My favorite family trip every year was camping at Ginnie Springs. It’s roughly two hours away from my house so it felt like we went to an entirely new state when we reached the secluded campground. There are dirt roads covered with trees and these immaculately clear spring fed pools throughout the park. There are bathroom facilities, a log cabin store and tube rental place, sand volleyball nets, and of course springs to swim in.
These clear pools of indigo are at a constant temperature of 68 degrees!! Because the springs are located like a string of pearls along the Santa Fe River, it is easy to paddle a canoe or kayak or simply float down the river or “go tubing” to visit each one. You see all kinds of animals too, I was once within arms reach of an otter!
There are over 900 springs in the state of Florida, making it the highest concentration of springs on earth, each beautiful and unique. Here’s a map of where they are in Florida:
Springs are a gift from the Florida Aquifer
The reason our state has so many is because of the vast limestone that lies beneath the ground. An aquifer is saturated limestone beneath the ground where water can easily flow through the stone’s pores. The larger the pores are, the faster the water in an aquifer will move using gravity as its pushing force. The rainwater that falls to the ground is what fills up an aquifer and pushes the water that is already in the aquifer to fill natural gaps in the earth.
Then we get liquid jewels like these guys:
A photo of Ginnie Springs that was featured on National Geographic.
Underground caves are also a result of the Florida Aquifer
When the rainwater seeps into the limestone, it fuses with the carbon dioxide in the air and decaying plant matter to form a carbonic acid. This acid dissolves into the limestone and enlarges the pores and crack. Over thousands of years this causes Florida to have large channels of underground caves where water flows through aquifers and into springs.
Famous Caves
If you are a certified cave diver, odds are you really need no introduction to Ginnie Springs and, more specifically, the Devil’s Eye/Ear cave system. This is among the most popular cave dives on earth, and many believe that more cave dives are logged here than at any other site. Certified divers are can explore over 30,000 feet of passages and many instructors from around the world bring their students to the Devil’s Springs to start their careers.
Here is a map of the Devil’s Spring System
However, cave diving is perceived as one of the most dangerous sports in the world. You must be able to remember the exact route you take into passageway because in an emergency, you have to follow it back in order to reach the surface. Dives are usually deep within winding stone which requires lots of oxygen in scuba tanks. Caves have very strong currents and limited visibility that often requires artificial light to even see. There are documented deaths that have happened within the caves of Ginnie.
These are the signs I have personally seen outside of all of the springs.
This is an actual sign that is located in the underground caves at Ginnie.
An interesting article from the St. Pete Times (now Tampa Bay Times) perfectly describes the dangers and experiences of cave divers who brave The Devil’s Eye/Ear. It features the death of Steve Berman when he was trying to map the deep channels and got snatched by the devil.
http://www.sptimes.com/News/052401/Floridian/Snatched_by_the_Devil.shtml
My Favorite Place on Earth
Immersing yourself in a spring is intimidating. First off you’re freezing cold because the water is 68 degrees and you’re in a bikini. And while you’re trying to not think about freezing your ass off you’re essentially swimming to the inside of the earth, a place that has actually killed people who ventured too far into the abyss. And if you didn’t know this fact already, there are several signs outside the springs that shout it at you. Yeah, all these thoughts run through my mind right before I dive in and when I’m seeing how deep I can dive on a single breath.
Now I have never been scuba diving at Ginnie and never personally seen the grim reaper sign but the fact that it has to be there and that I can personally dive in and swim up to the openings of these caves is sensational. You are flirting with danger with each foot you dive deeper, yet you are never in real trouble.
It may sound weird but it’s something you have to see and feel for yourself, words don’t quite do it justice. So get a group together and get a campsite for a week (on the river of course) and take the whole week to explore each spring and be amazed. Go see for yourself why Ginnie Springs is so famous across the world.
Visit http://www.ginniespringsoutdoors.com/ to plan your trip.
Comment your new plans below and feel free to ask questions about my personal visits or recommendations!
WILD 