Manatee Springs cave system
Florida State Parks says divers have helped map 'more than 5 miles' of known routes (about 8 km); the page is undated and does not name a survey organisation.
The cave system behind Manatee Springs, a first-magnitude spring on the lower Suwannee River, with more than 5 miles of mapped passage reached from the main spring, the Catfish Hotel and Friedman Sink under daily diver limits.
Manatee Springs is one of Florida's first-magnitude springs and the largest single spring flowing into the Suwannee River. It lies in Manatee Springs State Park near Chiefland, where a boardwalk runs through cypress forest beside a quarter-mile spring run. Beneath the spring is an extensive maze of passages that certified cave divers have helped map for more than 5 miles.
Three entrances are used. The main spring is open to open water divers and to cave divers. The Catfish Hotel, a sinkhole named for the bottom-dwelling fish that gather in it and often covered in duckweed, is the usual starting point for cave dives and is also used for cavern diving. Friedman Sink is reserved for divers with full cave certification.
The park strictly limits numbers: a set count of open water and cavern divers at one time and per day, and separate small limits for cave divers at the Catfish Hotel and Friedman Sink. Diving is first come, first served, with no reservations. The caves are home to the cave crayfish Procambarus lucifugus and Hobbs' cave amphipod, and manatees shelter in the spring in cooler months.
수질, 유속 및 침수
Florida State Parks gives an average flow of 50 to 150 million gallons a day. When the Suwannee River floods, river water can rise high enough to submerge the boardwalk, and dark tannic river water fills the spring run and greatly reduces visibility. The spring stays at about 72°F (22°C) year-round.
왜 중요한가
Manatee Springs was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1972. Cave divers' mapping has also added to knowledge of how water flows through the spring, according to the park.
컨디션
Constant 72°F (22°C). During Suwannee River floods, tannic river water backs into the spring run and visibility drops sharply. Manatees use the spring in winter and divers must keep 50 feet away from them.
현재 상태가 아닌 공개된 자료의 일반적인 범위입니다.
입구 및 다이브 사이트
Three diving entrances are named by the park: the main spring (open water and cave divers), the Catfish Hotel (open water, cavern and cave divers) and Friedman Sink (full cave certification only).
방향 파악용이며 내비게이션용이 아닙니다. 빈 점은 대략적인 위치입니다.
추가 읽을거리
Karst Underwater Research (KUR) ↗
New Madison and Manatee cave maps ↗
이 페이지의 모든 정보와 출처 (11)
| 정보 항목 | 상태 | 출처 |
|---|---|---|
| Certified cave divers have helped map more than 5 miles of known routes under Manatee Springs.A minimum figure ('more than'); undated park page. | 확인됨 | [3] |
| Manatee Springs averages a flow of 50 to 150 million gallons per day and is the largest single spring flowing into the Suwannee River.The park's main page says 100 million gallons daily. | 확인됨 | [3] |
| When the Suwannee River floods, the boardwalk can be submerged and dark tannic river water fills the spring run, greatly reducing visibility. | 확인됨 | [3] |
| The spring water remains a constant 72 degrees year-round.About 22°C. | 확인됨 | [3] |
| Manatee Springs was designated a registered National Natural Landmark in 1972. | 확인됨 | [3] |
| Open water diving is allowed in the main spring and the Catfish Hotel; cavern diving in the Catfish Hotel; cave divers may enter at the main spring and the Catfish Hotel; Friedman Sink requires full cave certification. | 확인됨 | [1] |
| Diving capacity is 18 open water and cavern divers at one time and 36 per day for the main spring and Catfish Hotel, and for cave divers eight at Catfish Hotel and four at Friedman Sink at one time, 24 per day.Read 2026-10-14. | 확인됨 | [1] |
| Each diver must register and present a certification card shown on the vehicle dashboard, dive within certification limits, dive with at least two divers, and keep 50 feet from manatees; open water divers may not carry lights. | 확인됨 | [1] |
| Divers must be registered by 3 p.m. and out of the water and checked out one hour before sunset.The Experiences page instead says divers must register three hours before sundown. Both pages read 2026-10-14. | 출처 간 내용 불일치 | [2] |
| USGS lists Manatee Spring (site 02323566) at latitude 29.4896808, longitude -82.976791. | 확인됨 | [4] |
| USGS lists Manatee Spring at longitude -82.976791. | 확인됨 | [4] |
확인됨: 직접 열람한 공식 또는 1차 출처에서 명시된 정보입니다. 보고됨: 2차 출처에서만 확인된 정보입니다. 출처 간 상충: 비고에 두 가지 내용이 모두 기재되어 있습니다. 최신 정보가 아닐 수 있음: 확인된 가장 최근 출처가 오래된 경우입니다.
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