Vortex Spring

Vortex Spring, near Ponce de Leon in Florida’s Panhandle, is a large freshwater spring and cave system that also operates as a major commercial dive park. Fed by the Floridan aquifer, it produces about 28 million gallons of clear 68-degree water daily and supports swimming, camping, diver training, and technical cave diving. Its basin leads to an underwater cave measured to 1,642 feet, with deeper sections restricted because of danger. After 13 diver deaths in the early 1990s, accidents there helped drive stricter cave-diving certification standards in Florida. The site remains famous both for recreation and for the risks highlighted by the Ben McDaniel disappearance and Larry Higginbotham’s death.

Florida · United States