Wall Spring State Park - Dive Site Map of Florida & Bahamas from www.ScubaLessonsInc.com (sitios de interés)

Wall Springs Park
3725 De Soto Blvd.
Palm Harbor, FL 34683
Phone 727.943.4653
Fax 727.943.4677
location map park diagram gmap

Wall Springs Park's 195 acres include a historic spring once used as a spa and bathing area from the turn of the 20th century until the mid-1960s. The park includes boardwalks, nature trails, playground, a 35-foot observation tower, bike racks, drinking fountains, restrooms, parking lot, and access to the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail. The area surrounding the spring has been improved, and a decorative sundial honoring the memory of former Pinellas County employee Karen Anne Edwards is a landmark at the park's north gate

GPS Coordinates / Location Deg
Latitude/Longitude (Degrees): 28.106220 / -82.772360
Latitude/Longitude (Deg Min Sec): 28 6 22.39 / -82 46 20.50
Latitude/Longitude (Deg Min): 28 6.37320 / -82 46.34160

Minimum Depth: 0 metres / 0 feet
Maximum Depth: 0 metres / 0 feet

 

Mike Emanuel``s Dive Log: "The site had been closed off for years and no one seemed to know if there was a diveable cave system here, so I snuck in one night after work and did a free dive into the spring vent. Armed with my trusty dive light, and a couple of weights on my belt to help neutralize the effects of the flow, I was able to see that there was a cavern with a small passage in the back wall. The only problem was a tight, sand filled restriction at the bottom of the spring vent blocked the way into the cavern. Full of excitement about the possibility of "going passage" in a new cave system, I quickly planned a dig/cave dive for the following week. Since it was obvious that we would not be able to enter with full cave gear (not even side mounted), I needed time to come up with a non-mounted 80 cu. ft cylinder rig that would allow us to safely navigate a wide variety of situations. After all, who knew how deep that little passage went? My dive partner, Chris Stone and I returned a few nights later loaded down with gear, including a 5 gallon plastic bucket with a rope. We descended about 15ft or 20 ft into the spring and came to the impassable restriction. The sides were wide enough for us, so we began taking turns digging at the sandy, crushed shell bottom. One of us would stay at he surface, hauling up the bucket and dumping it over the concrete spill way so the spoil did not slide back into the spring. After about 1/2 hour, I was at the surface when I noticed there was no activity on the rope. The passage had become big enough to pass through and Chris had "stolen my glory" becoming the first one to enter the cavern. When I got down to the restriction he was on the other side, which sloped down into the cavern, using a piece of broken pottery to "hoe" the entrance open a little more. The springs flow has really increased in the past few years so the entrance was running clear again in minutes. After looking around a bit he exited and I headed in with a reel to run the beginnings of a permanent line. The cavern is plenty big enough to maneuver around and I was able to clip off the "80", like a stage bottle for travel down the low winding passage in the back of the room. I was only able to get a hundred feet or so before the cave pinched off into a couple of blowing holes. So much for our "major discovery"... but it is a beautiful spring nonetheless! While poking around on subsequent dives, we found several unique bottles. Someone recognized one as a beer bottle from a local bottling company that was in business around the turn of the century. " Coordinates and Information provided by Mike Emanuel``s Cave Diving Page located at http://www.mejeme.com/dive/