Experience 3 of Florida’s beautiful springs in 1 day including: Blue Grotto, Devil’s Den and Paradise Springs! Spring diving is one of the best parts of living in Florida and they’re almost never closed due to wind/waves!

Blue Grotto

First, we’ll explore Blue Grotto, known for its clear, blue waters, this spring offers the only dive bell available in the area, located around 30 feet filled with compressed air where you can talk to your buddy! This spring also has an abundance of wildlife and several fossils seen throughout the cavern wall.

Devil’s Den

Next, we will make our way, minutes down the road to another one of Florida’s freshwater gems, Devil’s Den. Devil’s Den is a privately-owned prehistoric spring open for scuba divers of all levels. Early settlers gave this unique underground spring the name Devil’s Den after visiting the site during a chili winter morning when they saw steam rising from the spring’s chimney, like smoke. The remains of many extinct animals from the Pleistocene Age (apprx: 2 million to 10,000 years ago) have been discovered at Devil’s Den, including the bones of early man, dating back to 7,500 B.C. This spring is 72 degrees year-round and holds a variety of freshwater fish from bluegill to catfish.

Paradise Springs

The final spring we’ll visit is an experience in, well… paradise! This is one of the most memorable spring dives in Florida with a huge cavern ballroom surrounded by limestone. Several fossils are embedded on the walls including the remains of what was a giant whale bone. Unlike many of the other springs for divers, there is no large body of water and no stream or run flowing from it. Paradise Springs is a “Karst Window” – or an opening to an underground stream. History doesn’t show exactly when the sinkhole collapsed to reveal the underground spring, but it is enjoyed by many as one of the top dive sites in the area. Also, don’t miss near the steps are always schools of plecostomus (or sucker fish) that are carefully and consistently cleaning algae off of the platform steps.

Most of Florida’s freshwater resources are inaccessible to the public and lie underground in what we call aquifers. The aquifers are made up of what geologists call Karst terrain, or structure that conductive to the creation of caves and caverns. Beneath a thin layer of limestone and dolomite, the rock is thin and very porous and can become flooded with water allowing it to move through the rock and creating paths between limestone layers. These thick layers of karst terrain are also very affected by weak acid that naturally occurs during rainfall. As the limestone contracts and moves at different pressures, the water creates pathways or openings for the water to move and because the water table is so low, gravity is constantly pulling the water towards the ocean. That is why water is always moving and creating what we call a, “spring” or a “siphon.” The water moves at different rates based on the space that the aquifer has for the water to move in between the rock and sand. To learn more about Florida’s aquifers, we recommend the Cavern specialty course!

Cost: The cost of the trip is $299. Cost with tax is $321.43 The cost includes a divemaster-led tour, all three entry fees and tanks.

Please be sure to download and complete a Diver Waiver Form and Rental Agreement.

We will have a divemaster and/or instructor assisting with this trip. Feel free to ask any questions, they are there to help! Divemasters work for tips and it is customary to compensate for great service. If you feel that your divemasters have done a great job, please feel free to compensate them for their time. $5 to $10 per tank is typical.

Prior to booking, please review the Cancellation & Deposit Policies on the FAQs Page.

For more information or to book this course, please contact us at info@adventuretampa.com or call 813-832-6669.