Any Info. of Wekiva River Caves

[metaldector]

Several Orlando area divers have told me about some small cave systems in the Wekiva River (or adjacent area like the St. John's River and I've already been to and dove Croker Hole in Little Lake George). I'd like some specific info on any known caves, location, and access to them. My dive buddie canoed the river a month ago and located one which we will probably explore, but I'm told that there are "many" more. If you know of any please share. Thanks.

[JE]

I took TJ & one of his cavern students to a site that I have been familar with for several years in the
Wekiva River basin: Located about a 30 minute paddle up-stream from Katie's Landing, some 75 feet north of a small island, in low water you may be able to see the cavern entrance. Mostly though, the river's flow is near zero, & you would have to 'sound' for the cave with a weight on a line. Don't be mis-lead, this is a tight cave, & requires solid technicque & the right gear to dive it. We've found that there are two passage ways, of which one dead ends into a mud tunnel. The other is a tight vertical fissure, dropping some 100 feet before proposedly pinching off. The river water is highly contaminated, & sulpher/methane can be noticed on the surface. Inside the cave , the vis is near blue perfect-! I'll try to find some fotos for you & post them here. Otherwise, get a hold of TJ & ask him about his dives there. As far as other caves on the Wekiva, I only know of the ones inside the state park, & they are closed to diving-! Sheck Exley & Henry Nicholsen have explored the ones inside the park, & there may be documention on their finds. I have also dove them, & found them to be extremely restrictive & an advanced dive. {No-mount entrance, low ceilings with protruding obstructions, etc-!
I wish you well.

je 8)

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[ARY]

Wekiva has numbers of springs. I 've heard couple years ago tj and others went in one actual cave there (in a river (?) ).Other caverns in Wekiva are restricted access and small. The head spring has small cavern that was filmed once by Wes Skiles, again couple yrs ago. This I was told by Pete - park ranger when i went on several occasions into Wekiva park woods. There are small caverns at the end of the Mill Pond river, those were explored only once and since then it is absolutely closed even for "take a look". I took a long miles walk there to talk to rager Pete who lives there right on the top of 3 slightly sulfur blue springs with small flow. He pointed that those dogs over there are not tied off and they can kill a bear

In general caves here along St.Johns tend to be small, high flow (mostly because of the small size not the volume of flow) and many are no-mount. Those that have access are closed for any diving by authorities (Silver Glen, at least 7 springs in the head of the Silver River, Salt Springs, Apopka spring, Emerald sink, Sweetwater Spring, Green Cove etc. etc.) There are also sumps and dry caves around Ocala to Brooksville area. Among large caves Blue Spring Orange Cty is the only one open for diving. However there are caves that i believe were not visited for decades and still have old line in them. Those are hard to reach on truck/feet and on kanoe, watching out for the wildlife that have teeth and most probably as a reward you get a very small and dangerous fire-hydrant type cave. Ask in the below Orlando cavers forum.

I spent quite a few weekends In Ocala National Forest hunting after water filled and dry sinkholes. There are also local legends about "Blue Sink" 200' w/cold blue water. I found nothing so far inland west of St.Johns: deep dry sinks (some below 100'). Many lakes are actually water filled sinks. Often they have a dry-sink neighbours which tells again that there is no connection, and an aquafier is deeper. Some waterholes are 65-70' , sandy bottom (if otherwise not trashed or covered w/vegetation). Even in deep sinks seasonal temperature is changing which suggests no connect to aquafier. I have seen the most weird fish there and always wandered if gators really prefer hot marsh beach over a steep slope of a sinkhole. In reality all known caves are located along or in the rivers of the area, and yes there are caves that go or potentially may go. Look for elevation 16' and you will see them. But then you will have an access problem ...

[metaldector]

"Look for 16' elevations"? On what? Thanks.

[ARY]

"Look for 16' elevations"? On what? Thanks.

On topomaps along river banks. Unusual offshoots, tributary runs, sinks-lakes immediately next to the river where horizontal line of alt 16' is "touching" water. If you take a look at horizontals near known spring in the area you can see that almost all of them located very close to 16' alt horizontal line. Also if you have an access to thermal sattelite images w/good resolution it would be spots where 72-74F water creates a window in a water of seasonal temprerature (lake or river). Although small springs are hard to recognize and it is not fully accurate since temperature may change due to vegetation on a bottom etc. Water above Croaker's Hole for example is cooler than river water in a summer time.

[JE]

"Look for 16' elevations"? On what? Thanks.

Andre{Ary}is a cave diver's diver, & a solid explorer, and though he speaks fluid English his Russian/english writing skills are sometimes difficult to understand. He means well, & is only trying to be helpful. Give him a jingle, he enjoys sharing his diving treks.

Jack 8)

Hi Ary-!