Portions of the following information were taken from Florida Geological Survey Bulletin 66.

The Kings Bay Springs Group is located in Kings Bay west of Crystal River. Coming into Crystal River from the north on US 19/98, King's Bay can be accessed via numerous boat landings north and south of the Bay.

Description - There are about 30 known springs, including Tarpon Hole and Hunter Spring, that either issue from the bottom of Kings Bay or flow into the bay from side creeks. Their combined flow feeds Crystal River, which flows approximately 7 miles northwest to the Gulf of Mexico. Surrounding land is coastal lowlands with brackish marsh and hardwood-palm hammock to the west and the City of Crystal River to the east. The whole system is tidally influenced, and Kings Bay is brackish. Rosenau et al. (1977) referred to these springs as the Crystal River Springs Group.

HUNTER SPRING - This spring issues vertically from the bottom of a conical depression near the head of a side creek channel feeding the eastside of Kings Bay. Another spring is at the head of the channel. Hunter Spring pool is circular and measures 210 ft in diameter. Depth measured over the vent is 13 ft. The spring has a sand bottom with some limestone near the vent. The spring bottom is choked with dark green filamentous algae, and some Hydrilla is present. Water is clear and bluish. There is a large boil in pool center. Land on the north rises to approximately 4 ft above water and is a county maintained recreational park. Land on all other sides of spring pool is extensively developed with apartments and houses. A concrete sea wall entirely surrounds the pool except for outflow and inflow. There is a square swimming dock floating in the center of the spring pool. This spring was closed to swimming during summer 2001 due to high coliform bacteria levels detected in the water (Eric Dehaven, SWFWMD, pers. comm.).

TARPON HOLE SPRING - This spring issues from a deep, conical depression in Kings Bay on the south side of Banana Island. The spring pool measures approximately 450 ft north to south and 550 ft east to west. The depth measured over the vent is 58 ft. Water is typically clear and bluish, but can be cloudy during high tide. There is a large boil present in center of pool. Visibility was low when visited in October 2001. Algae cover limestone substrates. The vent is a large circular hole in limestone. Nearby islands to the north are part of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge and have marsh grasses and hardwood-palm hammock vegetation. Land to the east is privately owned with many houses and a marina. This spring is a favorite scuba diving location and manatee observation area.

Utilization - All of Kings Bay and most of its springs are used for swimming, manatee observation, pleasure boating, and scuba diving. The west side of Kings Bay and some islands are part of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. The city of Crystal River nearly adjoins the east side of Kings Bay.