devil's den

I could not have been more pleased with the service, set up or dive conditions. Everyone was friendly and eager to help in anyway they could. I dove 3 times in one day and still did not get to look into every crack and crevice. I saw fish, turtles, amazing rock formations and a few surprise artifacts. This is the PERFECT place for new and experienced divers there are several decks at all different levels to kneel on and get re situation if necessary. The equipment is very nice and well kept newer stuff. I had to rent my equipment and not knowing sizes or weights off the top of my head was no problem...they got it perfect without me having to tell them a thing. Nice affordable cabins on site as well as camping, bathhouse etc. If I had to find something to complain about, all I can think of is you have to hold the shower button down the whole time ur in there. I can't wait to take other new divers here and show off this one of a kind hidden treasure. A++++

First, I should preface my review by making it clear that I came with an out-of-state organized dive group. I never turn down an opportunity to dive, so I didn't research dive sites in the area or check out reviews. I just paid the money, got my plane tickets and showed up!The woman working the front counter apparently believes that Devil's Den is so special everyone should know everything about it before they arrive. My questions were answered with a condesending laugh (although I'm not sure "laugh" is accurate) and a brief answer that made it clear that the fact that I even had a question to ask made it obvious I was a complete idiot.Once you are geared up you will descend, one person at a time, the equivalent of about 2 flights of stairs to a wooden platform. There is some natural light on the surface because of a hole in the ground above the platform. And from the top of the stairs there is a walkway that goes to an overlook where you can see down through the hole to the platform.Inside, there is not a lot of surface area, it's more about diving below the surface through the various holes and short tunnels in the limestone. So snorkelers will quickly lose interest, and mask/snorkel/fins are required. But this would be a great place for beginners to start cavern/cave dives. I think it would also be a great place to work on peak buoyancy.My final take- it's an interesting place, I'm glad I can log this dive in my book, but I don't think I'll be back since I'm not a fan of tight places. It's kind of funny to hear the sound of the compressed air tanks clanking against the limestone as divers try and manuever through the openings.

This was my second visit and I just love the friendly welcome....like you are family. The facility is very clean and well maintained also. Mother Nature provides the spectacular diving experience.

The inside of Devil's Den is breathtaking! It is so beautiful and definitely one of a kind. I was diving here to get my open water certification and it is a great location for it! The woman at the counter was very friendly and helped answer any questions we had.

The Den is absolutely gorgeous, the pictures don't do it justice. One you arrive at Devils Den you are greeted by one of the 3 people working there that I saw, all of whom are absolutely fantastic and amazingly friendly. Once you pay your fee (10$/person for snorkeling and if your camping for a night another 10$/person) one of the employees go over a few rules with you which are there to protect the den itself and your off. You cant bring anything into the den other than snorkel and fins due to there being no place to keep it. You walk down a naturally carved out staircase carved into the limestone and are greeted with the amazing sight of the den. The water is absolutely the clearest, bluest and freshest i have seen, you can see all the way to the bottom (about 40 ft) which is gorgeous. For anyone that hasnt been i would recommend the Den in a heartbeat and if you have some extra time its a great place to camp and watch the stars at night.

This is such a pretty little cavern, the gardens have grills and picnic tables and there are happy cats wandering around! The office staff have a definite English sense of humour and it's hard not to smile during the briefing when you are prepared for the dry and mildly sarcastic delivery :) (yep, I'm English too)..There are trails that head off to showcase some of the natural beauty of the park and the giant fish pond (dive training site for low vis dives) is very impressive. Ask about feeding the fish..The diving is stunning, don't compare to ocean as it's a moonscape by comparison (two main colours, blue and beige) but do your research and check out the Natural History Museum at UF. and you'll see the pic of the Den and several complete fossils that were removed from the Den. There are caverns to peek into (nope don't go in) and the cave entrances are barred off..There are swim thrus (explained in the dive briefing) that you can crawl under and pop out the other side, some of these fallen rocks are as big as a Tahoe and really quite humbling.Perfect place for new divers, divers looking to get a hint of cavern diving and snorkelers looking for something completely different.Next door is an amazing property, Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens, I strongly recommend both locations for an amazing day..think 100 year old quarry turned water Japanese water gardens with water falls, swan and stunning photo opportunities. We love these two little hidden treasures!!!

Went to Devil's Den for the second time, this time on a weekday. We had the place to ourselves for the entire dive, which was nice! If you go on the weekend, it is insanely crowded. There are lots of swim-throughs and various fish. The staff was very friendly.

Devil's Den is absolutely gorgeous. When inside the karst, you can't help but feel like this is something out of a dream or story book. It's hard to believe you would even find something like this in Florida, too! My group of friends and I (4 people) came to visit this past Halloween 2014 weekend. We went snorkeling as none of us are certified for scuba diving. Snorkeling was still a magical experience. The facility is rustic, but well-maintained. The owners are extremely friendly and welcoming and will help you with anything you need at all. We also went camping and had a wonderful time! I highly recommend this place to all those in search of a new adventure! It's a very cheap trip and well worth it!

My group decided to camp at this location, which was to be my very first cave dive as well as my first freshwater dive. This is a good location for amateur cave divers, as you can come to the surface in most areas without rock over your head. We really ended up wasting our campground fees as we didn't even end up sleeping there. Our first evening it poured so hard that most of my group evacuated to a nearby house owned by the relative of one of my group members sleeping on their kitchen and living room floors. Anyone who is getting into cave diving should try this location first as it is the safest and less advanced one I have visited thus far.

A short review on Devil’s Den Spring. I just spent today going through my open water certification process. The facility is a little rustic, but I am not sure how the owners could make the facility look like Disney – and I am not sure that is really required. The owners have a check in process that is required for liability and insurance reasons. It is clear to me that on weekends when crunch time hits, that folks could interpret a dry British sense of humor as bad customer service. Seriously, I found the lady working the counter to be funny and accommodating. I see it as a process that is required and it just takes some time to clear through. The only comment I really have on the check in process is that the building could be a little larger. It was cramped but manageable as 20 snorkelers were going through the process.The dive lake is a submerged lake exposed as a result of a sinkhole. The resulting structure is a small 20-foot diameter hole that lets sun in and a lake about 30-40 feet below. Entrance is through a set of rock stairs, a left turn and then a longer set of wooden stairs to a deck. The deck can be from chest deep to about 5 foot above water level depending on the recent precipitation. The bottom of the lake looks like a mushroom from a cross section. The deck in centered on the cap of the mushroom and the sides go up to 50 feet deep. There are a few tunnel entrances deep in the lake. For the most part they have been barred off to prevent folks from getting out of the main pool. There are 3-5 submerged decks for dive classes to work from. They have buoys tied to the deck areas so one can practice sighting during ascent and descent. Did I say the water was cold. Really its not it is grand water temperature; 72F. It was refreshing the first couple dives but the third dive was downright chilly. I found the lake to range from lonesome to over crowded – depending on snorkelers and classes in the water. We did have to compete with a couple large classes while on site. I think for the size of the facility 30-35 divers is a little overloaded. The great news is that we were not all in the water at once.The scenery is cave-like and for all practicable purposes, this open water facility is danged close to cave diving. Take away the ambient light and it would be pitch black. The great thing about the lake is that the bottom is rock and sand meaning classes do not silt up the lake as much as other locations. All three dives were 60+ foot visibility.I think anyone wanting to get a taste for cave diving without having to go through the coursework and gearing up, come take a dive. I found this to be uniquely Florida and will return – on a week day.

Its a cute place, and they are known for their diving and some snorkeling. But it was news to me that absolutely no swimming was allowed in the cave, which forces you to rent their over priced snorkel gear. If you take your family there youll probably spend about 30$ per person to snorkel in circles, and the cave was less than cool. Its very dark, not much to see. If your diving, its 37$ per person. Not to mention the extreme rudeness of the old red headed British women and older man, (not sure if theyre owners or not). The grounds surrounding were nice and cute. But not much else to do. The main reason for this bad review was the rude staff.

If you need to pick only a few places to dive, make this one of them for sure. I have been coming here for twenty plus years and it gets nicer every time. Campground, cottages, store, and an amazing dive. Go Go Go.......

I saw pictures and decided I needed to visit. The pictures are more amazing then the actual place. Don't get me wrong it's worth the visit. But I recommend going to another spring first.It's really neat in the den but not much to see when snorkel. Maybe if you dive it's more interesting. Then we took a little scenic walk and that was it. But they had fire pits and places to picnic which looked like fun.

This is a great place to check out.for the day or a weekend .there is a cavern to dive in or snorkel in. you can rent their's or bring your own diving an snorkeling equipment .you can tent go rving or they have cabins.visit the web site for prices on all.real family fun.

Devil's Den is a natural underwater spring that not too many people know about, even the the natives of Florida which makes it all that better. The employees there are very friendly and make sure you have a great time. The spring water is really clear and very cold but it's definitely worth it.