During our stay in Seville, Florida, my friends and I were looking to venture off premises to see a bit of the area. Our Airbnb host suggested we check out some of the natural, freshwater springs in the area.
She mentioned Salt Springs as one of her favorites because of the freshwater pits that we could explore. As soon as I heard we could free-dive into them and that there were even some little creatures we would find there, I was hooked! We had to go!
We packed up my car with snacks and headed there on our second day in Seville.
Salt Springs Park And Pool
I really enjoyed visiting Rainbow Springs in 2021. So I was excited to visit another spring while staying up North.
My friends and I carpooled about an hour from the East side of Lake George to Salt Springs Recreational Area. There was a line of cars to get in at the peak time of about 1pm in the afternoon. The wait was maybe 30-45 minutes which wasn’t so bad with a group of friends to talk to during that time. We had a little music-listening session as we moved up the line.
The cost to enter was $11 per person. This was a bit of a surprise since we saw one website said $6. Instead, with 5 people in the car, we paid $55 total to enter the park.
What a money-maker for this place!
In my opinion, that’s a pricey fee. They should make you pay per vehicle like many other parks I’ve been to in Florida. But I guess the high demand for access spikes the price here.
Once inside, we could start appreciating the beautiful flora and fauna of the park before even getting to the springs. The trees and pathways and plants are amazing! I am still fascinated by Florida’s trees and plants. They are so different from the Northeast and I love it!
Most people in the park were set up at picnic tables and cooking up a storm on BBQs all over. the place We were lucky to find an open table opposite the entrance for swimming.
The main attraction of the park—the natural pool—is a giant 90 foot by 20 foot rectangle-shaped area with a walkway structure built around it.
Stairs lead down into the water, making it easy to enter and exit. I appreciated this because it made putting my fins on and taking them off much easier.
The Freshwater Pits
Just as our Airbnb host suggested, the main reason many people go to Salt Springs is for the freshwater pits that you can find and explore beneath the water’s surface.
The pits are the vents for ancient, subterranean springs that put out 53 million gallons of crystal clear fresh water per day all year-round.
You can see the pits from above by noting where people tend to crowd around and the discoloration of the rocks an different depths. The depth of the pool overall is about 2-5 feet. At the pits, the depth can drop as far down as 20 feet!
The temperature of the water that comes out of the holes is about 72-degrees, making the water here feel quite cold by comparison to the warm, tropical Atlantic waters that Florida is more well-known for (and I have gotten used to!).
I was honestly freezing in this water! It reminded me of the Atlantic waters along New York’s beaches for most of the summer months. I definitely could not stay in for very long!
There are 3 major pits that you can explore. Mostly young people crowd around the edges of the pits and take turns free diving down to see the bottom.
The challenge is that the springs pump out water continuously, which pushes up against you as you attempt to swim down. Nevertheless, people were able to get down pretty far.
One of the pits is particularly deep and dark. It seemed to be a favorite for that reason.
I was a bit intimidated by this and uncertain about taking my camera down with me. I wanted my hands to be free. My friend Mariem helped me out and held my camera when I gave it a try. She managed to get a show of my legs sticking out of the dark hole on my way down.
I was able to make it to the bottom! It was just a sandy bottom with not much else to see. What I was hoping to find, however, were crabs!
Crabs In The Pits
One of the things our Airbnb host told us about Salt Springs is the crabs that are hanging around the openings to the spring vents.
I wasn’t sure what to expect but it turns out she was right. Even better, these crabs were found in some of the shallower areas of the pits, too. These beautiful blue crabs were big—and oh-so-fun to search for and follow around the bottom.
I managed to capture one of the crabs on video. Just getting this video made the entire trip getting to and into the park totally worth it for me! Watch below.
In Conclusion
I had a great time visiting Salt Springs with my friends while staying in Northeastern Florida a few weeks ago. It was a cold but refreshing swim mixed with a little adventurous free dive and a fun animal encounter.
I would definitely go back but next time I’d try to sneak in all my friends so we wouldn’t have to pay such a hefty fee! That, or maybe I’ll just check out any one of the many other springs available in the area!
