Beware: You should never explore wild caves alone or without proper gear. Consider getting in touch with a Grotto of the National Speleological Society at www.caves.org or a qualified cave club. These groups are skilled and will train you. Without sufficient knowledge, preparation, and equipment, cave exploring can lead to serious injury or death.
All brave, novice, and professional cave divers love to explore the shadowy depths of the underwater caves. It pumps up their adrenaline when they dive and pass through intertwining passages knowing hidden creatures or unknown territories await them. Make no mistake – cave diving in general is a dangerous activity. Do not take it lightly.
But if the idea thrills you and you consider yourself an adventure seeker, below are some famous and even dangerous underwater caves that offer an unusual escape from the world above.
Devil’s Caves
Known as the holy place for cave divers, the Devil’s Caves are situated in the northeastern part of Florida, formed by a karst window. This cave is millions of years old. Its underlying geology qualifies it as the state’s aquifer. In other words, its water runs underground across the state of Florida.
Fortunately, the paths of this cave aren’t feared anymore; they have been explored and traversed by tons of scientists and professional cave divers; it is now considered safe for the beginners too.
The Devil’s Cave is privately owned and used as a scuba diving and cave diving training spot. The PR manager of this side promotes this place exceptionally, which is why divers flock from all over the state to test its challenges. It has become a hub for fun and engagement with other divers. But remember, only those who are certified to dive can enter this cave.
Its maximum depth reaches 54 ft. and the temperature is a constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
It costs $38.00 for admission, but the good thing is the entire cave diving and scuba diving equipment is available on rent for only $45. The gear includes a suit, mask, tank, LED lights, etc. This would serve as a great experience for beginners who aren’t ready to invest in their own gear or commit to caving regularly. Most underwater caves will come at a higher price overall, so start here!
Cocos Island
Cocos Island always amazes both suburbanites and urban city dwellers.
It is always camera-ready because of its beautiful feral ambiance.
For eco-tourism discovery and excursions, it is one of the best places in the world. One can see big pelagic in its water such as shark, whale, and rays. In a way, this makes it dangerous also; you have to protect yourself against large fishes as well while exploring its secrets.
Due to its attractions, this island was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, as it is hard to find another cave in the ocean with the same amount of attractions and tropical animals.
This Island and its cave system have enormous biological significance to the scientists; they can explore nature’s inner working inside it. But because of financial shortfalls and other challenges, it is hard to maintain the natural essence of this cave.
People, pigs, rats, and goats are continuously threatening the indigenous wildlife and destroying the entire atmosphere.
Luckily, the Costa Rican government perceives this issue and they are introducing new laws and working tirelessly to protect plants and animals of this Island and its cave system so that tourists and scientists can enjoy and explore things that are not common in the normal caves.
Therefore, the option of living on this island extends only to the Park Rangers.
It is not available as a camping site for civilians. The access of civilians is limited and they are allowed to stay on it only with the permission of the rangers. This also means you won’t find any hotels, hostels, or cabins for overnight stay. This place is accessible exclusively by boat.
Jacob’s Well
The Jacob’s Well is a great diving spot for adventure-seeking divers. Its perfectly round shape looks like someone cut it out of solid rock.
The temperature of this well is 68 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.
Located in northwest Texas, Jacob’s Well has an average depth of 120 feet. Hays County Parks Department manages the site, and you have to plan ahead; you will need a reservation. This place looks like an open tourist spot, but it is not. Swimming is only allowed during day times and only two hours can be allocated per reservation.
Many divers think this place provides serious fun and relief from the Texas heat; however, you might have to be a little crazy to take that jump.
It is probably the most dangerous well in the world. Diving in Jacob’s Well comes at a cost. Many divers have died inside it while exploring its dark depths and hundreds of divers had a near-death experience in this underwater cave system.
The main reason why it is understandably dangerous is the people who dive don’t use any equipment. They simply hold their breath and try to go down as far as 100 feet and get stuck in its passages or lose their way. It has lots of twists and many sharp angles that make it difficult for a free diver to come back to the surface before his/her breath runs out. If the danger appeals to you, that may be a bonus, but please be safe!
Eagle’s Nest
Eagle’s Nest is a remote sinkhole in west-central Florida.
Unlike most other underwater caves, getting to the Eagle’s Nest is often as hard as the dive. The roads can be an incredible maze. It’s tough to find the exact spot during your first trip. Apart from this, there are new rules for Eagle’s Nest cave now that force you to have a permit and diving certification. Even free diving with a buddy is highly discouraged.
Since 1981, more than 10 cave divers have died inside the Eagle’s Nest.
They passed the warning signs and swam with the grim reaper to explore its hypnotizing dark underworld.
Some locals have been calling for a ban on it but the caving society is against the ban or any kind of restriction. According to them, accidents happen all the time. When people face skiing accidents, they don’t close the mountains for the climbers, so it seems illogical to do so for divers.
Check out more of Florida’s best caves here.
Conclusion
These underwater caves challenge you to take the plunge and go deeper to enjoy things previously unexplored. It takes extra skill and precaution to take your caving underwater. Experienced explorers know all of these locations as dangerous spots too; they spell danger for even the most professional cave divers. It takes immense care and full training before dealing with their deceptive passages and sometimes unexpected, strong flowing currents.
So if you’re new to cave diving, make sure you go over our cave diving guide that we’ve prepared here. And if you’ve been to any of these locations and want to share your experience below, we’d love to hear it!
If you want to see more beautiful underwater caves, check out this article next.