Dive Sites

We’ve listed several scuba diving sites here located throughout the world. This page presents a quick reference to the various sites. It includes information on scuba diving in several Florida fresh water springs, as well several fresh water sites in the southwest, the Sea of Cortez, San Diego and the Caribbean. Click on the individual sites using the drop down menu at the top of the page to view more detailed information on each of the sites. We have added a certification recommended column for the Florida dive sites. Some of the sites that we recommend cavern certification do allow OW divers to dive there. However, we strongly encourage anyone to dive those sites to take a cavern course and get the overhead training. Please dive within your training limits. If you still think you might want to check out the overhead environments without the proper training, read the next few paragraphs and then watch the videos that follow.

So you want to dive the fresh water springs of N. Florida. Diving the springs can be very safe and enjoyable…as long as you stay within your training limitations. There are several springs that are open water friendly, meaning you don’t have to go into an overhead. Several of these springs lead to caverns and caves. We ask that you not enter the caverns or caves without proper training and experience. Several divers, including open water instructors have died in overhead environments because they lacked the training. They left behind spouses and children wondering why their loved one went into an underwater cave.

Tens of thousands of cavern and cave dives are done every year by divers trained to dive those environments. They made the time and effort to learn how to dive these underwater treasures safely. Please don’t become another statistic. Get trained!

If you are viewing this on a mobile phone, the following table is best viewed with the phone horizontal or in desktop mode.

LocationVisibilityDepthTempEntry typeRatingTraining/ Cert. level
Florida
Florida Springs200′130’+68-72Shore/ BoatExcellent divingOW through Cave
Alexander Spring200′30′72ShoreVery good divingOW
Blue Grotto200′110′72ShoreAverage divingOW through Cavern
Blue Springs/ Orange City200′130’+72ShoreVery good divingOW through Cave
Bozel200′120′68BoatExcellent divingCave
Cow Spring200′110′72Shore (private access)Excellent divingCave, must be CDS member
Ebro Blue Spring40-200′100′69BoatExcellent divingCave, advanced level
Ginnie Springs200′55′72Shore/ BoatVery good divingOW through Cave
Hidden/Bone Spring30-100′60′69BoatExcellent divingCave, advanced level
Jackson Blue Spring200′95’+69Shore/ BoatExcellent divingCavern through Cave
Judges/Skipper Spring200′65′69BoatExcellent divingCave
King Spring200′55′72BoatAverage divingCavern
Little River200′110′72Shore/ BoatExcellent divingCavern through Cave
Maddachalk100′40′68BoatExcellent divingCavern through Cave
Madison Blue Spring200′100′ +72ShoreExcellent divingCavern through Cave
Merritt’s Mill Pond10-60′100′ +55-69BoatExcellent divingCavern through Cave
Morrison Spring200′85’+69Shore/ BoatExcellent divingOW through Cavern
Orange Grove200′85’+72ShoreExcellent divingOW through Cave
Paradise Spring200′110’+72ShoreVery good divingCavern through Cave
Peacock Springs60′80′72ShoreExcellent divingCavern through Cave
Promise Sink40′130’+69ShoreExcellent divingCavern through Cave
Rainbow River200′25’+72Shore/ BoatExcellent divingOW
Troy Spring200′80’+72Shore/ BoatVery good divingOW
Vortex Spring60′110’+69ShoreAverage divingOW through Cave
USS Oriskany20-100′225′60-85BoatAbove average divingTech
Destin Jetties0-25′25′60-85ShoreAverage divingOW
St. Andrews Jetties0-25′70′60-85ShoreAbove average divingOW
Bridge Spans25-50′60-90′60-85BoatAbove average divingOW
Chickasaw Wreck25′70′60-85BoatAverage divingOW
Fort Lauderdale20-50′15-130+’60-85Shore/ BoatAbove average divingOW
Georgia
Chameleon Spring200′100′69BoatExcellent divingCave
Radium Spring40-100′80′69ShoreExcellent divingCave
Missouri
Cannonball Cave0-50′300’+55-57ShoreExcellent divingCave
Roubidoux Spring0-50′250’+55-69ShoreExcellent divingCave
Arizona
Apache Lake, AZmud80′50-85Shore/ BoatDon’t bother
Bartlett Lake, AZ5-10′100′ +50-85Shore/ BoatPoor diving
Canyon Lake, AZ5-10′100′ +50-85Shore/ BoatPoor diving
Fool Hollow Lake, AZ5′30-40′ when full50-85ShorePoor diving
Lake Havasu, AZ3-20′60 feet40s-80sShore/ BoatCan be good diving
Imperial Reservoir, AZless than 3′unknown50-85Shore/ BoatPoor diving
Lake Martinez, AZless than 3′unknown50-85Not worth itNot worth it
Lake Mary, upper and lower, AZmud20′ when full50-85Shore/ BoatPoor diving
Lake Mohave, AZ30′100′50-85Shore/ BoatVery good diving
Mormon Lake, AZmud20′ when full50-85ShorePoor diving
Parker Canyon Lake, AZ5′80′50-85Shore/ BoatOkay diving
Lake Patagonia, AZmud80′50-85Shore/ BoatPoor diving
Pena Blanca Lake, AZ5′80′50-85Shore/ BoatPoor diving
Lake Pleasant, AZ20-30′260′ when full50-85Shore/ BoatAbove average diving
Rose Canyon Lake, AZ3′20′50-75ProhibitedNo diving allowed
Saguaro Lake, AZmud120′50-85Shore/ BoatPoor diving Does have submerged vehicles, though.
San Carlos Reservoir, AZworse than mudunknown, almost drained50-85Not worth itNot worth it
Nevada
Lake Mead, NV5-30′500′ + when full55-85Shore/ BoatAbove average when the lake level if full
New Mexico
Santa Rosa Blue Hole, NM80′86′64ShoreBTDT
Perch Lake, NM5-15′50′ +55-80ShoreAverage diving
California
San Diego, CA5-25′130′ +45-75Shore/ BoatAbove average diving
Around the USA
Dive Valhalla, TX60′130′60Stairs to platformBTDT
Dutch Spring, PA60′100′45-75, 10 degree thermocline every 30′ShoreGood diving
Lake Michigan, IL30-50′30-130’+42-52BoatGreat diving
Maui, HI40-100′20-130’+80sShore/ BoatExcellent diving
Outerbanks, NC20-100′130′ +40-75Shore/ BoatExcellent advanced diving
Round Valley, NJ15-25′160′ +40-75Shore/ BoatGood diving
Around the World
Antigua200′30’+80sBoatVery good diving
Aruba40′30′ +80sBoatVery good diving
Bahamas200′30′ +80sBoatVery good diving
Barbados100′30’+80sBoatVery good diving
Belize, C.A.120′30′ +80sBoatVery good diving
Bonaire200′30’+80sShore/ BoatVery good diving
Curacao200′30’+80sShore/ BoatVery good diving
Grand Cayman200′30’+80sShore/ BoatVery good diving
Jamaica100′30’+80sBoatVery good diving
Roatan, Honduras200′30’+80sBoatVery good diving
Caves Around the World
France30-200′20-200’+55-59ShoreExcellent diving
Greece50-200′20-150’+65-79ShoreExcellent diving
Italy20-200′50-100’+59BoatExcellent diving
Mexico200′20-80′70s/80sShoreExcellent diving
Norway20-200′30-200’+37ShoreExcellent diving
Portugal30-200′50-200’+62ShoreExcellent diving
Mexico
Kino, MX10-20′30′ average60-85Shore/ BoatGood diving
Himalaya Bay, MX14-3040′ average60-85ShoreGood diving
Puerto Aventuras, MX20-50′80′70-85BoatAverage diving
Puerto Penasco, MX10-20′30′ average50-85Shore/ BoatPoor diving
San Carlos, MX5-80′130′ +60-85Shore/ BoatVery good diving
Cenotes of Mexico200′20-80′70s/80sShoreExcellent diving
Cozumel200′15-170′70s/80sShoreExcellent diving