ABSTRACT:

On 10/11/2025 two Karst Underwater Research divers gathered data from the Milk Tunnel in the cave system of Manatee Springs State Park, Levy County, Florida, USA. KUR divers Ken Sallot and Josh Lange ran the YSI EXO3 datasonde into the Milk Tunnel approximately 1400 feet from the main conduit.The datasonde measured water temperature, pH, specific conductivity and dissolved oxygen throughout the dive. A marker (REM) was left at the location that the team turned to return to the main tunnel. After exiting the milk tunnel the dive team continued upstream to the fracture (fissure) a karst feature approx. 4500 ft penetration upstream from Friedmans Sink then returned to exit at Catfish Hotel Sink..Total dive runtime was 190 minutes, a dive computer download along with timestamp information to help synchronize the datasonde data with various parts of the cave are included.

ABSTRACT:

On 9/21/2025, KUR divers Lea Johnson, Wes Farley and Shawn Blakeslee conducted a cave dive to more than 10,000 linear ft in penetration into the cave system at Manatee Springs State Park, Levy County, Florida, USA. This dive was part of an ongoing collection of samples in the system to observe water quality parameters at different areas of the cave. Divers towed a YSI EXO3 datasonde, recording water temperature, pH, specific conductivity, and dissolved oxygen in real time throughout the dive. Grab samples of water (500ml Nalgene) were taken at predetermined locations in the cave, including the far upstream source tunnels, the Spring Tunnel (sample #6), the Snow Tunnel (sample #4) and also the Syphon Tunnel (sample #5), as indicated on the Manatee Cave System map. Sample numbers, corresponding markers placed on the dive guideline, and dive times are given to synchronize with the real-time datasonde data.

ABSTRACT:

This is a series of data-collection dives taking place in the cave system of Manatee Springs State Park, Levy County, Florida, USA between 7/20/2025 and 10/11/2025. Karst Underwater Research (KUR) cave divers swam the main conduit and each of the major tributary tunnels with a YSI EXO3 datasonde collecting real-time pH, temperature, specific conductivity, and dissolved oxygen data. Nine water grab samples (500ml Nalgene) were also taken for analysis of nitrate and others at locations marked on the KUR Manatee Springs Cave Map.

ABSTRACT:

On 8/23/2025, KUR divers Lea Johnson and Sterling McMahon completed a 200-minute dive into the cave system at Manatee Springs State Park, Levy County, FL, USA. Penetrating 5000 feet into the cave, divers recorded water temperature, pH, specific conductivity, and dissolved oxygen in real time using a YSI EXO3 datasonde, as well as collecting water samples from predetermined locations along the route for lab analysis of nitrate and others. Grab samples (500ml Nalgene bottles) were taken upstream of Sue Sink on the main line (#7, 13 minutes)), between the Milk Tunnel and the Blue Water Tunnel on the main line (#8,33 minutes ), downstream of the Fissure (#9, 72 minutes), and inside of the Sewer Tunnel (#2, 124 minutes). Sample numbers correspond to markers placed on the dive guideline and noted on the resource map, dive time given to synchronize with the real-time datasonde data.

ABSTRACT:

This resource contains YSI EXO3 datasonde data (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, specific conductivity) obtained during a cave dive from Catfish Hotel Sink to and into the Blue Water Tunnel in the cave system of Manatee Springs State Park, Levy County, Florida, USA.

Manatee run 1 narrative
KUR divers Lea Johnson and Joerg Hess met at 8 am at Manatee springs State Park, both divers had closed circuit rebreathers (CCRs) and Diver Propulsion Vehicles (DPVs). The team towed a datasonde to record water quality metrics including pH, specific conductance and dissolved oxygen. The divers started at Catfish Hotel, traversed the main passage to the Blue Water tunnel. Total dive time was 150 minutes with a maximum depth of 100 ft and an approximate maximum penetration of 6000 linear feet from the Catfish Basin. The team was offsite by 2 pm.
Conditions were very typical of the spring at the time of the dive. Gauge height was 1.95 ft and flow rate was 165 cut ft/s. The USGS Suwanee River gauge shows that these metrics have been steady for several weeks, therefore the recorded data provides a reasonable baseline for normal conditions of this spring.
Visibility in the cave was ~20 ft. As is normal for this system, considerable small to moderate particulate was observed in the passage prior to the Sewer Tunnel and Friedman’s Sink. Particulate decreased and visibility increased gradually in the main passage, improving more and more as divers progressed into the system. Flow was moderately high, making the use of scooters imperative for reaching the dive objectives.
After 40 minutes of scootering and 4400 ft of travel, the dive team reached the Blue Water Tunnel near the site of the permanent water monitoring station. True to its name, this tunnel nearly always has notably better water clarity than the main passage. The passage walls and ceiling were heavily sculpted yellow limestone. The floor varied between stretches of sand and clay, similar to the main passage, but much smaller. The team spent 45 minutes in this passage before returning to the main line.
The team then progressed for another 10 minutes up the main passage before turning around and exiting the cave system. The dive ended with a short 20 minute decompression stop.
Interesting that the specific conductivity is somewhat higher than we see at other north Florida sites and even Weeki Wachee (which is around 360 uS/cm). The dive team noted that this is consistent with the observation that scuba cylinders left in Manatee corrode quickly.