Well, technically not 30, but still, there's a bunch of really neat things to see, under the water!
You can make this journey a simple smiley acquisition, or you can make this an unforgettable trip in one of Florida's most amazing places. It is really up to you. To score a smiley on this virtual, you need only a vessel of some sort, and proof that you were there. Easy Peasy, right? I suspect you might find obtaining such proof a bit more challenging than most virtuals, hence the rather unortadox D/T rating. Here are a few acceptable methods for proving you were there:
A picture of your handheld GPS, location screen, showing you are reasonably close to ground zero.
A screenshot of a GPS app on your smart phone, showing you are reasonably close to ground zero.
A selfie, of you, reasonably close to ground zero, with the glassbottom boat dock in the background.
A photo of the three statues, submerged at ground zero.
(Note: If you don't have an underwater camera, you can shoot from the surface. Keep the sun at your back, for best results)
(Another note: Standing on shore is not reasonably close)
A picture of your tracklog, zoomed in to the main boil, showing you were reasonably close to ground zero
At that point, you could pack it up and call it a day. There's nothing wrong with doing that, as it is a pretty neat place to be.
Or...
For the more adventurous, you could bring along some sort of device which allows you a clear view of the river bottom, (waterproof camera, swim mask, cut up 2 liter bottle, etc), and follow the trail of waypoints I've included, for an incredible, self guided tour. It is an awesome paddle! For those without vessels, you may wish to rent one at the State Park, or take a trip out in their glass bottom boats, and convince the pilot to hover at the posted coordinates long enough for you to get the requisite photo. Those with vessels may wish to launch them at the park, to save a lot of upstream paddling.
If you do opt to take the tour, paddling the 5.5 miles from Silver Springs State Park, to Ray Wayside Park, please be aware that Momma Nature is present. There are snakes, alligators, manatees and even monkeys, sometimes. Please do not attempt to feed or get close to any critters. They can ruin your whole day. I recommend spending a few minutes on your favorite Internet search engine, looking for DIY underwater viewers. They take a few minutes to make, and are very much worth the effort. I am utterly inept with power tools, and I made one in about 20 minutes, for less than $20.
You will note the rather curious D/T rating. Because there are no visual reference points on the surface of the water, finding a spot reasonably close to ground zero will be rather challenging. I've done it, and I think a difficulty rating of 3 is warranted. Because the park operates glass bottom boats in this area, there is no swimming allowed, which is why a vessel is required, bumping the terrain rating to a 5.
Fees and such: If you wish to launch from Silver Springs State Park, there is a $2 entry fee, and $4 Launch fee.
If you wish to rent a tandem kayak, it's $20 for 1 hour, $30 for 2 hours or $45 a day.
If you wish to rent a single kayak, it's $15 for 1 hour, $20 for 2 hours or $30 a day.
There is a $5 entry fee at Ray Wayside Park.
Silver Springs will shuttle you from Ray Wayside back to Silver Springs for $10.
Here's how I do it:
When I go solo, I drop my boat at Silver Springs, pay $16 for entry, launch and shuttle, then drive to Ray Wayside, paying $5 To park there. The van picks me up, and brings me back to Silver Springs, where I hop in my boat and commence paddling, with no sense of urgency, because I know my car is waiting for me, when I get off the water.
When I go with a friend, our first stop is at Ray Wayside, where we drop a vehicle, with straps and such for hauling kayaks. Then we go to Silver Springs, where we launch our boats. When we are done, we load boats on the shuttle vehicle, then drive back to Silver Springs.
Without further ado, here is the optional, self guided tour:
Posted coordinates: If you look down, you'll see a trio of statues, which were placed there in 1967, as a prop for the TV series I Spy, episode: The Seventh Captain.
Waypoint 1: Silver Springs Kayak Launch, a good place to begin your journey.
Waypoint 2: Mammoth Springs. This is the main boil, and is what makes this spring the largest artesian spring in the world.
Waypoint 3: Jacob's Well Spring
Waypoint 4: Reception Hall Spring
Waypoint 5: Bridal Chamber Spring
Waypoint 6: Devil's Kitchen Spring
Waypoint 7: Submerged Dugout Canoe
(It's really hard to see this one)
Waypoint 8: Unnamed Spring 3
(Yes, it's really called that. No, I don't know where # 1 or # 2 are)
Waypoint 9: Blue Grotto Spring
Waypoint 10: Mel's Wreck, (the skeletal remains of a vessel)
Waypoint 11: Sunken Spanish Row Boat
(Reportedly under the big, submerged cypress)
Waypoint 12: Unnamed Spring 4
Waypoint 13: Unnamed Spring 5
Waypoint 14: Unnamed Spring 6
Waypoint 15: Unnamed Spring 7
Waypoint 16: Unnamed Spring 8
Waypoint 17: Unnamed Spring 9
Waypoint 18: Unnamed Spring 10
Waypoint 19: Unnamed Spring 11
Waypoint 20: Steel Ship sunk in 1959 as a movie prop for Don't Give Up The Ship
Waypoint 21: Unnamed Spring 12
Waypoint 22: Shallow wreck
Waypoint 23: Shipwreck of unknown origin.
(These coords come from an unverified source. The river was high & murky, when I went to find it, and I failed to locate this one. If you find it, shoot me some better coords, and I'll name the wreck after you)
Waypoint 24: Ray Wayside Park, a good place to end your journey.
I hope you will find this journey as rewarding as I have!
Any log posted without the requisite picture, will be deleted. Sorry folks. Them's the rules!
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.