What’s bringing you to Blue Grotto?

Welcome to Blue Grotto

Blue Grotto is easily Florida’s favorite freshwater dive with something for divers of all experience levels. The Grotto is the spring side of an inline sinkhole with three distinct areas for divers to explore.

• To start, there is a large open-water basin with depths to 40 feet. Three large platforms make this perfect for diver training.

• The large upper cavern has a wide entrance and offers depths to 50 feet. Near the entrance is an air bell with viewing windows and breathable air pumped from the surface. There are interesting artifacts spread throughout the cavern.

• The lower chamber has no ambient light and offers no direct sight of the entrance. In this environment, Cave Diver training and equipment are essential. It is not for recreational divers using standard scuba gear.

• Back in the basin, divers will find lots of curious fish and the Grotto’s favorite resident, Virgil the Turtle (who is actually a girl). Virgil is amazingly friendly and will approach divers and sniff their fingers looking for a handout.

There is a lot more to Blue Grotto, however than just the dive site.

• Right at the entrance, you’ll find our dive center. This is not only where you check-in, but also offers snacks and beverages, t-shirts and souvenirs, and replacement items such as mask and fins straps.

• Just around the corner is the fill station where we can provide air fills. This is also where we house our rental department. Here you will find BCs, regulators, dive computers, dive lights, tanks, weights and full-length wetsuits. We also offer masks, snorkels, fins and boots if you need them.

• Pulling into the main parking area, you’ll find nine covered pavillions with picnic tables. Instructors can reserve these for groups of four or more divers. The pavillions are open to anyone if not previously reserved.

• Centrally located is a large, heated bathhouse. It features separate mens’ and ladies’ rooms and warm showers both inside and out. If you need to hang up a suit to dry, you can do so on the racks outside the bathhouse or at any of the pavillions.

• Heading down the stairs, you will find a large, open deck with bench seats overlooking the water. Adjacent to this is our floating docks where divers can enter via stairs or make giant-stride entries.

If you need a place to stay, we have you covered.

• We have cedar-lined cabins with double beds or bunk beds. Several have kitchenettes.

• For larger groups, we have detached cottages with one or two bedrooms.

• Additionally, we have a designated area for tent camping and RV sites with hookups.

• Blue Grotto is less than an hour from Devil’s Den, Manatee Spring, Ginnie Springs and Paradise Springs. Troy Spring is only slightly further away. This makes the Grotto the perfect base of operation for a weekend or more of Florida Springs diving.

Because many of our guests are instructors coming with students, we have them covered as well.

• We have a classroom available for instructor use.

• There is also a training pool with depths to 12 feet and a ledge for shallow-water skill development.

• You can (and should) reserve the classroom and pool ahead of time to ensure they are available when you need them.

If you don’t already have a relationship with a local dive center, we have that covered as well. Blue Grotto Dive Resort works with a team of  instructors who can provide diver training for students interested in a variety of instructional opportunities.

• These instructors can teach everything from introductory scuba experiences (“Discover Scuba”) through instructor-level courses.

• They can conduct open-water training referrals through almost any agency.

If you have questions, we will be happy to answer them. You can call us at (352) 528-5770 or use the contact form here on the website. Blue Grotto is open daily from 8:00 to 5:00.