Devil’s Den Diving, A Prehistoric Adventure!
10 Things You Need to Know for the Best Devil’s Den Scuba Experience
Diving Devil’s Den allows you to scuba back 11,000 years to the Florida Ice Age. It’s worth the trip!
Fossils of ice age animals including mastodons and saber tooth cats, found in Devils Den Spring, are in the Natural History Museum in Gainesville.
American Indians frequented the spring around 7,500 years ago.
Today, you can explore Devil’s Den by diving into its mushroom-shaped cavern.
This is my favorite spring in Florida because of the look and feel of the underground cavern.
Devil’s Den is best when paired with scuba diving nearby Florida Springs or other activities in the area.
Here is everything you need to know for an unforgettable visit to Devil’s Den Springs.
Article Summary
- Getting To Devil’s Den
- Devil’s Den Scuba Diving Costs and Requirements
- Diving Devils Den -The Details You Need to Know!
- Devil’s Den On-Site Amenities
- Local Dive Shop
- Additional Florida Springs to Scuba Dive
- Local Attractions
- Accommodations
- Food and Drink
- A Few Last Things
1. Getting to Devil’s Den
Williston, where Devil’s Den is located, is a relatively remote area of Florida. It is surrounded by farms, natural areas, state parks, small towns, and many underground springs.
Devil’s Den is located around 100 miles north of Orlando and 120 Miles north of Tampa, FL.
Jacksonville is 95 miles to the north of Devil’s Den.
The closest cities to Devil’s Den are Gainesville and Ocala.
Gainesville, 24 miles to the north, is where the University of Florida is located.
Twenty-eight miles to the south is Ocala, called “The Horse Capital of the World”, with over 400 equestrian breeding and training centers.
2. Devil’s Den Scuba Diving Costs and Requirements
The cost is $38.00 per diver and it is necessary to complete this online waiver.
You must present your dive card, or a digital version of it, when you check in.
Scuba divers under 18 must have an adult chaperone. All scuba divers must have a buddy with them.
If you have a non-diver tagging along, the cost to snorkel is $18.00 on weekdays and $25.00 on weekends and holidays.
A reservation, online waiver, and a $5.00 deposit are required to snorkel at Devil’s Den. The minimum age is 6 years old.
If planning an afternoon arrival, you must be there at least an hour before closing.
I suggest planning a minimum of three hours at Devil’s Den Spring. This allows enough time for a one-hour scuba dive along with equipment set-up and breakdown.
Monday through Thursday the hours are from 9 am to 4:30 pm and Friday through Sunday hours are from 8 am to 5 pm.
Weekdays are usually less busy than weekends, except in the summer months.
Scuba groups, including instructors and students, can make weekend diving crowded.
Book Night dives in advance. There is an additional charge as well as a minimum number of divers required.
3. Diving Devils Den – The Details You Need to Know!
Devil’s Den is open to all certified scuba divers and is a great place for beginners. There is no wind or waves and 100% visibility.
What makes Devil’s Den unique is the underground cavern atmosphere.
It is an upside-down mushroom shape that is around 55 feet deep and about120 feet wide.
Devil’s Den prohibits cave diving, and entrances to the underwater caves are blocked off.
There is only one entrance/exit to Devil’s Den.
It is necessary to climb up and down approximately two flights of stairs in full scuba gear.
The stairs connect to a wooden dive platform at the bottom. The platform is large and has space to make any last-minute adjustments.
There is only space for one diver at a time on the staircase so exiting scuba divers always have right-of-way.
Florida Springs are always 72 degrees; I dive them year-round in a 5mm wetsuit.
On my last trip to Devil’s Den, I accidentally grabbed my 3mm wetsuit. I was cold the entire time.
Search the walls to find fossils of sea biscuits (they look like puffy sand dollars) and sea urchins. It doesn’t hurt to ask the office staff where you can find the fossils.
Bring a dive light to help search for fossils and illuminate underwater cavern openings.
You will see fish and turtles. There are no alligators in Devil’s Den Spring.
Ice-age fossils found in Devil’s Den include giant sloths, bears, mastodons, and saber tooth cats.
Scuba Diving Florida Springs are similar to diving cenotes in Mexico. The same limestone karst geology characterizes all of them, and sinkholes formed many of them.
A pre- or post-dive trip to the Natural History Museum in Gainesville is worth making time for.
The museum has an impressive collection of fossils (some found in local springs) that represent the diversity of ice-age animals that lived in Florida 11,000 years ago.
Plus, where else can you see fossilized megalodon poop? Yup, this is on display at the museum, along with fossilized megalodon vertebrates and teeth.
Exploring the Natural History Museum in Gainesville enhances the Florida Springs diving experience.
4. Devil’s Den On-Site Amenities
You can rent diving and snorkeling gear at Devil’s Den and prices are listed on their website.
More importantly, wetsuits are available to rent for $18.00 and necessary if you are sensitive to cold.
Air tanks are $13.50 to rent or $9.20 to fill your own. Only compressed air is available.
Scuba divers stage gear on the picnic tables near the entrance to the spring.
There are bathrooms and changing rooms on site.
The office sells souvenirs and a few snacks.
If you want to eat lunch at Devil’s Den I recommend bringing food with you. There is not much available in the area around the spring.
Charcoal grills are available and it’s a nice location for a picnic.
5. Local Dive Shop
Florida Springs Scuba in Williston, FL. Located in Downtown Williston, this is the closest scuba diving shop to Devil’s Den and Blue Grotto.
They are a full-service scuba shop and the only one in the area.
This area is famous for cave diving. If you are interested in getting a cave diving scuba certification this is the place. Cave diving was practically invented in the springs of central Florida.
The last time I was there the shop was closed because lightning struck a scuba tank that was located outside the shop, waiting for a refill. The lightning strike shattered all windows in the building and took out the electricity on the block. Be sure to ask them about it.
The next closest scuba diving shops are in Gainesville and Ocala.
6. Additional Florida Springs to Scuba Dive
Devil’s Den is good for a dive or two, but I suggest you check out other springs in the area.
There are several local springs to choose from, and all are located an hour or less from Devil’s Den.
Paradise Springs is my second favorite FL spring to dive. Paradise Springs is a cavern located on private property (literally in someone’s backyard!).
There are a lot of interesting fossils located in the walls. Plus, one section appears to be an ancient Indian shell mound.
Divers discovered numerous ice age animal fossils in the spring. Additionally, there once existed a small “museum” on the property where visitors could view these fossils.
The cost is $30 per diver and cash only.
Paradise Springs is located on a private property near Ocala, about 45 minutes from Devil’s Den.
Rainbow River, in Dunnellon, Florida, is 30 minutes south of Devil’s Den. This is an easy 25-foot dive along miles of beautiful, clear river.
Rainbow River is not a traditional river but rather one of Florida’s two longest and largest springs.
At the state park, snorkeling is permitted, but diving is prohibited.
Instead, head to KP Hole County Park, which is about two miles downstream from the state park.
KP Hole County Park: Park your vehicle and pay the admission fee at KP Hole County Park.
From there, board the independently operated Rainbow Water Taxi for a trip upstream. The water taxi will take you a mile or more upstream. Once you enter the water, you’ll drift almost effortlessly back to the starting point.
There are fish and turtles in the river, and you have a chance to see a living fossil – the alligator gar.
People occasionally report alligator sightings in the river, but rarely have they reported any issues.
During the summer months, Rainbow River is a favorite place to go tubing in Florida. It is best to avoid diving Rainbow River on weekends July through September.
Blue Grotto is 7 minutes away from Devil’s Den. It is a well-known spring, and a large volume of scuba diving classes happen here. I started my scuba refresher course here about 15 years ago, when I first moved to Florida.
Blue Grotto is not large but is a good spot for beginners to practice deeper dives, as the depth of the spring goes to 100 feet. If you go make sure to say hi to Blue Grotto’s most famous resident, Virgil the turtle!
Diving in the winter and want to see manatees? Check out my popular post on where to swim (or scuba) with Manatee’s for free. Other well-known manatee areas in the region are Manatee Springs and Crystal River.
Ginnie Springs and Ichetucknee Springs are about an hour north of Devil’s Den. Both springs are known for scuba diving, but I have only kayaked in these areas.
7. Local Attractions
Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens is next door to Devil’s Den. The 20-acre botanical garden was once a 100-year-old abandoned rock quarry. Adult tickets are $12.00.
Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville is about ½ an hour away. It is the best museum in the state to see fossils and life-like paintings of Florida’s ancient habitats, animals, and plants.
Micanopy is about a ½ hour away and is a “blink and you’ll miss it” small town. However, its’ fame is from Marjorie Rawlings, who wrote ‘The Yearling’ while living there in 1938.
The Yearling, a renowned local restaurant, attracts visitors from all over state who drive there to enjoy southern cooking.
Cedar Key is 50 minutes away from Devil’s Den and worth a trip. It is one of my favorite places to visit in Florida because of the historic downtown and location on the Gulf.
Small, charming and definitely “off the beaten track”, Cedar Key is famous for its’ clams. Clam aquaculture is a well-known industry in Cedar Key, so eat in or get a bag to go.
Mount Dora is about an hour and a half south of Devil’s Den. It’s a perfect place to stop if you are driving to the Orlando area. Mount Dora is a historic town full of shops and restaurants, located around Lake Dora.
If you are willing to drive 3-4 hours south, Venice Beach, Florida is the “Shark Tooth Capital of the World”. Venice is my favorite place to dive on the west coast of Florida for shark’s teeth and ice age animal bones. 3 Ways to Find Shark’s Teeth in Venice FL, is one of my post popular posts.
8. Accommodations
Devil’s Den offers a campground for tent and RV camping. Additionally, there are four small cabins available to rent on the property.
I recommend staying in Gainesville, Florida. The University of Florida is located here and there are a variety of hotel and restaurant options to choose from.
Ocala is the largest town south of Devil’s Den and has many hotel options. There is a historic town square in downtown Ocala with dining options and small shops.
9. Food and Drink
There are not a lot of food options directly around Devil’s Den. I recommend bringing food and water with you.
Publix is my go-to supermarket of choice because it has a deli that makes delicious, inexpensive sandwiches. You can order on a mobile app and pick it up in-store. I regularly go to the deli case for Cuban sandwiches. However, plan in advance as the closest Publix is 20 minutes away.
Frog’s BBQ Pad is a local “hole in the wall” barbecue place with good food.
The Yearling restaurant in Micanopy is famous for its southern cooking.
Gainesville has the most diverse restaurant options in the area because it is a large and well-known college town.
10. A Last Few Things
Devil’s Den Diving allows you to scuba dive back 11,000 years to the Florida Ice Age.
Located in Williston, Florida, Devil’s Den Spring is an unforgettable underground cavern experience.
For the best experience combine Devil’s Den with other local springs and/or area attractions.
If you get the opportunity to book a longer dive trip stop at Devil’s Den, then go snorkeling or shark diving in Jupiter Florida, and explore the reef in Islamorada, Florida Keys.
Bookmark our site, follow us on social media, and let’s keep exploring together.
See you back here soon! Remember, the best stories happen underwater.
One Comment
Brennan
Thanks for the suggestions. This is such a cool place. A don’t miss. The water is cold like the article suggests. I wore a full wet suit for the first time. Putting it on…awkward!