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Sally Ward Spring

Sally Ward Spring, Florida
Sally Ward Spring / Paul Clark, / CC BY 2.0

WorldBlue  In short

Sally Ward spring has far smaller discharge, if compared with the nearby Wakulla Spring. The most interesting feature of Sally Ward spring is the magnificent underwater cave system below it. The length of explored passages is 529 m.

4 out of 10 stars 39.8%

GPS coordinates
30.2416 N 84.3109 W
Location, address
North America, United States, Florida, Wakulla County, at the entrance of Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, approximately 1 km upstreams from Wakulla Spring
Alternate names
Numero Uno (among cave divers)
Type
Karst window
Average discharge
125 l/s
Cave length
2,195 m
Cave depth
107 m

Map of the site

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WorldYellow In detail

Average discharge of this spring is approximately 125 l/s (spring of the 3rd magnitude), but often the spring becomes more active and discharges 350 l/s and more. Spring bed is covered with dense foliage of aquatic plants. Alligators are seen often in this spring.

Numero Uno

Among the divers this spring often is named – Numero Uno, as it is one of the best dive sites in this region.

Diving in the spring is allowed only to research teams. It is very hard to get inside the underwater cave in Sally Ward Spring, but after the squeeze, the amazed diver enters the Cube Room – some 25 m wide and 30 m high hall.

The cave tunnel goes both downstream and upstream. Downstream after the Cube Room follows other giant rooms. The upstream tunnel is more narrow although less tight than the entrance.

The explored passages of the Wakulla – Leon Sinks cave system are bypassing Sally Ward Spring in a few hundred metres distance. Both cave systems are connected hydrologically.

References

  1. Sally Ward by Floridacaves.com. Acessed on July 18, 2011.
  2. Kris Barrios. St. Marks River and Wakulla River Springs Inventory. Water Resources Special Report 06-03. July 2006.

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