North Florida Springs · United States · Cave & cavern · Freshwater
Manatee Springs
Manatees in the run, miles of mapped cave under it
Area photo: LittleT889 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A first-magnitude spring in Manatee Springs State Park, at the head of the longest spring run feeding the Suwannee River and the surface entrance to a cave system with several miles of mapped passage. Open-water divers can dive the head spring and the Catfish Hotel cavern; the West Indian manatees the spring is named for are logged around 100 times a year.
Where it is and how deep
29.4904° N, 82.9771° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The head spring is the open half of the site and the half any certified diver can use: Florida State Parks lists scuba diving among the park's activities, and open-water divers can dive the head spring with lights. It sits at the top of the longest spring run feeding the Suwannee River, and the run is where the manatees show up — around 100 sightings a year at the park, most of them in fall and winter, when the constant 23 °C water is a warm refuge from the river. Swimming in the head spring and run is closed in that season.
The other half is the cave. Four cavern openings lie inside the park — Headspring, Catfish Hotel, Sue Sink and Friedman's Sink — and the system behind them holds several miles of passage that certified cave divers work. No recreational profile is published for the head spring or the cavern; the only depth on record is a sinkhole cave about 27 m, 90 feet, below ground level that connects to Catfish Hotel. Catfish Hotel is the usual way in: open-water divers may dive that cavern without lights, cavern divers with lights but no further than the daylight zone. Keep clear of its siphon side, where the flow is immense.
Background
Manatee Spring is a first-magnitude spring that flows into the Suwannee River by way of a short run — the longest spring run feeding that river. William Bartram visited in 1774 and named it "Manate Springs" after seeing a manatee carcass on the shoreline of the run. It was sold to the state and on 23 January 1968 became the first spring in Florida to be made a state park, and it was designated a National Natural Landmark in December 1971. The cave system behind its four cavern openings holds several miles of explored, mapped passage.
Marine life and season
- Dugongs & manatees
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows North Florida Springs: Spring water stays near a constant 21°C year-round; summer wet season (June-September) can cloud some systems with tannic river water, and manatees visit in the cooler months.
Know before you go
- Manatees use the run and are protected; hold position and let them pass rather than following. Swimming in the head spring and run is closed in winter, when they shelter there.
- The Catfish Hotel cavern has a siphon side where the flow is immense — stay off it, and do not go past the daylight zone without full cave certification.
- Sue Sink is listed as an emergency exit only for divers in the system: ingress and egress there are hazardous and erode the bank, so it is not a way in or out you plan for.
Questions divers ask
Can you dive Manatee Springs without cave certification?+
Yes. Open-water divers can dive the head spring with lights and the Catfish Hotel cavern without them; cavern divers may take lights into the cavern but not past the daylight zone. Only certified cave divers go beyond, into the several miles of passage that feed the spring.
Are there manatees at Manatee Springs?+
Regularly. The West Indian manatees the spring is named for travel to the site often and the park logs around 100 sightings a year, most in fall and winter, when the constant 23 °C spring water is warmer than the river. Swimming in the head spring and run is closed in that season.
Sources
- Manatee Springs State Park — Wikipedia
- Manatee Springs State Park — Florida State Parks
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