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Devil's Den

Photo: Devil's Den Spring & Campground / Courtesy of Devil's Den · source

Springs

Devil's Den

Williston, FL · North Central Florida$$Snorkel session $30 a person; gear rental $15 more

About

Devil's Den hides a whole spring underground: you climb down a wooden staircase into a collapsed cavern where a shaft of daylight lands on water that glows an unreal blue, held at a steady 72 degrees all year. Snorkelers and open-water divers share the pool by reservation only, finning past rock ledges that have given up Pleistocene bones of mastodons and saber-toothed cats. General swimming is not allowed, which keeps the place quiet and the water clear, so book ahead and bring a mask rather than a beach towel.

Highlights

Underground karst-window spring inside a collapsed cavernWooden staircase descent to a 72-degree poolSnorkeling and open-water scuba by reservationPleistocene fossil walls (mastodon, saber-toothed cat)No general swimming, so the water stays clear

Getting there

5390 NE 180th Ave, Williston, FL 32696

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Florida Springs24 places

Florida Springs

Every spring on this list stays between 68 and 74 degrees all year, and from mid-November through March the manatees move into Blue Spring and Three Sisters. You watch them from the boardwalk.