, turtles and crawfish), divers have the opportunity to spot the rare fountain darter fish that live on top of the percolating springs, or one of two species of salamanders. The albino Texas blind salamander is rarely seen since it normally lives in the cavernous region of the aquifer. But occasionally one will get too close to a spring vent and get jetted up to the lake floor.

From Submarine Theater to Scuba Site

The former underwater arena, where mermaids used to perform in front of the now-closed submarine theater, is the designated scuba training area. This area is separated from the rest of the lake by partitions and classified as a noncritical habitat. Certified instructors who have taken the Scientific Diver course can schedule with the center's scientific diver supervisor, Bridget Lewin, to bring student divers to the training area for open-water training dives. These divers are not allowed to venture beyond the training area.

A metal ramp extends into the water of the training area for entrances and exits. A large gravel bottom provides a natural platform for student divers to conduct their skill tests at a depth of about 18-20 feet (5-6 m). The clear water naturally associated with spring conditions gives instructors and students visibility of 50-100 feet (15-30 m). Underwater tours usually navigate the inside perimeter of the training area and even around the obstacle course and submarine structure.

An enclosed staging area, with indoor changing rooms, is positioned near the training zone. This area also houses an air fill station. Cylinder refills are included with the $25-per-day scuba admission fee. There is no admission fee for visitors to tour the Aquarena Center's grounds, but there is a charge for glass-bottom boat tours.

The old hotel is being renovated into state offices and a portion of the building will be part of the future Texas River Education Center. Southwest Texas State University is the only college in the United States to actually own the headwaters of a river.

Student divers can not only complete their open-water training dives at Aquarena Center, but also take the Scientific Diver course and participate in ecological projects to assist in the reclamation of the area's natural habitat. Additional training for scientific divers in underwater archaeology is occasionally offered at the center. Volunteers who take this additional training may be able to assist in archaeology projects at the site.

While mermaids and swimming pigs have long since disappeared from the springs, Aquarena Center offers divers a diverse biosphere to explore and several unique educational opportunities to enhance their training.

Contact Information

Aquarena Center is operated by the Southwest Texas State University's Continuing Education Department's "Diving for Science" program. To find out more information about the program or to enroll in the Scientific Diver course, contact the scientific diving officer, Bridget Lewin, at (512) 245-9769 or go to the center's Web site at www.aquarenacenter.com. The cost of the Scientific Diver course is $200.

The center is about 28 miles (45 km) south of Austin in San Marcos, Texas. Take Exit 206 off Interstate 35 and travel west on Aquarena Springs Drive about two miles (3.2 km). The center is open seven days a week, but hours may vary seasonally. The center is closed Christmas week and the first week of the New Year. In addition to the glass-bottom boat tours, a variety of educational tours and field trip programs are offered at Aquarena Center. For more information,
call (512) 245-7540.