2007

2007

Longest Underwater Cave in North America Mapped

On December 15, 2007, divers Casey McKinlay and Jarrod Jablonski completed a traverse from Turner Sink to Wakulla Springs, covering a distance of nearly 36,000 feet, or 6.8 miles. This is a world-record long underwater dive on air! The traverse took approximately 7 hours at depths up to 300 feet, followed by 15 hours of decompression. The connection of the two cave systems resulted in the longest mapped underwater cave in the United States and the fourth longest in the world, totaling 169,000 feet or 32 miles! Further exploration is only limited by current technology and the lack of additional known cave entrances.

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The Wacissa Spring Group lies at the northern end of the Aucilla Wildlife Management Area in Jefferson
County and forms the headwaters of the Wacissa River. Over twenty springs form a cluster that runs
along the river. A public boat ramp allows for easy access to the core of the spring cluster. This dense
core contains Log, Thomas, Wacissa #1-4, and Acuilla springs, which together form a large bowl of fast-
flowing water. Along the run, large patches of Coontail compete with beds of Hydrilla beneath the clear
water. The combined magnitude and isolation of the Wacissa springs make the location one of the most
pristine in the state, earning the system a spot on the list of OFSs despite none of the individual springs
flowing at the first magnitude.