Crystal River

Florida, USA East
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Difficulty
Unrated
Viz (last reported 1301h ago)
Max Depth
40ft

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Crystal River

Crystal River is a fresh water river complex fed by warm freshwater springs. It offers a variety of fish (mullets, catfish, tarpon, etc.) and many Manatees. I found the manatees were friendly and unintimidated by SCUBA. Sadly, all of the manatees I saw had suffered multiple prop injuries. If you do boat in manatee territory, please look out for them. This is an easy site to dive and offers a good environment for beginners. Maximum depth is around 40 feet. The water is in the mid 70s to low 80s year round and I was comfortable diving in a 3-mil skin. I know it can be shore-dived, but, I don't know a lot of the details of shore diving this site. I dove it from a small inflatable. I know it's in the North Western section of the Florida Peninsula, and, I believe it's a state park. Sorry I don't have more information. I only dove there once.
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Aug 13, 2013, 12:00 AM
scuba
The river has already been covered pretty well but the springs could use some more. This covers a large area and conditions will vary greatly. I will just cover Three Sisters Spring, one if not the main spring attraction. The water is incredibly clear. A constant 72 degrees. Not much animal or plant life in the spring but enough to give you something to look at. I would say the spring is about perfect for new divers to get familiar with their equipment. Like diving in a pool but still have things to see. Max depth is 12 feet and you can actually see the water flowing out from the spring. A few down sides. The place is packed when the tourists and vacationers come in. Stay away on a weekend unless you come early. The land around the spring is private property. That means you have to stay in the water. I would rate it perfect for snorkeling, beginning divers, kids and just lounging about in the awesome water. If you are looking for a real scuba adventure look elsewhere.
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