This Florida Spring with “Visibility Forever” is a Hotspot for Divers, Kayakers, and Campers

Ginnie Springs, Florida

At Ginnie Springs, 72-degree water flows from limestone caves with enough force to fill an Olympic pool every few minutes. It’s where serious cave divers train, families float on tubes, and you can see straight to the bottom of underwater caverns that stretch for miles. Here’s why you should add it to your Florida bucket list.

“Ginnie” is a Nickname

Before tourists started coming, local people used the spring for everyday chores dating back to the early 1900s. A woman named Virginia used to wash her laundry at this spring, and that’s how it got its nickname ‘Ginnie.’

From Home to Public Park

Bob Wray bought Ginnie Springs in 1971 and built his house there. When he saw he couldn’t keep divers away, he opened it to visitors in 1976 and charged $10 for diving. Today, the park covers 200 acres of wilderness. According to Bob’s son Mark, the family has spent more money protecting the springs than they paid for the property in the first place.

Famous Explorer Jacques Cousteau Loved The Clear Water

Jacques Cousteau, the famous ocean explorer, visited in 1974 and said the water had ‘visibility forever.’ His praise helped make Ginnie Springs world-famous.

You can see up to 200 feet ahead underwater all year long. From the bottom, you can look up and count leaves on trees above the surface, creating what divers call a ‘bowl of liquid light’ effect.

Native Americans Made Tools By The River Here

The Timucuan people lived along the Santa Fe River near Ginnie Springs long before Europeans came. They set up a workshop to make stone tools right here.

When you dive in the river today, you might spot artifacts like broken flint pieces, arrowheads, and pottery fragments. These items are hundreds of years old and show how skilled these native people were at making tools.

The Water Is Consistently Amazing

No matter if it’s summer or winter, the water at Ginnie Springs stays exactly 72°F. It doesn’t change because it comes from the Floridan Aquifer deep underground.

The water moves through limestone rock before bubbling up, which keeps its temperature steady. Every day, the springs pump out about 80 million gallons – enough to fill 121 Olympic swimming pools in just 24 hours.

Safety Features Were Added After Many Diving Deaths

Florida’s underwater caves were dangerous – about 150 people died in them between 1960 and 1975, with 22 deaths at Ginnie Springs alone.

When Bob Wray developed the park, he put in an iron grate to block the most dangerous cave parts and added warning signs. This barrier sits 50 feet deep at the back of ‘The Ballroom’ cavern but still lets 35 million gallons of water flow through daily.

You Can Visit Seven Different Springs Here

When people talk about ‘Ginnie Springs,’ they’re actually talking about seven separate springs on the property. The main one is Ginnie Spring, but you’ll also find Devil’s Eye, Devil’s Ear, Little Devil, Dogwood Spring, Twin Spring, and Deer Spring.

Devil’s Eye is a perfect circle, 20 feet across and 20 feet deep. Little Devil Spring is a narrow crack that’s 50 feet long, 4 feet wide, and very deep, giving you amazing views when you look up.

You Can Drink Alcohol While Tubing

Unlike at state-run springs, you can drink alcohol while floating down the Santa Fe River at Ginnie Springs. This is only possible because the springs are privately owned.

This policy makes the place very popular with college students from the University of Florida in Gainesville, just 48 minutes away. Because of this, Ginnie Springs has become known as a party spot, especially during holidays.

Massive Cave Networks Run Under The Springs

Under Ginnie Springs, there’s a huge network of underwater caves that divers from all over the world come to explore. The Devil’s Ear cave system has more than 30,000 feet of mapped passages going over a mile underground.

The main passage is often as big as a semi-truck and only gets too small for divers after about 4,500 feet. If you’re a certified cave diver, you’d need hundreds of dives to see all the passages in this underwater maze.

It Was Once Hard To Reach This Hidden Spot

In the days before it became a park in the 1970s, you had to trek through swampy ground to reach Ginnie Springs. Many cars got stuck in mud trying to get there.

Creating the park meant building proper roads, parking lots, stairs down to the springs, and camping areas. Though it cost thousands of dollars to develop, now it’s easy for you to visit all seven springs thanks to paved roads and wooden staircases.

River Tubing Follows An Easy Hour-Long Route

One of the most fun things to do at Ginnie Springs is float down the Santa Fe River in a tube. The regular route starts at Beaver Landing and ends at Twin Spring, taking about an hour to complete.

The path covers about 3/4 mile of river with several springs along the way. You can rent single tubes and doubles, or bring your own and inflate it at the free air stations around the property.

Companies Take Millions Of Gallons For Bottled Water

In 2021, officials allowed BlueTriton Brands (formerly owned by Nestlé) to take over 1.1 million gallons daily from the aquifer that feeds Ginnie Springs. This caused protests from people worried about water levels dropping.

The permit was approved even though the Santa Fe River was already listed as ‘in recovery’ due to low water levels.

Visiting Ginnie Springs

You’ll find Ginnie Springs at 7300 Ginnie Springs Road in High Springs, Florida, 6.5 miles northwest of town and a 48-minute drive from Gainesville.

It’s open all year, with closing times that change with sunset. Day passes cost $20 for adults during busy season (April-September) and $15 in off-season, while kids ages 5-12 pay $5 and children under 4 get in free.

If you want to camp, there are 129 sites with water and electricity, plus basic camping spots along the river.