"High Springs, Florida"
Florida's Ginnie Springs Outdoors:

A Site for All Seasons

By Linda Lee Walden

Northern Florida might be likened to a giant sponge. Its porous limestone allows rainwater to soak easily into the bedrock. As it flows down through the limestone it is filtered of impurities, leaving it crystal clear. But the rainwater also eats away at the rock, dissolving it and forming water-filled cave systems, underground rivers.

Where the aquifer is near the surface and subterranean water pressure is high, the filtered rainwater can erupt onto the surface through cracks in the limestone, creating springs. The overflow from the springs follows the path of least resistance to the nearest river; this is called a "run."

Northern and central Florida is honeycombed with springs, 600 of them, flowing out of an underground river system. Many are divable, although only trained cave divers can safely access some. The seven springs within Ginnie Springs park, just outside the town of High Springs, appeal to all categories of water enthusiasts: snorkelers, recreational divers, cave divers, swimmers and even canoers and tubers.

Ginnie Springs Outdoors, a park of more than 200 acres along the banks of Florida's Santa Fe River, is well-known to the diving community in the eastern United States as a year-round destination for scuba training and cave diving. Before the land was purchased in 1972 at an estate sale and turned into a commercial facility, a cattle rancher had owned it for half a century. Trespassing divers often entered the cave systems, and several of them perished.

The new owners, St. Petersburg land developers Barbara Wray Suggs and her former husband, who also happened to be a scuba diver, bought the property to turn it into a park for diving and camping. After building wooden decks and entry stairs at several springs and two bathhouses, and removing 52 dump trucks of garbage, Ginnie Springs Outdoors Inc. opened Labor Day weekend 1976 and has been expanding its facilities ever since.

According to Suggs, the springs were recorded under the name "Ginnie" in an 1847 U.S. government survey of the Suwannee River and its tributaries (which include the Santa Fe River). The story goes that at that time a timber company owned the land and Ginnie was the much-appreciated cook at the settlement surrounding the sawmill.

The seven accessible springs at Ginnie all flow into the Santa Fe River within the 2.5 miles (4 km) of river that fronts the park. Their combined flow rate totals 260 million gallons (985 million liters) of water per day; water so pure that it is collected underground and piped to a nearby bottling plant for retail sale.

Only two of the springs are used for diving: Ginnie Spring itself and the Devil's Springs system. The rest of the springs have basins too small or shallow for scuba, but they have been developed for other water activities.

Ginnie is the main spring, with a basin more than 100 feet (30 m) across and 15 feet (5 m) deep. It is here that dive centers from all over the eastern United States bring students for open-water training when it is too cold in the North or to take advantage of the clear water and convenient facilities.

In addition to the constant 72-degree-Fahrenheit (22-degree-Celsius) water temperature and the crystal-clear visibility, the attraction for diving in Ginnie Spring is the cavern. The mouth of the cavern is wide, allowing sufficient light to enter the upper chamber for it to be considered safe for divers not trained in cavern techniques.

The cavern slopes gradually for about 100 feet (30 m) to a maximum depth of 55 feet (17 m) at the back of a second large chamber known as the "Ballroom." Surface light is still visible here, but dive lights illuminate fascinating geologic formations unique to the Florida cave systems. A permanent divers' guide line ensures safe exits.

Ginnie Spring is the only place in the park that noncave/cavern divers are permitted to carry dive lights into the water. The reasoning is that if a diver untrained in cave diving does not have a light he or she is much less likely to venture into a dark cave system.

Dive lights are not a problem in Ginnie's cavern because a grate made of cold rolled steel (so it can't be cut with a hacksaw) has been welded across the entrance to the cave system at the back of the Ballroom. Prior to Ginnie Springs' opening in '76, the owners consulted with some of Florida's most experienced cave divers, including Tom Mount and Jim Fishback. This simple solution was suggested and put in place by a group led by Mount.

Although they can't enter Ginnie Spring's cave system, divers enjoy pulling themselves against the current to experience the feeling of the 35-million-gallon- (133-million-liter-) per-day outflow from the grate.

The Devil's Springs system is composed of three springs that share the same run. Little Devil Spring, which erupts at the head of the run, is only 4 feet (1.2 m) wide but 50 feet (15 m) long and almost as deep. Devil's Eye is more or less round, 20 feet (6 m) across and 20 feet deep, with a small cavern entrance at the bottom.

Devil's Ear, right at the edge of the Santa Fe River, is a fissure opening. Although the underground water gushing into its 30-foot- (9-m-) deep basin is clear, tannin in the river water often forms a thin, reddish-brown layer on the water's surface. The view upward from the bottom of the spring can be surreal.

Together, all three of the Devil's springs release almost 80 million gallons (304 million liters) of water a day into the river. Devil's Eye and Ear are connected by a passageway. They lead into a cave system more than 30,000 feet (9,144 m) long, making it one of the most popular cave-diving destinations in the world and a good place to begin cavern/cave training. Lights are not permitted except for certified cave divers and cave classes.

As a bonus to diving at Ginnie Springs park, the visibility in the Santa Fe River can clear to 30-40 feet (9-12 m) in the drier summer months due to a higher concentration of spring water. Divers drift from the Devil's Springs run downstream to Ginnie Spring. Sights include catfish, bass, gar, bream and snapping turtles, some of which reach 60 pounds (27 kg). A flag and float are required.

Entry to the various springs has been made convenient and safe by the construction of large wooden decks with wide, railed steps leading into the water. One of the entry points at Devil's Springs even features separate stairways for divers and others, and put-in and take-out areas for tubers are provided at the upstream and downstream ends of the property.

Over the years two additional bathhouses have been erected. Each of the four is heated and offers hot showers as well as changing and restroom facilities.

Five picnic shelters, each capable of seating 100 people, are spread around the grounds near various springs. Picnic tables are abundant, providing divers with ample space for gearing up, briefings and lunch. The owners have even built 11 volleyball courts complete with sand playing surfaces.

Ginnie Springs Outdoors' first dive center was built in 1978 and expanded in 1998 into an attractive two-story structure. It now houses the registration counter, a gear and accessories area, rental, scuba cylinder fill station, country store and administrative offices. Four classrooms have recently been remodeled and are available for use by visiting instructors. Tubes and canoes are also found on site for hourly or daily rental.

Next to the main building is the Ginnie Deli. Open Friday through Monday, it offers a hot and cold breakfast and lunch menu.

Except for the expansive horse pasture that greets guests as they enter the property, Ginnie Springs park is shaded by mature cypress, sweetgum, ironwood and live oak trees. The hurricanes in the fall of 2004 resulted in the loss of a number of mature trees, but efficient cleanup efforts have made the natural culling unnoticeable to visitors. The park was closed for six weeks because the Santa Fe overran its banks, but is fully recovered and operational.

Divers and other water enthusiasts can choose from 300 campsites spread throughout the park, 55 of which offer electric and water hookups. One 10-person rental cottage is available, with a second to be added soon. Walking and bicycling trails crisscross the grounds and are lit at night.

Cooler months are more popular for divers at Ginnie Springs Outdoors. Groups arrive from Europe for a week of touring Orlando's amusement parks, diving Ginnie Springs and viewing the manatees at Crystal River. As many as 300 divers use Ginnie and Devil's springs on weekends.

The park staff is able to monitor the large number of divers by the use of colored wristbands designating divers' certification levels. Security staff check that those preparing to enter the water are registered as divers or students with an instructor and are cave- or cavern-qualified if carrying lights.

A few cave diving accidents have occurred in the park's 30-year history, and emergency procedures are in place. A first-aid station and oxygen are on hand and the Spring Ridge fire department is 2 miles (3.2 km) away. The nearest recompression chamber is in Gainesville, a half-hour by ambulance or eight minutes by helicopter.

For current entry, camping and rental fees check the Ginnie Springs Outdoors Web site at www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com or call (386) 454-7188.