Missouri (Ozarks)
Roaring River Spring (Cassville)
Info · exploration
Not open to divers: diving only took place under a scientific permit from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and Missouri State Parks, and it was not granted again in 2023 and 2024.
- Max depth144 m (472 ft)
- CertificationFull cave
- SpecialExperienced divers
Diving and fills
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Now at Roaring River Spring (Cassville)
The dive
Blue, churning water at 12 °C pours from a crack in the cliff. Past the restriction at about 69 m a huge room opens up, whose far wall drops beyond 107 m; a fissure in its middle leads up to an air dome.
Profile and sections
Blue, churning water at 12 °C pours from a crack in the cliff. Past the restriction at about 69 m a huge room opens up, whose far wall drops beyond 107 m; a fissure in its middle leads up to an air dome.
Mike Young of KISS Rebreathers sought access for more than twenty years. In 2021 his team received a scientific permit: in July the divers got through the restriction, and on 13 November 2021 Mike Young and Randall Purdy reached 472 ft (144 m), at the time the deepest explored spring in the US. In October 2022 a team member died while staging cylinders; exploration then stopped and the permit was not renewed. A dye trace later showed that the spring draws water from an area of about 123 km².
Practical: information only.
- Depth and profile
- Down to 144 m (472 ft, November 2021), where the passage narrows and keeps descending; at ~67–69 m (220–225 ft) a restriction with extreme flow.
- Configuration
- Expedition dives on rebreathers with staged bailout and ~3.5 hours of deco in habitats.
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Sidemount / CCR
- Configuration unknown — research beforehand
- Goes down to 144 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
In Roaring River State Park, about 13 km south of Cassville. The spring flows from a crack in the cliff and feeds one of Missouri's largest trout hatcheries.
Around Roaring River Spring (Cassville)
FillsNo fill station known nearby
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