We visited Devil’s Den Prehistoric Spring in Florida after I saw a ton of pictures on social media. After a little bit of research, I realized it was only about 3 hours away from my mom’s house. The spring is known for its snorkeling and diving experiences. I had never snorkeled before...because I was terrified.
Now, I’m one for adventure, but you’ll never see me jumping out of a plane or off a giant cliff. While at Devil’s Den, I finally dove into the adventure of snorkeling to get my feet wet. We will see if I work my way up to diving. (Cliff diving in my future? Yikes! ) I knew that if I was going to have a first experience like snorkeling, Devil’s Den would be the perfect place.
What’s With the name?
Devil’s Den is a prehistoric spring in Williston, Florida that has a dry cave with a hole in the ceiling. It’s called Devil’s Den because in the winter, on colder days, steam can be seen coming out of the hole. The water stays 72 degrees year-round, which isn’t as cold as it sounds! It’s a popular diving and snorkeling spot that has become a pretty big tourist attraction.
At the deepest point, the spring is 54 feet deep and the water surface is 120 feet wide. The spring is home to ancient rock formations and fossil beds.
Currently due to COVID, you must reserve your time to snorkel/dive at Devil’s Den, and capacity is limited to 10 people at a time. They are strictly enforcing social distancing. We visited during the COVID pandemic, at a time when cases were low and found that it was nice to not have a lot of people in the spring. Typically they can have as much as 50 people in the spring at once.
snorkeling
Let’s just say it was not at all what I expected.
Once you arrive and sign your waiver, then you can head over to the office to rent your snorkel and flippers if need be. Admission is $15/person on the weekdays and $22 on weekends and holidays. They also sell phone cases for going underwater (very marked up of course) and snacks.
Since I’m not an avid snorkeler, I rented my equipment for $12 (mask and fins). My best friend Kaitlyn brought her own equipment no problem! There are lots of picnic tables inside the grounds, so take advantage and pack some food to eat while you enjoy the views.
It felt very safe and secure. You can come in and out of the spring as much as you’d like and you get an hour-long time in the spring. If you are staying at the campground, I believe that you have the option to dive multiple times in the spring.
Overall the experience of snorkeling at Devil’s Den was amazing. Once I got over my anxiety of putting my head underwater and swallowed my fair share of it, I realized that just swimming around helped me get familiar and comfortable with space before adding the snorkeling part of the experience.
One thing I was not super prepared for was the number of bugs in the water. I know that any natural body of water has buggies, but these were little stick bugs on the surface of the water. There were way more of them than I was happy with. There were also a couple of June Beetles swimming around, which weren’t as off-putting, but still freaked me out. Clearly not a fan of bugs here.
The spring itself is fairly shallow where the dock is, but the light from the overhead hole in the ground falls off quickly leaving the edges of the water very dark and spooky. The water was cold, but refreshingly so after our small hike/walk to the spring in the Florida heat.
When I have a bit more snorkeling experience under my belt I would love to come back. Maybe I’ll add a stay on the campgrounds! Don’t get me wrong, I highly suggest Devil’s Den Spring for beginners because it is a small and safe space. This would probably be a lot of fun for advanced snorkelers and divers too! Though there weren’t a ton of fish, it was still a magical place.
photography at devil’s den
There weren't a ton of people when we were there, but we left our camera equipment in the trunk while diving and were able to come and go to the car as we pleased.
The guide also let us know that he would allow us to take pictures after everyone left the spring during our time slot, and before the next group. It’s always a good idea to befriend the staff and ask them for permission rather than holding everything up for everyone else.
Because the water can be dark and spooky I suggest making your reservation for some time between 11 am and 1 pm. This way you can maximize the light coming into the spring, giving you the best visibility in the water to see and take photos
other experiences at devil’s den
Besides the spring, you can also camp at Devil’s Den. Their site includes a heated swimming pool, grills and picnic tables, lawn games, pavilions, cabanas, showers and bathrooms, cabins, RV parks, and tent sites.
You can see all of their specific rules, pricing, and extras on their website, linked HERE.
Check out my Youtube Video from our visit HERE.
