Edwards Sink is actually a spring located right on the Suwannee River. It's considered a river cave. So visibility is usually less than 40 ft with some particulate in the water. The current is usually quite strong. Additionally, if rains are heavy, this cave can back up.

The spring/sink is located right next to a rail road track. Trains frequently run that track. There's a story of the original explorers diving the cave one day and hearing a rumble while in the system. Fearing a collapse, they made their way back to the exit to find that everything was OK. Turns out, a train had passed by and that is what they heard.

The entrance to the cave vent is attrocious. It's a steep climb down. Using a rope is usually a good idea. The entrance is interesting. Under a rock boulder, the main line begins at 20 ft which has a rock where you can drop your oxygen bottles. The cave drops straight down a vertacle rock fissure to a depth of 120 ft. The cave then levels off and runs under the Suwannee River towards the Suwanacoochee River Spring. Walls in the cave are red in color and lots of silt on the floor. The cave crosses three counties and two rivers. You can actually do a traverse from Edwards to Suwanacoochee if you are familiar with the system. There is an upstream section that you can dive for quite a ways. You can easily do 2,000 ft + penetration in this system.

One time, I was the last man back up the verticle rock fissure coming out from a dive. Suddenly, I saw my buddy's light flash me. Immediately after, I felt a crash on the side of my head and shoulder. It was a head-size rock that had been dislodged by another buddy and went pinball style down the crack and just about knocked my head off. That was a close call. So be careful in that fissure. This fissure is long but only about 3 ft - 4 ft wide. So you can get divers side by side for deco, but it's a small fit. The entrance is similar to Diepolder II down in Cortez, Fl.

There are no fees to dive the site. You can solo and DPV this site. Backmount or sidemount configuration is manageable here. The closest dive shop is back in Live Oak at Cave Excursions or Dive Outpost which is probably 30 minutes away. Although this cave is quite popular, it is a little off the beaten path.

For more info:

http://www.geocities.com/cavedivingx2/edwards.html

http://www.floridacaves.com/edward.htm

Written by  Allen Wooten.

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