Why This Underwater Cave Has Earned The Name Of Devil’s Eye

Abstract

• Satan’s Den is a singular scuba and snorkeling location in Williston, Florida with cool underground waters and historical rock formations.
• The cave system in Satan’s Den is house to fossils from the Pleistocene Age and is a chunk of historical past, with origins relationship again hundreds of years.
• Satan’s Den is made up of three separate springs that provide completely different spots for swimming, diving, and snorkeling, with various ranges of problem to discover.

Regardless of the identify, this cave is downright heavenly. Welcome to Satan’s Den, one among America’s most original scuba and snorkeling places. Situated in Williston, Florida, this vacation spot is open to everybody, each newbie and knowledgeable scuba divers, and snorkelers alike.

With cool underground waters which can be 72 levels year-round and historical rock formations in addition to pure fossil beds, swimming within the swimming pools of Satan’s Den is a surreal expertise. Undoubtedly probably the most underrated issues an individual might do within the state of Florida, this vacation spot is barely attainable due to the situation’s pure karst window. What’s a karst window? Put brief, this pure phenomenon happens when the roof of an underground river collapses, leaving the floor of the underwater river uncovered. This has allowed scuba divers, snorkelers, and swimmers to benefit from the majesty of Satan’s Den.

The Origins of Satan’s Den (Satan’s Eye)

Satan’s Den contains an elaborate cave system

The current owners of Devil’s Den purchased the place in 1993. They reworked what was only a meager scuba vacation spot into what’s now one among America’s bucket-list places. It is stated the spring itself is from prehistoric instances and residential to many fossils from the Pleistocene Age (some are displayed at The College of Florida’s Museum of Pure Historical past). Whereas many name this place ‘Satan’s Eye,’ the Satan’s Eye is definitely only one portion of the underwater rivers of Satan’s Den.

The primary discoverers of Satan’s Den noticed its steam rising out of the bottom, thus naming the situation Satan’s Den. With fossils over 33 million years previous, this vacation spot isn’t just a vacationer attraction. It is a piece of historical past. Satan’s Den itself is greater than only a scuba attraction, it is a residing piece of historical past.

According to one of the owners, the outlet itself is between 10,000 and 75,000 years previous. Again within the Eighties, earlier than Satan’s Den was reworked right into a scuba diving haven, numerous younger adults would go to the outlet to swim. They might tie a rope to the highest so they may climb down, swim round, and pull themselves again up.

The farmer who owned the land on the time ended up dumping a great deal of fence wire and trash into the outlet to discourage the children from swimming with permission. When Satan’s Den grew to become a vacationer attraction, they pulled “over 9 dump truck a great deal of trash,” says Dr. Kenneth Schwiebert, one of many authentic house owners.

Within the early Nineteen Nineties, the house owners determined to make Satan’s Den a scuba diving attraction. At the moment, Satan’s Den is open to all and is usually used as a scuba diving coaching location. Those that enterprise in can nonetheless discover historical relics. The truth is, individuals as soon as discovered a bear skeleton belonging to a now-extinct species; the bones have been over 10,000 years previous.

What To Know About The Satan’s Spring System

The Satan’s Eye is barely a part of the Satan’s Spring system

Satan’s Den is made up of three pure underground springs. Collectively, the springs produce around 80 million gallons of water day by day. These three separate areas supply guests completely different spots to swim, dive, or snorkel. That stated, every spot is just not solely open to only any customer. There are completely different ranges of problem, relying on what spring system an individual needs to discover.

Satan’s Eye

Satan’s Eye is likely one of the areas that solely licensed scuba divers are allowed to enterprise in. This underwater cave has a gap that’s 20 toes excessive and 20 toes broad. This cave system is a no-light space, that means scuba divers can solely go so far as they will see with the pure mild that pours in from above.

Close to the underside, there’s a small but embellished cave that divers can discover at their very own will. Once more, they will solely use the sunshine that pours in from above. This particular cave system is one purpose many individuals name this place the Satan’s Eye.

Satan’s Ear

Satan’s Ear, however, has a “canyon-like” opening for scuba divers to enter. This cave is immediately related to the Santa Fe River. More often than not, the water on this area is obvious, however typically water from the river stains the floor of the underwater cave, inflicting it to seem like stained glass.

Satan Spring (Little Satan)

Probably essentially the most breathtaking spring system at Satan’s Den is the Little Satan. Moving into Little Satan requires divers to swim by a four-foot-wide crack on the head of the Satan Spring system. Little Satan runs for round 50 toes and is nearly equally deep.

Divers who descend to its depths are welcomed with a depth-defying view from the underside, an expertise anybody would dream of getting (feeling claustrophobic but?).

How To Get To (And Discover) The Satan’s Den

Guests can discover the caves by diving or mountaineering

Satan’s Den Facilities

For individuals who both have no idea learn how to scuba dive or simply should not all in favour of spending the entire time swimming within the caves, Satan’s Den affords guests a variety of facilities to maintain them busy.

• Heated Swimming Pool
• 2 Giant altering areas with showers and loo
• 30 + Picnic Tables
• Charcoal Grills
• 5 Cabanas
• 2 Giant Pavilions
• Assorted garden video games

How A lot Does it Value to Scuba Dive?

• Dive admission: $38 per diver
• Full scuba gear rental: $45
• Air refills: $8 per scuba tank
• (Guests can even lease particular person gear at separate prices)

How you can Get to Satan’s Den?

Attending to Satan’s Den is just not tough. It is just about an hour and a half to drive from Orlando to the springs.

• Location: 5390 NE one hundred and eightieth Ave, Williston, FL 32696

For these visiting Orlando (most likely for Disney World), this is able to be an superior alternative to leap within the automotive and take a look at one among Florida’s hidden gems.