Explore Miles of Underwater Caves at Dive Resort
Ron Claiborne scuba dives the crystal-clear waters of Florida caves.
HIGH SPRINGS, Fla., Nov. 1, 2009— -- Ginnie Springs is far from Florida's popular tourist attractions, nestled in a beautiful, lush setting among centuries-old cypress trees in the rolling hills of Northern Florida not far from the Georgia border. One of hundreds of natural springs in this area of the state -- they're part of the massive, intricate Florida Aquifer that supplies most of the state's drinking water -- it features some of the most amazing cave and cavern diving in the world.
My guide for my expedition for "Good Morning America Weekend" was Wes Skiles, a legendary underwater photographer and videographer who grew up near High Springs, Fla., the closest town to Ginnie Springs. Skiles first dived the spring four decades ago when he was just a teenager.
In those days, he had to hike through the woods to get to the spring. Today, Ginnie Springs is easily accessible by car. It's located on private property, and there's a supply store where you can rent dividing gear and pay for the permit.
At first sight, it doesn't look like much, just a pretty pond with crystalline waters opening onto the darker-hued Santa Fe River. Three ladders descend to the shallow spring. It's only about three feet deep. But peering into the middle, you can see the darker shape of a gaping hole. It's what is down that hole that attracts scuba divers from around the world: two "rooms" carved by the subterranean flow of water for millions of years.
"This is the last unexplored frontier on earth," Skiles says of the allure of cave diving. "Only human beings can penetrate underwater to these virgin places where no light has ever shined, and you're in a place no one has ever been in, completely unexplored."
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