Florida
Cherokee Sink
- Max depth24 m (79 ft)
- CertificationOpen water / no overhead
Diving and fills
Dive here with
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Fills nearby
- Cave Adventurers (Marianna)Air, nitrox 32 % (banked), trimix (advance notice), O₂, helium, argon
The dive
A sinkhole lake in the forest of Wakulla Springs State Park, where swimmers jump in from the banks on summer afternoons.
Profile and sections
A sinkhole lake in the forest of Wakulla Springs State Park, where swimmers jump in from the banks on summer afternoons. Under water the basin slopes down over mud with sunken trees; in late April divers measured 21–24 °C at the surface and 18 °C at the bottom.
For years the sink was a party spot ringed with litter, and stolen cars were rolled into its deep water more than once. In 1999 Cherokee Sink became part of the state park and a long restoration began: the banks were restored, divers brought up a vehicle, a boat and other trash from the bottom, the road to the sink was closed and alcohol was banned. The explorers of the WKPP, who map the Wakulla cave system, checked the sink thoroughly over the years but found no passable tunnel from it into that system (2006).
Practical: in summer it is a busy swimming hole; boardwalks lead to overlooks and picnic tables stand along the rim. Use tick protection on the trail.
- Depth and profile
- Plan for about -24 m (80 ft, America's State Parks); Visit Tallahassee gives 77 ft (-23.5 m), and divers found the bottom at about -12 to -21 m (40–70 ft) · about 76 m (250 ft) across at its widest
- Configuration
- Open water only, in any configuration.
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- Open sinkhole lake; a scooter makes no sense.
Who can dive where
- At least Open water / no overhead
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 24 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.
How to get there
Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park: the park allows recreational diving in Cherokee Sink with an open-water certification. Check in at the park's main entrance first (calling ahead, +1 850 561 7276, is recommended). The sink has its own trailhead on Highway 61, about 2 km south of the park entrance; the road to the water is closed and visitors walk 1.6–2 km along the Cherokee Sink Trail, so ask the park how to get your gear to the water.
Around Cherokee Sink
Fills1 fill station · 104 km
Cave Adventurers (Marianna)
5211 Limestone Ln, Marianna, FL 32446
Air, nitrox 32 % (banked), trimix (advance notice), O₂, helium, argon
Daily 8:00–18:00 (InDEPTH business directory)
Edd Sorenson's cave centre on Merritt's Mill Pond: CCR service and training up to CCR cave, guided dives, pontoon rental to Twin Caves and Hole in the Wall, scooter rental for Jackson Blue, lodging via Karst Kottages. Fills while you wait. The fill prices on the older website (air $5 single / $10 doubles, nitrox $0.11/cu ft) are probably outdated.
Other sites2 within 5 km
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