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United States » Ginnie Springs - Ginnie Spring

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

Ginnie Spring is located within a privately-operated park and resort, called Ginnie Springs Outdoors, approximately 6.5 miles northwest of High Springs on the south side of the Santa Fe River. From the junction of US 441/41 and US 27 in High Springs, drive southwest on US 41/27 for 0.8 miles. Turn west (right) on SR 340. Drive 6.6 miles then turn north (right) on a graded road. Travel 1.2 miles to the Ginnie Springs Resort entrance. Follow the road behind the office, turn north (left) at the bathhouse, and continue down to the spring.

Description - The Ginnie Spring pool is roughly circular, measuring 90 ft in diameter and 12.2 ft deep in the center. Clear, bluish water issues from a cavernous vent underneath a limestone ledge on the east side of the pool. No boil was visible in May 2002. The spring has a sand and limestone bottom. Some aquatic vegetation occurs in both the spring and its run. There are two scuba diving/swimming access platforms along the south side of the spring pool. The pool is otherwise surrounded by cypress and hardwood trees. The spring run is approximately 35 ft wide, 3 ft deep and flows east about 500 ft under a forest canopy into the Santa Fe River. The spring and run are situated entirely within the river floodplain. The Santa Fe River was crystal clear during the May 2002 visit; however, it normally is tea-colored. Exotic aquatic vegetation is abundant in both the spring run and nearby Santa Fe River. Rosenau et al. (1977) report that an extensive cave system extends well beyond the vent underneath the limestone ledge to the east and south. The cave system includes some 1,100 ft of known passages (Rosenau et al. 1977). Cavern diving is popular in Ginnie Spring; however, the cave system is blocked with a gate to prevent divers from entering beyond the light zone. Several other springs that are open to cave diving occur within the park.

Utilization - Ginnie Spring is within the privately-owned Ginnie Springs Outdoors Resort. The resort is extensive, has full facilities, and is a major scuba diving attraction offering open water and cave diving.

Add a Conditions Report

Date	Submitter	Visbility	Remarks
9/25/2018	Tim	unlimited	Brought my newly certified 13-year-old son down from Missouri to dive the clear waters of Ginnie. We were not disappointed. Since he is newly certified, the dives were open water. We were the only divers in this spring and the first of the day.
9/15/2014	Greg	50 ft.	River is up, tarp is in place. Scootered up Hill 400, to Hillier Tunnel, to Double Domes, to Stage Bottle Rock and back on gold line, then through Bone Tunnel. Vis reduced throughout. Approx. 50 ft. and approx. 40 ft. In Bone Tunnel. Flow is down.
9/7/2014	TS	80	Cavern clear. Rainy day, so we had the place to ourselves.
6/30/2012	Kristi Draper	unknown	Ginnie is closed to all water activities until further notice. I was there on 6/30 but could not dive. Water was up to bottom of "Dangerous Cave" warning sign near basin/Ballroom stairs. The dirt road to Devil's Ear/Eye was under at least 6' of water.
2/25/2012	Brandon	100	Had a great dive in the cavern. There were ALOT of OW students there but even with all the students, it was still clear.
6/27/2011	Justin Berke	100'	Very clear, even with large crowds.
7/13/2009	JD	25-30' (poor)	I had done a solo dive here and it had just got done raining, and a bunch of ow divers in the basin, and some cavern students in the cavern were just silting the hell out of the place, anyways i ran a line for pratice, and because the dang silt out from the rain, and divers, by the time i got toward the back everyone was out, and i was the only one in there, i must have been 30' from the grate and i turned around to see my cousin free dive into the back of the cavern silting the place out even worse, and i could barely see the glow from the entrance... The dive was made on Double LP 108's with EAN 40, and I was in there for a while just admireing the beauty, and my cousin (who can hold his breath for 4 mins) is tugging at my regulator, and his head was bleeding so i gave him my reg (7' hose) switched to my redundant, and exited, to find out that the flow shoved him against the celing and he banged his head... i couldn't stop laughing...but anyways, everything was "safe" and we were all alright so thats my report... -Safe diving
11/2/2008	Fed	100	Dove Ginnie after a cold front came in. Very few divers. We were the only ones in the ballroom for our first dive. Viz was the best I had seen it, perfectly clear like if you were floating in mid air. Flow at the gate was not very strong. Lots of schooling mullet in the main basin. Steam was coming off the spring in the morning, outside temp was about 40degrees.
9/6/2008	Raphael Tremblay	80	Dove with an OW diver. Water was clear and did no show input from river water (brown) as seen in Devils' right now. Good flow at the gate.
5/20/2007	Chris Krier	100'	Flow is up at the grate. Being the weekend before memorial day the crowd was very light. The water level is the same that it was in January. There is a new plaque back in the furthest room to the left.
1/13/2007	Chris Krier	100'	Flow still seems a bit down at the gate. Tons of people in there this weekend. River level is still down so the basin is still a bit lower than it should be. Only the last step before the concrete pads is actually in the water. As always the vis is "Gin"
7/18/2006	Walter Pickel	100'	Tagged along with a cavern class. Flow was actually less than it usually is at the gate.
1/13/2006	Jim Wyatt	100 feet	Ear is covered in tannic. There is a temporary permanent line from the cavern zone to the gold line in the Eye to help prevent the spider web of lines that often occurs there. Flow is still up, visibility is "Ginnie".
10/31/2005	Mathew Bull	100'	Gin clear if you get in before the classes, slightly less if you're in the water when everyone else has already gotten in.

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Description	Type	Date	Author	Remarks
Cavern Map	Map
Home Page	Web Site
System Map	Map
System Map #2	Map

Sslect Search Radius:

System	Depth	Cave	Cavern	OW	Last Report	Distance (mi)
Ginnie Springs - Devil's Ear / Eye	173	True	True	True	9/1/2024	0.2
Jug Spring	80	True	True	False	1/12/2023	10.5
Sunbeam Spring	80	True	False	False	10/15/2022	7.6
Syphon Creek - Myrtle's Fissure	95	True	False	False	2/29/2020	2.5
Treehouse Spring	65	True	False	False	9/1/2019	6
Gator Hole Spring	115	True	False	False	6/7/2019	4.2
Gator Hole Sink	115	True	False	False	5/18/2019	4.3
Jess's Hole		True	False	False	7/4/2017	3.9
Wilson Spring		True	False	False	7/18/2015	5.6
Ginnie Springs - Dogwood Spring	43	True	False	False	9/7/2014	0.3
Ginnie Springs - Little Devil's		True	False	False	7/1/2011	0.2
Syphon Creek - Resurgence		True	False	False	6/23/2011	2.4
Vampire Sink		True	False	False	11/21/2010	5.9
Whippoorwill Sink		False	False	False	1/31/2010	7.3
Darby Spring		True	False	False	4/7/2009	5.8
Old Bellamy - Sweetwater Lake	150	True	True	False	9/15/2007	8
Hornsby Spring	190	True	True	False		6.5
Old Bellamy - Pfc	150	True	False	False		10.8
Old Bellamy - Pfv	150	True	False	False		10.7
Syphon Creek - Swallow Hole	188	True	False	False		2
Old Bellamy - Big Blue Sink	160	True	False	False		8.8
Old Bellamy - Two Hole Sink	160	True	False	False		8.6
Syphon Creek - Lil' Awesome	80	True	False	False		1.9
Old Bellamy - Alligator Sink	160	True	False	False		8.5
Old Bellamy - Mae Callie Pond	160	True	False	False		8.9
Old Bellamy - Bee Tree Sink	160	True	False	False		8.8
Syphon Creek - Big Awesome	110	True	False	False		1.7
Sawdust Spring		True	False	False		0.3
Syphon Creek - Track One		True	False	False		2.3
Sante Fe River Rise	150	True	True	False		7