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I know it was open for teaching, is it formally open for recreation diving now? If so.. one more dive site doesn't hurt.
I highlighted your word "now" because we are at the PEAK of manatee season and they do swim in Deleon Sprgs. The 'Save Them Sea Cows' folks will never let the regular 'unsupervised' divers in the water with the manatees. They may open it up in the summer like Blue Springs in Deland but instructors I know that use Deleon every few weeks haven't heard any changes yet. We can hope though!!
www.sjrwmd.com
Though if you want to practice diving in zero visibility definitely go during the busy season!I can say from first hand experience that DeLeon Springs State Park north of Deland IS now available to regular OW diving, not just those who are participating in a class with an instructor. On Saturday, Feb. 12th I visited there to renew my annual state park pass and have lunch. While waiting in line at the office window, I was standing behind 2 younger ladies who were working with the ranger to check in for a dive. One of them turned around and noticed my wallet with a dive flag design and her eyes lit up. She got a big smile and said "Oh your wallet is so cool! Are you here to dive too? We've been looking forward to coming here since we started class and if you need a buddy you're welcome to come along with us." (They were obviously a couple of excited newbies.) I thanked her for the offer and told her that unfortunately, I wasn't diving that day and was just renewing my pass and having lunch with my wife who was waiting in the car. I told her that I had snorkeled there once before and even though there wasn't a lot to see compared to other springs and it was pretty shallow (~30ish feet), I've still always wanted to dive it, just to check it out anyway and poke around. However, I wasn't aware it was now available to just anyone. She said they just found out about it opening up themselves and were glad too because Blue Springs (down the road in Orange City) doesn't open for diving until April (due to manatee season) so it's nice to have another easy dive site available before then. (They didn't mention where they were from and I didn't think to ask at the time.) After they were done and I was working with the female park ranger doing my pass paperwork, I asked her about general OW diving being opened, if the procedures were the same as other state parks, etc. She said they opened it up as of January 1, 2022 and the process will be just like at the other Florida State Parks. You must register at the park office upon arrival WITH YOUR BUDDY (NO solo diving), fill out the waiver paperwork at the window, give them your c-card and then they hang onto it until you're ready to leave. I can't remember for certain but I think the last dive was at 3 or 4pm. I didn't think to ask if there was an extra fee for diving since I have a pass but I don't ever recall the parks ever charging one before I got my pass years ago. If you're reading this and have never visited the park before, there's a few important things you need to know if you're planning a visit. 1) The park is EXTREMELY popular as the weather warms up and will reach capacity VERY early, especially on the weekends, holidays and times students are out of school like spring break. Once the park is at capacity, the gates close and there's little hope of waiting around for an hour (or more) for people to leave (like so many people try to do at Blue Springs) so just have a "plan B" in that case. 2) In reference to an earlier post on this thread, the spring at this park is completely surrounded by a concrete wall with an outfall that flows over a 4-5 foot drop into the large open run where the kayak/boat launch is located. Thus the spring does NOT have access for manatees to enter (that's Blue Springs State Park in Orange City further south) and very little in the way of fish or other critters to see although there's lots of small shells and other rocks in several areas of the bottom. Additionally, the spring is only a 2nd magnitude spring (~20 million gal/day) so the flow isn't as strong as nearby 1st magnitude dive sites like Blue Springs and Alexander Springs. As such, visibility won't be nearly as good and it takes longer for t to clear out when it gets stirred up. However, the run area is very beautiful and wild, with tons of wildlife (birds, gators, fish, otters, occassional manatees, etc) and is a great paddling advanture. 3) Although the spring basin is quite big, it's EXTREMELY popular with swimmers (with a designated shallow area for toddlers), people on floats and some snorkelers so if you want to try diving it, I highly suggest doing it on a weekday during the months of May - September, and in any case, as early in the day as possible. Here's a link to the park's website for more specific info and about all of the other amenities and activities available there as well, including the must-try Sugar Mill Restaurant where you make your own pancakes at your table. (Again, get there early as it fill up fast for the day.)
De Leon Springs State Park
De Leon Springs State Park offers visitors a Florida experience that includes a recreational swimming area and a fascinating history. Take a walk through this majestic park before enjoying the crystal springs.www.floridastateparks.org
De Leon Springs – SJRWMD
