Brought four of my grandchildren here, last Sunday, for their Jr Open Water certification. They, and my son (who recertified in the same day) thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Great place for everyone to gain a little confidence and spend some time in the water. Plenty of parking. Covered picnic tables. The multi level underwater platforms were wonderful. The little store has some snacks, drinks and dive gear. The food truck was a welcomed item for us. read more

Blue Grotto Dive Resort - Thanks for giving us a safe, convenient place to gain some underwater confidence. - Diving Near Me - Williston, Florida

Beautiful facility with multiple staging pavilions, clean bath house, and additional recreational activities like a small basketball court and even a disc golf course with Innova baskets! The staff were knowledgeable and friendly. They have a filling station for tanks and a small accessories selection in the office. We enjoyed our day diving at the Blue Grotto and can't wait to come back with our friends! read more

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My son and I needed to get some practice diving and since there is almost no good, controlled environment to do that in Georgia, we looked around and found this place. Here is how it went: The Good: - The staff were very knowledgeable and helpful - Check in was easy - Dive rentals got us everything we didn't bring with us to include an appropriate wet suit and dive light - There are a lot of areas to set up your gear but be careful since a lot of them get taken up by the dive schools. We just used the back of our car to set up. - Water was cool and clear. Once you get out of the main hole and go into the cavern, it is even better. - Multiple platforms to practice what you need or to knock the rust off your diving skills before you venture into the cavern. - Air refill was easy. Be aware, you need to have a refill token from the shop to show you've paid for it. We didn't realize that and had to go back and get them. - There are some places to camp but we didn't use them so I can't give any good feedback on those. - Place was easy to find both from signs and from the phone mapping app - Beautiful area, in and out of the water. The Not So Good: - Okay, I'm still a beginner diver, but the prices for the rental seemed a bit expensive. - Lots of people go here, so the main pool can get a bit crowded and the water stirred up. Having said that, in the cavern was a LOT less crowded. - There should be more parking Bottom Line: Nice place, clear water, fun experience. This is a good place for diving practice. They put some things in the cavern to look for underwater which is fun, but if you are looking for new sights, you will probably only go here occasionally. read more

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I really like this place. The people are super nice, the atmosphere is laid back and the diving is fun. The dive site itself--the blue hole that people come here for--is pretty cool. You'll see the famous turtle and some small fishes. The grounds are well maintained and the desk and scuba folks are friendly and helpful. Yeah, it's a bit costly, but we'll worth a visit if you've never dove here. Definitely recommended. read more

Blue Grotto Dive Resort - Map - Diving Near Me - Williston, Florida

Owner was so nice and accommodating! The grounds are beautiful and the swim hole is exceptional for diving as well as checking out the fish and feeding Virgil the super sociable turtle! The owner went out of his way to make sure I had a good experience even though I'm not super familiar with free diving. This is more for divers and has an incredible clear cave that can be entered if your scuba diving. But the quiet less crowded vibe of it and beauty of the grounds was a better experience then the local spots we had gone to prior (aka don't go to devils den unless your just interested in snorkeling around the surface for 20 mins). read more

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My daughter and I did our certification dives here. Beautiful little place with all you need for facilities.

Great day of diving. Clean and clear. Not super busy. Definitely recommend it for beginners and pros alike. read more

Blue Grotto Dive Resort - Blue Grotto entrance. - Diving Near Me - Williston, Florida

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We just got back from doing this dive a couple of days ago. This is a fun place to dive. It isn't too expensive at around $40 per diver. It's a divers only site. No swimmers or snorkelers allowed. If you go in the winter like we did, it's less crowded on most days. We had the place to ourselves. Perfect! This site has an air bell at 20' of depth. The bottom is at 30' under the bell, so you hover inside the bell breathing compressed air in an open sapce. Very cool. It enables you to talk with your buddy and get a break from diving. That enabled us to prolong our dive. They provide restrooms with showers. So you can warm up after the dive in winter. Once you check-in, you can drive right up to the picnic tables and gear up. It's a short walk down some stairs to the water. Entry and exit into and out of the water is very easy on a floating deck. They have 3 platforms underwater for you to use. They ask that you do not settle on the bottom. Apparently it gets stirred up very easily and clouds the water pretty bad. We avoided the bottom and had great visibility the entire dive. Advanced divers can go all the way down to 100'. Open water divers can go to about 60' before losing light. You start getting into the crevices at about 40'. There were lots of minnows, or killifish, between the surface and about 10'. We saw a few as deep as 30'. We also saw a brown bullhead (looks just like a catfish) at about 30'. It was maybe 18 - 22 inches long. If you have never dove in a Florida spring before, this is a great place to start! It's an easy, fun dive. It would also be a great place to get certified. read more

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Amazing experience and I will be going back to play with my new turtle friends. Service was amazing and it just adds to the experience. read more

Blue Grotto Dive Resort - Blue grotto - Diving Near Me - Williston, Florida

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It was the hottest day of the summer and I was looking for a pool or a cool spring to slip into for about a half an hour so I wondered up on the Blue Grotto. It was 5PM on a Tuesday and the gate was locked down tighter than a drum. It didn't feel inviting. It actually felt kind of cultish like it's specifically for diving and no fun and frolicking allowed. read more

Blue Grotto Dive Resort - Diving Near Me - Williston, Florida

The instructors were very understanding with helping our family understand how to dive the proper way to dive and without taking the "easy way out". They even worked much longer with our family to help those who were unable to learn to sink properly to try to get us diving on the same day. We eventually ended up never diving because a rain storm rolled in, :( but the water looked beautiful from a distance with the only difficulty being the sometimes long wait times between dives, but I would love to go back given the chance. read more

We did our final check dives here this morning, and it was fantastic. It was very cloudy outside so a bit dark at the edge of the cavern. The platforms at different depths were awesome as you didn't have to worry about kicking up the bottom when you needed a rest. The five bell was a wild experience and took some nerve to get in there, but so glad we did. Facilities were nice and well kept. Only downside is make sure you get there when they open. Our first dive was very clear. The second five at 10am was packed with people and visibility was miserable due to people kicking around on the bottom (not the platforms). Expensive but worth it if you get there early. Virgil and Turbo the turtles were a blast to see. They kept bouncing platform to platform to visit people. read more

After diving here you will realize how spoiled you were. We shared the largest pavilion with another large group. The pavilion had areas to hang your wetsuits, towels, etc. A staff would come by in a golf cart to grab the tanks and refill them for us. The bathrooms were plentiful and the showers inside and outside were all impeccably clean. Besides seeing the friendly, Virgil, the turtle in the water, we also saw a tree frog and a photogenic stray cat. Go early before instructional classes begin for the visibility. The silt at the bottom was easily disturbed by all the newbs and their learning buoyancy control. The bell was interesting and if you're certified diving into the dark depths will definitely be an experience. read more

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An ok place to do dive. Make sure you go early or you will encounter murky water due to student divers. The parking lot is not paved ... which will destroy your gear if you are not careful. read more

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The next step for many new divers is getting specialty certifications to go to other dive sites. Had an amazing time at Blue Grotto for two reasons: 1. The guys at Mac's Sports who had lined up the trip in the first place who were professional and great. 2. The staff at Blue Grotto who were friendly and helpful. The water is clear and clean and you can work on both limited visibility and deep diving at this location because it goes down to 90 feet. If you are nearby, go. I happened to be in town and it was a great option for me. read more

Such a great dive spot only about an 1.15 hour from Orlando. Must be scuba certified to enjoy the premises. They also have cabins available for rental on the property and full equipment rentals too. Good location to get some practice dives in. You can also get Deep Water certification done as it goes to over 100ft in depth! read more

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I really wanted to like it here, since the marketing materials were great. But my experience here left me a bit underwhelmed. I came here with a group last weekend at 9 AM. I wish we had gotten here earlier, since the visibility was bad by the time we got in the water. A lot of classes and groups come here on the weekends, and some of the divers had kicked the bottom of the grotto, stirring up silt and algae. Also, there were so many divers last weekend that it was very tricky to get to a platform. Some Positives: This place is really beautiful, filled with koi fish and a friendly turtle named Virgil. The picnic area is ideal for groups. And the drive here from Orlando was fantastic. Williston and the surrounding area is rustic and lovely... it reminded me of my hometown in NC. I think weekdays may be the best time to come, when visibility is better and crowds are a bit smaller. read more

Blue Grotto Dive Resort - Dive classes on a Saturday morning - Diving Near Me - Williston, Florida

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I took my 13yr old son diving there May 3, after COVID "stay at home" for 6wk. It is a fun dive experience relatively close to Orlando, allowing my son to gain dive experience, improve buoyancy control, and become a more confident diver. They are also offer air/nitrox fills on property. They grounds are impeccable, and the restrooms/shower house are clean and nice. They had implemented COVID procedures to keep parties socially distant from each other. We had fun, and will be back! read more

Love this gem! Went there today to finish a few certain and despite some groggy weather, the facility was fantastic. Truly designed with divers in mind, Blue Grotto offers everything you need for an awesome day both under the water as well as on the surface. The warm showers after we're even great. While I didn't venture in the cavern, the open area was great for completing my skills tests. A definite must stop for your dive bucket list! The turtle was very cool too..... read more

A group of us chose this place to come get our open water certification dives completed and glad we did. The grounds are very well kept and you can tell they take pride in the place. The staff was friendly and attentive as well. We visited the place down the road and it wasn't nearly as nice. We rented a few of the rooms on site and I will give a couple of tips for you: 1. They are price well for what you get and extremely clean. I uploaded some pics but they don't do the place justice. They are very new and clean. The pics make it appear as though they are older rustic cabins, but I can assure you they are not. 2. They only thing to be careful of the size of the rooms because there are some that have twin bunk beds, a shower and sink... NOTHING more. Not that you really need more as you probably wont spend much time in your room but rather outside at one of the picnic tables or pavilions. 3. The ones with kitchenette's come stocked with everything you need to cook if you so choose. 4. There is a on site pool if you chose to complete any close water certifications while there The spring was a great choice for our first dive (accept the cold water). The other divers were respectful and courteous. The spring is beautiful too with the exception of the silt. if there are any inexperienced divers that can't control their buoyancy, then the visibility goes down quickly. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would come back anytime! read more

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Great place to dive, beautiful clear water. It's been almost 20 years since I was their. But still remember the dive. Beautiful water as well as caverns and caves! I'm hoping to go their again this summer a long with devils den! read more

What a beautiful spot with friendly staff and clean facilities. To read more...click below! https://floridagulfing.com/2018/09/20/blue-grotto-cave-diving/ read more

This place was awesome. It was very clean, customer service was great. Getting a cabin the day before was helpful to not have to drive a long way before you dive. We were able to just wake up, pick up our tank rentals & were the first ones in the water before everybody else and the silt hasn't been stirred up yet. The water was extremely clear but it was a little chilly around 67 degrees. The ramps and stairways made getting in and out of the water with ease. The little things at this place made prep and cleanup easy. read more

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I really wanted to like it here. The facilities are impressive, the new pool is great for those needing to run through their pool training, and the springs seemed convenient for check out dives without having to charter a boat, etc) While the facilities were nice and accommodating, the actual diving was not. On a rathe unremarkable Saturday in April it felt like every "Diver-Supply" store in Florida brought classes here. The springs were insanely crowded but worse yet is that the springs floor is silt, not sand. This might not be an issue if this had experienced divers in the area, but there are far too many instructors here clearly not informing their students TO NOT KICK THE BOTTOM. By the time we stepped in (about 2p) visibility was completely wrecked. At 40ft we had a maximum of 5-8 feet vis. Making our way further into the grotto and the darkness exacerbated the already abysmal conditions. Combine that with novices that still struggle to control their buoyancy and you have people descending on your head at the most unexpected of times. If the management here really wanted to improve the experience and not just churn the students in and out, they'd impose daily restrictions on number of divers drop in. Bottom line? Avoid on weekends. The massive crowds ruin the spring due to the silt clouds that get kicked up. read more

Fantastic dive. Clean facilities. Better than the competitor across the street. Highly recommend to scuba divers!

My visit here was my first Diving trip in North FL. This place is pretty amazing and so is fresh water diving and Virgil (the friendly turtle)--- In sum, Holly Cow! In talking with some other divers during my visit, they mentioned that the resort is under new management and that they made some serious improvements/renovations. This could explain the really nice cabins on the grounds for rent and the UBER clean and spacious bathrooms and showers. The bathrooms are very nice with showers inside and out. They built a very nice deck leading down to the diving area. They have installed what seemed like brand new stairs along with a ramp leading down at a nice shallow angle (great when walking down to the water with al of your gear). The deck the built around the entry point is great so you can stow your gear out of the way and not have to walk all the way back to the top. The guy who bought Blue Grotto put in a lot of thought, time and money into making this place awesome -- Well done sir. Tip of the snorkel. Based on my uncalibrated dive computer you can dive comfortably up to about 50 feet before reaching the cave which goes down to about 95 feet. At around 40 feet there's a dome for nice safety stop that you can take without your reg. I am a HUGE fan and would definitely make this a priority if I lived closer....(I'm looking at you Yelp Gainesville and Orlando) read more

Great place for diving into a cavern filled with spring water. Check-in before you park to sign waver and rent equipment. Good prices on equipment and t-shirts. No food on premises. Great place for a scuba diving adventure. read more

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I hadn't been to Blue Grotto for years, but I heard that it had new owners and had been totally remodeled. My friends said that it now had nice, clean, well laid out facilities and the folks running the place were super nice. So, my friend Bob and I paid them a visit yesterday. Well, everything they told me was true. What a great place to spend a day diving. All the facilities and grounds are clean and well maintained. All the parking, staging, and travel area have fine gravel so you and toe gear stay clean. All facilities are fully handicapped accessible. They have a number of covered picnic areas with gear racks to set up your gear and keep our of the weather. Their air/Nitrox fill station look state of the art and they'll gladly pick up and return your tanks to your staging area. Buy some fish food to feed the Koi, bluegill, and resident soft shelled turtle. Hint: go early and/or on weekdays if you can as divers are now flocking to Blue Grotto. The bottom is silty and a group of new divers can quickly turn 100 of viz to 30. read more

We had two very nice, relaxing dives here on 5 Nov 2013. The staff was attentive, helpful, and genuinely seemed to care that we had a nice time. They are constructing a new bathhouse that will greatly improve the experience although the existing facilities are adequate. The construction should be done around Dec 2013. The dive center has regular and Nitrox air fills and all the gear you might need if you forgot something or have a failure of some kind. The dive itself is lovely with 72 degree water and virtually unlimited visibility, but the bottom is easily silted so buoyancy control is a must. The platforms would make a great training ground too. I was with a friend who had just finished his Open Water course so we stayed above a depth of 60' but still saw plenty, including a visit from the friendly and curious Virgil the turtle. If you're in the area Blue Grotto is definitely worth the visit. read more

Great people, nice facility and nice dive. Hubby got to check a sink hole dive off his bucket list. Defiantly worth the trip from Orlando. Nice afternoon adventure. read more

First time scuba diving. We did the intro to scrubs diving class with Sage ! She was super helpful knowledgeable and friendly ! She was really patient with me because I was having issues adjusting . The dive was short because they were closing sadly but it was AMAZING !!!!!definitely want to dive again! read more

My family did two of our certification dives here. It's a really cool place, but crowded. I felt bad for the experienced divers trying to enjoy the clear water that was drastically changed with us new folks kicking up the silt on the bottom (Sorry guys). This also made visibility for the new guys difficult. There are platforms below which are helpful to new divers, but I would recommend a different place for your certification dives if possible. Also, be prepared for cold water. (72°F year round). Most of the staff we met were helpful and nice, with the exception being in the front office/store. The lady working the register appeared more concerned about her personal business on the phone than she did in helping us. read more

Visiting on a Saturday afternoon in March was probably not the best idea we've ever had... This place is packed with students and dive clubs on the weekends!! Amenities are fantastic and recently upgraded but unfortunately this has been reflected in an increase in an increase in the entry price to $45 a diver which is significantly higher than other operations in the area. With a couple of tank refills our visit cost a staggering $140 for two people for the afternoon!! Upon heading down to the platform we found ourselves competing with one open water class trying to enter the lagoon and another trying to exit... both were large groups in excess of 10 students each and so we found ourselves waiting on the deck talking to other divers until the entry was clear. Upon making it underwater we found another group of students around the first dive platform kicking up silt and generally reducing the visibility. Things got significantly better once we made it down into the beginning of the cavern section around 60 feet although I am absolutely shocked that non-cave certified people are allowed entrance into the back section of the cavern because it sure did feel like a cave to me! You have to follow the line and if you turn your light off you cant see a thing!!! Don't attempt it unless your comfortable in overhead environments and don't suffer from claustrophobic!! We even got a visit from Virgil, the local freshwater soft shelled turtle who swam around us and checked us out while we were sitting on the lower dive platform doing some drills and equipment checks. All in all, it was a good dive and a nice location just try to get there early so your not fighting all the dive students and you get the best chance for good visibility. read more

What a wonderful bunch of people! The owner and the staff were extremely helpful. The dive site was breathtaking. A must see!

If you are not going here to learn to dive, stay away and save your money. The place had many newbies learning to dive and was crowded leaving very little to see expect for people learning to clear their masks. Disappointed. read more

Great place! Fun dive site, friendly staff, unique experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXC0q8gdnEI read more

We had a very nice experience here taking some of our bsa seabase crew on their checkout dives. The campground is super nice. New bath house is a great asset to the facility. Kurt an Darin work very hard and are friendly and helpful. looking forward to another visit. Saturday was very busy. If you can swing a visit during the week you can avoid crowds. read more

My diving class and I completed our final NAUI certification dives at this location and it was beautiful from the outside! and I'm sure it's just as beautiful underwater but sadly today we went down about 60 feet and the visibility was very low. It was busy today on a Saturday and divers from everywhere were getting their scuba on. Probably due to the high volume of divers-silt was being lifted up like crazy. Nonetheless we saw pretty fish, and the famous Virgil the Turtle! She came straight up to me and my heart exploded. She's the most adorable and friendly turtle you'll ever meet. She's famous around these parts- so much so that she's featured in Blue Grotto's diving video and we were all warned to treat her with the upmost respect. This dive site was great, there's plenty of room on the deck for several dive groups to set their gear, as well as spacious gazebos! Also, when we were about done with our dive the Blue Grotto staff helped everyone with taking their fins, flashlights and masks to facilitate exiting the water. Super sweet people. I've come to love the scuba diving culture and everyone diving there was so friendly! People from around the map were diving here. Made friends with a couple of fellow divers that came from Georgia and North Carolina. Super cool. Proud to say that I became a certified open water scuba diver after diving here! read more

Blue Grotto was recommended to us by our scuba instructor as a nice place to dive in northern Florida with comfortable water temperatures during the winter months. This was our first time at Blue Grotto and we enjoyed our experience. The instructor and employees are friendly and helpful, the facilities are extremely clean and nicely cared for and the diving was enjoyable. The grotto is beautiful and the visibility is great...we even received a visit from the resident soft shell turtle, Virgil. It can get quite crowed at times with a number of students in the water. Since the bottom is silt you must have good buoyancy control to avoid reducing your visibility. I had a great time and would consider coming back to dive if in the area again or for additional certifications from their instructor, Ken. You can stay onsite in one of their cabins or just hang out for the day in one of their picnic areas. Since Blue Grotto appears to be a popular dive site I would recommend diving on weekdays or later in day on Sunday for less traffic and crystal clear visibility. read more

Blue Grotto Dive Resort - Diving Near Me - Williston, Florida

What a great dive!!!! This was our first time to dive the Blue Grotto. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful and facilities were top notch; the diving was fun. It was crowded in the morning (weekend), but fairly empty in the afternoon. The owner told us the best time to come is a weekday b/c it's not crowded at all. read more