Florida
Gator Hole (Merritt's Mill Pond)
- Max depth12 m (39 ft)
- CertificationFull cave
- SpecialSidemount
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Extreme Exposure (High Springs)Air, nitrox (32 %, 50 %), O₂ (AL40) and trimix ('mix' in doubles); walk-in fills of your own tanks: ask
- Cave Country Dive Shop (High Springs)Air, nitrox 32 % and 50 %, O₂, helium; trimix 21/35, 18/45, 10/70 and custom; CCR O₂ fills
- Ginnie Springs dive shopAir (high-volume) and nitrox 32 %; no trimix listed. Prices 2026, excluding tax: air $9, doubles air $14, nitrox single cylinder $15, nitrox $0.15 per cubic foot (for top-offs and doubles)
The dive
You enter through a vertical crack that is half out of the water.
Profile and sections
You enter through a vertical crack that is half out of the water. The first part is a messy cavern: grass grows far back inside, and dry cave lies above much of it, so in places you can put your head above water and see the cave above you. Visibility at the entrance is often poor, but once the passage drops to ~10 m the water turns very clear. The passages are small and winding. They are just big enough to turn around in, and the floor is half sand and half silt, so it clouds up at once where you have to wriggle through.
Further in, after a T junction and about 300 m of passage, the cave splits into two much smaller tunnels, which divers on cavediver.net say are best done solo. In their report the line had come off some of its tie-offs.
Practical: Cave Adventurers on the pond lists Gator Hole among the Mill Pond's caves. Little is published and all of it comes from older dive reports, so ask there about the current state of the line.
- Depth and profile
- Plan for ~12 m (40 ft): that is how deep a section further in goes. The entrance is at 1.2–1.8 m, then the passage drops quickly to ~10 m (32 ft) and stays there. Restriction at ~90 m, a T junction at ~240 m (rough estimate), after ~300 m two much smaller tunnels (cavediver.net, undated).
- Configuration
- Sidemount only: a small, winding tunnel with low sections. The restriction doesn't need a bottle-off.
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- Small, winding and silty; no scooter.
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 12 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
- Experienced divers only
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
Boat only, in Merritt's Mill Pond: rent a pontoon at Cave Adventurers or use the free boat ramp on Hunter Fish Camp Road. There is no platform at the cave; divers tie the boat up under the trees. The entrance is small and hard to find: ask Cave Adventurers for directions.
Around Gator Hole (Merritt's Mill Pond)
Fills3 fill stations · nearest 0 km
Extreme Exposure (High Springs)
18481 High Springs Main Street, High Springs, FL 32643
Air, nitrox (32 %, 50 %), O₂ (AL40) and trimix ('mix' in doubles); walk-in fills of your own tanks: ask
Daily 8:00–18:00
Tech and cave shop since 1995. Rents singles, stages and doubles (steel/alu, air, nitrox or mix), regulators, backplate/wing, lights and scooters; training.
Cave Country Dive Shop (High Springs)
19808 N US Hwy 441, High Springs, FL 32643
Air, nitrox 32 % and 50 %, O₂, helium; trimix 21/35, 18/45, 10/70 and custom; CCR O₂ fills
Daily 7:00–19:00
Prices per cu ft online (e.g. 18/45 $2.04, 10/70 $3.15, O₂ $0.50; CCR O₂ min. $6). Rentals: backmount/sidemount doubles $14/day, trimix bailout cylinder $16, SUEX scooter $85/day, Shearwater computers. Cave courses from cavern to full cave and CCR cave (TDI, IANTD, NSS-CDS) by the owner's BJL Diving, and guided cave and spring dives, also with scooter, CCR, trimix and stages.
Ginnie Springs dive shop
Ginnie Springs Outdoors (in the park), near High Springs, FL
Air (high-volume) and nitrox 32 %; no trimix listed. Prices 2026, excluding tax: air $9, doubles air $14, nitrox single cylinder $15, nitrox $0.15 per cubic foot (for top-offs and doubles)
Park hours: Mon–Thu 8:00–17:00, Fri–Sat 8:00–19:00, Sun 8:00–18:00. Last fill between 15:00 and 17:00, depending on the fill technician's availability
Rents cylinders (incl. nitrox steel 85), BCs, regulators, suits and lights. Personal compressors are banned in the park.
Drive times from High Springs: we don't know this site's exact spot.
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