Bill's Dive Log

Rainbow River is a great drift dive. Take a boat upstream to the head spring area, jump in, and let the current take you back downstream. Depths are shallow (max I ever got was about 18 feet), but the water is crystal clear and teeming with wildlife. Rainbow makes for a great group outing for diving, snorkeling, and inner tubing down the scenic river. Its a great way to spend a hot summer afternoon in Florida!

Blue Grotto is a nice afternoon dive when there aren't any crowds. Best to go during the week when the bottom hasn't been turned up too much. Last time I was there, it was very crowded and the visibility was bad because of it. All in all though it's a good dive with great access and decent facilities.

Very few spring dives in Florida compare with Ginnie. Crystal clear water, first rate grounds, and three different springs to dive. Definitely worth the cost of admission!

I did my check dives in Weeki Wachee and have only returned once since then as you can only get in the springs with a tour or dive class. If you have the opportunity to latch on to a class or tour, then Weeki Wachee is well worth it. The spring has a strong outflow which makes it difficult to descend, but it also makes for some of the clearest spring water in the state. The surrounding grounds are impeccable -- essentially a small, clean, and functional theme park. If you can get in to dive, then you can also spend the day in the park, so this makes for a great family outing if planned ahead of time.

Topside is an awesome sight with an enormous cavern and blue pool. The dive itself is decent and worth seeing once, but I don't know if it would be worth multiple trips. The Den does have very good facilities and grounds and a very friendly staff. Great for a Sunday afternoon dive with the family!

This is truly one of the best spring dives in Florida. Easy access to the spring, great facilities, plenty of fish/wildlife, and inexpensive to enter! The spring itself has a strong outflow which can make the descent a bit of a struggle, but all in all this is a great dive.

My friend and I set out to do all of the springs in Florida in the winter of 2004-2005. One Saturday he didn't get out of work until much later, so living in the Tampa Bay area, we went to the closest commercial spring/sink around - Hudson Grotto. To say the least, for the many dives I have logged, Hudson Grotto was pretty bad. Ambient light is lost at around 10 feet and from there on you plunge into total darkness with 0-1 ft. visibility. We got to the bottom at about 105 feet after passing through a horrible sulfide layer. Once at the bottom, after trying to look around (our expensive dive lights were useless), we decided there was nowhere to go but up. The water was cold and dark, and the heavy sulfide layer made us smell like sewer workers. On the plus side though, it was easy to get there, the road went right up to the grotto, it was not crowded, and the staff at Scuba West, which owns the Grotto, were really very friendly and helpful. All in all, though, if you are looking to dive a sink or spring in Florida, Hudson Grotto probably shouldn't be your first choice.

Very Nice. Easier surf conditions than "Alice in Wonderland" caused us to try this site. Swam 30 minutes out and 10 back due to fairly strong current. Saw a juvenile Hawksbill turtle at end of dive.