Rainbow Springs

[JDR]

Does anybody have any info on Rainbow Springs? I have a boat in Ocala and want to try something new. The area looks like there would be some great diving, but I've never checked the area.
If you would not mind sharing a little info, PM me or e mail jrumph@fau.edu

Thanks in advance.

[ARY]

Tell me if you find any caves there There is a popular ow/snorkel drift dive in Blue Run that has 2 major points of interest: Garfish spring(Valley) with (24 fsw, left bank) that has just sandboils. Very small spring blows under the rock ledge next to the river right bank before Garfish. If you are very slim you may try to pull yourself into the vent (apprx. 20fsw) and see where it goes. Drift dive normally starts a mile or so upstream from KP Hole park.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/rai...gs/default.asp
http://www.floridasprings.net/rainbow.html
http://www.funandsun.com/parks/Rainb...owsprings.html
http://underwaterflorida.homestead.com/rainbow.html
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/springs_of_...a/rainbow.html

[ghekhuis]

I used to take my kayak to the Rainbow River a lot, I used to live only minutes from there. KP Hole (the county park named for the Knights of Pythias swimming hole -- I had to ask one day) is about the only boat ramp that I know of in the whole area, and they want $3 a person (not per boat) to use the ramp. The other option is the boat ramp down in Dunnellon, which, while free, is on the Withlacoochee (Rainbow River flows into it about a mile upstream) and about 6 1/2 miles from the state park. The spring itself actually seems to be a number of springs, but they seem to bubble up through sand mostly, and I don't think there is much diveable cave passage there. The water is very clear, and it is a very, very popular site for open water "drift dives." Divers will drift/swim from about a mile upstream (about 1/2 mile from the headwaters and state park) down to KP Hole. There are a number of different commercial dive operators who drive boatloads of like 20 divers upriver on pontoon boats, let the divers swim back to KP Hole, then they take another group up river. It can get pretty interesting just getting a boat to the boat ramp sometimes. I think they need a traffic light or something there. Oh yeah, there are also fishermen who use the boat ramp too. And you can just forget days like Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, days like that.

[JDR]

Thanks for the replies.
Oh well, looks like I'll have to stick with the Santa Fe and the Suwannee for now.