Cave diving beyond the locked gate at Vortex Springs
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 มี.ค. 2018
- Established in 1972 by Doc and Ruth Dockery, for Divers. Vortex is recognized as one of the best and safest diving resorts in the country. Our spring produces approximately 28 million gallons of crystal "gin" clear water daily. At a year round temperature of 68 degrees.
The spring basin is 50 feet deep at the mouth of the cavern. Surface lit during the day and inhabited by Koi, Gar, Catfish, American Eels, Redhorse Suckers, Blue Gill, and Bass to name a few. These will surely be your constant companions, and are tame enough to eat right out of your hand, an underwater photographers dream. The cavern continues another one hundred yards, to a depth of 115 feet at the cave system security gate. Beyond this point you will have to show the local shop your full cave cert to obtain a key for the gate. The white sand bottom and shimmering air pockets make for a breathtaking experience!
www.vortexspring.com/vortex-sp... - กีฬา
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The blue pipe is for dredging sand from the back of the cave. Otherwise the silt/sand would eventually make the passage too small. There is a pump on the shore.
but whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy you people should have joined the military.
Thank you. That info is very much appreciated! I was thinking that might be it, but I thought it would have been bigger for dredging...
@@stevelarsen4717 It wasn’t very well engineered. It was more of a DIY project by a previous land owner.
@@dannyboy8474lol what?
I dove Vortex Springs years ago... Got to the mouth of the cave and shined my light into it. All I saw was a bunch of NOPE and NOFRIGGINWAY. Thanks for sharing with us scaredy cats!
Taco Myrick it’s not as bad as you Think. Cave diving is not for everyone. You must know and follow your own limits and respect them. Reach out to someone and take continuing education training to improve your skills and knowledge.
darkmemories05 did you know Ben?
I went in. I got lost. I finally got out
@@annaehs no... didn't know him.
@@TacoMyrick Do you think Ben could have still been in there somewhere?
This is pure nightmare fuel I will never ever cave dive i will live vicariously through videos
I love these videos, they make me feel so happy that I'm not doing that.
😂😂
There are some people who risk their lives to make things like this...but in my case I'm so comfortably watching this on my bed !
The trapped air pockets in the ceiling look really cool.
That’s all that looks cool. Such a serious risk for no pay off besides saying you went past the gates
@@greerlocatell635 i don’t think they are there to look at the rocks 🤣 probably more for the adventure of traveling down that horrifying thing
I’m level 2 advanced certified but I went back to the piano room many times as an open water diver back in the day. Dumb as hell for my amateur ass I know but there was something about the cave that called to me. I had to see it. One of the last times I went in I got back to the gate and low and behold it was open. With a big fat yellow main line tied off disappearing into the void. I went in, with one tank and two flashlights like a boss and got about 100ft in it before I realized the true depth I was at was almost 130ft (the piano room is at about 115 at the gate) and as I was turning around I saw lights coming at me. I still had about 2000 lbs of air (no bottom time left though, my little dive computer was screaming at me, and we called it the bendsomatic cuz its a little liberal on bottom times with the old school dive tables) and decided to wait for the divers to come and follow them out because there lights where a lot brighter than mine and I had kicked up a smidge of silt on the way in. When they rounded the corner and saw me their eyes got big as silver dollars until I flashed an OK at the and then I followed them out. Did a little deco stop at the mouth of the cave(65ish ft) for about 15 mins then at 15 ft for 3 mins and surfaced. Had a nice little chat with the guys about it. At first they where a little pissed but after talking to me about it they understood. Something about the cave just calls you into it. The big beautiful black void that it is. One of the guys was named Edd Sorensen.. didn’t realize it at the time but I literally dove a cave with one of the all time greats in cave diving. It was a really cool experience. Feel free to tell me how dumb I am for doing it, I’ll agree with you.
Jordan Newsom I think you already know it. And I’m sure you and Edd had a serious conversation. But they are still exploring and mapping it from my understanding.
You’re an idiot.
Damn dude...you're lucky to be alive.
I am surprised you dint throw seeing in an alien of sorts in that made up story.
It’s dangerous because of the silt, right?
Any freak out and it’s all black?
This man just predicted the Gen Z humor of mixing cursed images with happy music
@Rose stfu
Did they get the town drunk to make that gate
Yes
Lol
A human won't be able to open a reinforced steel heavy gate at that pressure depth(45m)big brains
It is very difficult to perform work like that underwater. The bars were installed for function, not beauty. That being said, yes, a neater job could have been done. I’ve been in there, the piping, bars, and lighting make the cave look sort of like a mine.
😂🤣😂🤣😂
The song made me watch this vid with no volume.
That music is what dying in a cave sounds like.
Good idea
i wonder where ben is..
A true mystery, since seeing that episode of Disappeared I've always wondered did he succumb underwater or was there an awful deceiving plot to cover up the real truth?
Duuuuuude....a podcast about him is what brought me here. Their description of the cave gave me anxiety 😫
@@mayapennington4680 sinisterhood by any chance? Same.
@@mayapennington4680 same this made me shaky.. :/
Me to
Equal parts horrifying, beautiful and insane. Love it!
Imagine if he got back up to the gate only to see someone had locked the gate behind him
scotty carter when you check in as a full cave diver the shop gives you a key to carry with you there is also bolt cutters on the inside past the gate. Just in case.
I had the same thought! Glad to know there are options.
Its made out of thin rebar sooo.
@@HorizontalDiversLLC Question is, were those bolt cutters there before or after the incident with Ben?
@@taylarblake2010 I do not know the answer to that question.
All the tiny air pockets/bubbles look really cool.
I won’t even go in a regular cave like that, so it being filled with water is an absolute no for me lol
Memories! My first cave! Only to the gate.
Ben must have been found and buried outside of the cave. The owners these days are very secretive about deaths on their properties. From my exp, a girl jumped from the roof of my school hostel in broad daylight and they shamlessly hid the incidence like nothing happened.
This section does not strike me as "most dangerous cave in the world." I want to see something that will make my skin crawl
Check out downstream cow
th-cam.com/video/PXdUcTCrZSc/w-d-xo.html
Did a spider make that gate?
It's made like that so divers can easily have them open by a little push even at that depth pressure
My recollection of Vortex, from decades ago (circa early 80s), was arriving to just dive the spring basin / cavern (and maybe peek into the cave). However, our plans were tabled because, as we were arriving, a team (and local police) were there to search for / retrieve the body of a diver who apparently never returned to the surface. They turned us around, of course. Fast forward to 2010 and I was back with my son who did a checkout dive in the basin. The place is so deceivingly benign near the surface but I remembered my 80s trip there. I also have a photo of a sign at Morrison Springs from the 70s that says" (IIRC) Warning 22 (crossed out and changed to 23) have lost their lives in this cave. Don't be next!" My first dive there was before they had dynamited the deeper section of the cave closed. The caves, while beautiful and tempting, are not for untrained divers.
Ditch the music. Totally kills the erie and mystical feeling of a cave.
Way to wreck an otherwise perfectly good vid
rev up yor resperators!!!
No introduction and right fown to business. Subscribed
Anyone else watch this AFTER watching mrballen's video?
imagine thousands of years in the future when tectonic plates will shift and probably that vortex cave will be out of the water .. future people will explore that cave and find that guy's body in scuba dive trapped in that cave they will be like "what the fuck ? "
I don't think Ben is in there mate in the documentary one of the best cave diver's in the word went all the way bk there and found nothing and she was literally stuck and could go no further. Its also just one tunnel with no branching paths.
@@robmallaby1641 I thought there were several narrow branching paths off this one, but I could be wrong.
As a free diver I went this past weekend and pocket hopped my way just shy of the gate. Such a surreal experience.
Even better when you can take your time.
NEVER DO THAT
I only keep coming back to jam out and watch the dive over and over again.
13 divers have died here that’s why the gate is there . More died after the gates installation
yeeet yeet but how many have dived it successfully?
Wally Brown quite a few, I got my open water cert there and my instructor had dived it a few times
Open water 😂😂
I watched mr ballen video he said about 300 people have died here.
@@GeekRaj 300 worldwide in cave diving. That's what that grim reaper sign says
there is a dead diver still in there not found even to this day
But its true tho. This makes diving 12/10 scary
no, love, insurance money only.
no he faked his death the guy who mapped the entire cave even looked and found no body
Apparently they also tested the waters for decomposition but it came out negative
Lindale Tabasa actually, I believe they did find bacteria but don’t know if it is human or another animal that fell inside
Dove here in 1989 and the gate must have been new cause no way to open. Had 3x5 sign with grim reaper posted at gate with how many that died in the cave. Also had air pocket at top of cavern so we was underwater with our head above water. Air was funky smelling too. You could buy fish food to open underwater n fish would tear it up. Good divesite✌🏼
Hope you're still around and having a great time.
Yes, still here actively cave diving.
Absolutley terrifyingly beautiful. I could never do anything like that but god bless the person that can its because of people like you someone like me can see things like this. But what I dont understand when it comes to fatalities is when they map out caves why they dont put directions and alot more diver aids to help guide divers in and out of caves. Like on false routes to warn divers before they even go into it or plates that say go right or left and arrows that indicate which ways to go along the entire route?
What if somebody came by to fix it while you were in there
I get anxiety watching this 😰
Same!
watch claustrophobic caves..
I like the music!
Keep an eye out for Ben McDaniels. He never came back up
You get $20,000 if you find his skull
@@rogueplanet13 Last I heard it was $30,000 before being withdrawn from Family because people were killing themselves attempting to claim the reward.
Its highly unlikely he's actually in the cave, seeing as he had hardly any cave diving experience, as well as the fact that the cave system had been thoroughly searched by highly experienced cave divers. If he died in the cave then it wouldn't be that far up inside of it, and thus he should have been found, but he wasn't. More likely he was murdered or something.
@@pieterveenders9793 bruhh he had good cave diving skill though he wasn't certified. He mapped out some pretty inward remote parts of the caves all by himself. He faked his death
Read what you just said. 😂
the Vortex looks pretty straight forward, probably a half way decent beginners cave or mayby a good
intermediate cave diving destination. i might even be willing to Dive the Vortex.
It’s advanced due to the restrictions and depth.
I wanna know who layed that pipe! Did they just stab the pipes then push them in?
What is that pipe for?
@@srb2az141 to guide divers
Probably Johnny Sins. He’s an expert at laying pipe
@@Janon48 i think i know that guy
Pump spring water out
This man has the biggest balls ever i swear i mean ive been to vortex went to the scuba diving area and said nope.😂
I understand the yellow line staked along the bottom is a guide line, but what are the pvc looking tubes running in conjunction with it used for? Just curious. Thanks.
I wonder too... No answer?
It’s for Dredging sand from the back of the cave so it doesn’t close up (from what a read on another comment)
I’m hyperventilating just watching 😱😱
If you _really_ want to get creeped out, watch it with no sound D:
When he decided to turn around, I freaked myself out by imagining that there was a current he didn’t notice before that flows away from the entrance that he didn’t notice before, making it a lot harder to get out😱
Nah I’m more creeped out by the fact that i heard the story of the man who went missing exactly here... his parents put out a 100,000 dollar reward to find his remains and another diver died trying to find him for the reward. They had to pull out so no other divers would risk their lives for the money
ytrewqmcnoggin there have been at least 13 divers die there. One is still missing. I’ve done the dive to the gate many times. I would NEVER go any further.
Mr ballen brought me here
Same
Same lol
Absolutely now way.
The most recent episode of the Scared To Death podcast brought me here. Apparently, that place is haunted.
skotty kilmer must have been diving in there somewhere...
My gramma went past the gate and got her wooden leg stuck in the tank valve. RIP gramma
I can't swim so people who do things like this are like astronauts in my book, doing something I could never even attempt.
Are there any videos out there truly documenting and showing its true depth/length. I've only heard about the ventures back there. Little is seen.
Yes there are a few but old videos. Idk about the depth on video.
I heard that some of the few select divers who have the keys to the gate rarely ever go there because of how dangerous it is. I’m not an underwater cave diver nor do I keep up with the whole underwater caving community so feel free to tell me if I’m wrong
There are plenty of deadly caves you can swim in down here that aren't gated off. Still many springs that absolute yahoos can go dive in completely unsupervised. At least at vortex they actively try to keep them out. Two guys died this week down in Hernando county diving in a cave and breaking every rule in the book. Vortex is relatively safe.
@@squarecracker so you actually been in the vortex?
@@Matt-zu2lu Nah but i been in almost every freedive cave south of i-10.
@@squarecracker nice
@squarecracker how you gonna say it's safe when you never been
So jealous man I wanted to dive there so bad but wasnt certified when I lived in Florida
TheWhite EazyE all the more reason to come back. Where are you living now?
Wow this goes further than I thought
Yes, even farther than I was able to swim. The system is big and not fully mapped.
What is the dangerous part of cave diving? Is it because of the air tank management and stuff ( I don’t know what I’m talking about) or is it like getting stuck in the cave because the cave looks fairly open so I’m wondering what is so dangerous.
It’s a combination of things listed above and inadequate training. Ego and complacency will get you in trouble too.
Pretty much air management/potential for nitrogen narcosis and things like that. Like, let’s say you’re exploring a regular cave on land, you swore you didn’t take any turns but now you’re coming back and there’s a fork in the cave. I guess you didn’t notice while you were coming in, either way you’ve now got to pick a path, and if it’s not the way out you don’t just get to keep exploring until you find the right way, you run out of air and die. Or let’s say you happen to miraculously find your way at the last moment and have to rapidly ascend with the little remaining air you have, now you have decompression sickness. Or maybe you go to a cave you’ve been to before and felt comfortable with, only to get down there and realize the conditions have changed, there’s a current that wasn’t there previously, and in a struggle to swim back against the current, you stir up some sediment, silt yourself out,and now have zero visibility to see yourself back through the cave.
The only thing that would have made this better is if he used a lil mission impossible torch to get thru the gate
Lol
Hey. I went through this same metal gate years ago. I went pretty far in, and when I came back.. the gate was shut and locked. I'm STILL here! find me. Once through, go Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left , Right... i'll be there waiting. P.S. bring bagels!
What is the appeal of this cave exactly there doesn’t seem to be much in it?
Wow, I can see how disorienting that seemed! It seemed like that was traveling up, but looking at the map that is all horizontal? Then you turned around and it looked like you were going up again! I didn't notice the air pockets until the way back, which were amazing! There is a lot of pointy rocks that look like sharks teeth all along the roof. Is that dangerous to your tanks? I would think these days that people would have a HUD showing depth, position, and direction, as well as time, is that a thing yet?
They also need infra red mapping sensors so that they can be monitored and without actually looking to see anomalies.
What would it take to go further than you did? Looks like there is tons more room.
Thanks for sharing!
*DIVE TALK SENT ME HERE.* 🦈🙃🐋
If you get stuck dont expect some poor guy to come down there and save your arse.
Entirely new gate system set up there now. Past piano room is completely off limits without a permit now 💀
Wow. I’ll have take a look. Thanks for the update.
@WhatPadiLoves schau mal wenn ich mir das so anschaue kann ich mir schon vorstellen das hier ein Mensch spurlos verschwinden kann
i will never understand some cave diving. ok, you took part in an incredibly risky and dangerous dive for what... rocks and a low ceiling? seriously? filing under “not worth it”.
Yes for them it can be life threatening but you gotta keep in mind they see things differently than you. You might only see these caverns as 'tight spaces' but for them it could be haven.
These guys get to see things that we will never see...and you wont ever know whats down there until you look....
John Doe nothin down there. Just adrenaline needing morons lmao
@@absolutelypro4612 nope...
there will always be a karen in the comments,and you're the karen on this comment,Congratulations
I don't understand what makes this dangerous but it looks really cool and right up my alley. It also doesn't seem particularly hazardous since there is no where to go but straight and you have a very bright guide
In my mind this is actually a best case scenario for a first cave dive experience
If your light goes out, or you cause a silt out, then this could be a very dangerous cave. They’ve gated off the extremely dangerous parts.
Extreme depth
You should get down there as soon as possible. Don't bother with any training - that's for cissies.
I love the music so much while watching this dangerous yet satisfying dive.
What is the pipe going thru the cave for?
Sitting in a train, departure is delayed by 80 minutes because they’re getting some extra cars from other place.
#onlyinpoland
I can see how that missing diver Ben snuck under the gate easily.
He didn’t sneak
The employee opened it
That’s very cool footage. How deep into the cave did you end up going?
To the third restriction and back. Not all of it is in this video.
What is that blue pipe for?
what's that pipe for?
What is the pipe for and how did it get there? If the cave is so dangerous
Good question.
Aint it a Guideline 😂
Removing silt to keep the water clear.
What is the pipe for?
Wow. Thanks to people that do this so I don't have to lol.
1. Does anyone know where to watch "Ben's Vortex?"
2. How long does it take to go to/past the 4th Restriction?
To let you know how hardcore this cave is, you can only get in if you’re an instructor or have serious experience with that sort of thing. They’ll just tell you to fuck off otherwise. The place is littered with dead bodies, deep inside the depths of the poor souls who thought they could tackle it
Crystal clear except for Ben's decomposing body deep in the cave.
Lol
Mr. Ballen brought me here
What is the PVC plumbing for?
There is a toilet on the other end
i'm assuming to find the way out
It's to remove silt from the caves and keep the water clear. It's not a guideline although some divers use it for that.
What the hell has been up with TH-cam recommendations lately.
It has been many years since I’ve been that far back in vortex. When did they add the grates beyond the initial locked gate?
I am only aware of gate which is in the video. If they added another it was after the release date of this video.
@@HorizontalDiversLLC Ok. It looked like you opened the first grate and then at the end of the video, there was another one.
@@JAScavoJr he turned around. That's the first gate at the mouth at the end of the video
Needs spooky music this is a MURDER MYSTERY cave!
I'm always expecting to see a giant crab or octopus jumping out at anytime! I hate the deep.
Seeing signs of life in that dark desolate cave would be a blessing.
@@jar3729 Not if it's hostile life.
Whats up with the pipe? I understand the guide line but the pipe is odd.
HUSTLING HARD it’s a waterline for pumping into other areas of the park I believe.
Its for clearing out debris for new openings in piano room I heard.
I've watched alot of these cave diving videos and one thing that I always notice is I never see fish or other aquatic wildlife in these caves. Wonder why that is... Is it there is no food source? I mean you don't see anything other than the cave itself generally.
It’s void of all light so the fish stay in the cavern area to use light to feed.
@@HorizontalDiversLLC I see, that makes sense.
What’s the pipe for.
What’s the blue pipe used for?
DisconnecteDaydream it is a water source for other features in the park.
I hate all the piping and man made objects inside the cave here minus the guideline of course. Been here once and there were lights etc. A fellow cave diver had told me this place was a circus.
I'll stick to my Suwannee river caves with a bit of Withlacoochee.
I will say this is a good place to go if you're getting back into the sport after a while as it's easier to navigate but has some tight restrictions.
you see all these dislikes, ya...from the music XD XD
How is this dangerous? I'm not a cave diver but from other caves this looks totally safe. The cave is just a straight tunnel no other passages to get lost.
The only reason why this cave in particular is so popular is because a man went missing with his truck money sitting outside the diving site. The person who mapped out the cave was sent to look throughout the whole thing and didn’t find him. The parent of the person who went missing set a 10,000$ reward to find the body and a man went to claim it and ended up dyeing.im no expert at this stuff but to say that this isn’t dangerous is probably not right considering how many people have died while diving.
Honestly kinda didn’t fully read your comment but if you didn’t already know the story now you do😭😂
I don't understand why you think your opinion is valid if you're not a cave diver?
RappidsLord 1021 at least 13 people have died in this particular cave. That’s dangerous enough for me. I used to instruct diving, mainly using Vortex springs. I’ve dove this cave many times.
@@aerialeggbeater2644 how much farther does it go then shown in the video?
I just want to point out that who is that whoever filmed this dive, it is clear to me that the weight of their balls help them descend to that level alone with no dive buddy
What are those shiney things on the ceiling looks like melted metal?
Whats the blue tube??
A monsters diddle 😳
@@TheFireproofWitch omg😅
No way i could do that. Made me nervous the entire time.
Ben!!!! Ben where are you ya fool...
You know, despite the fact this cave is dangerous, it seems pretty straigth-forward in terms of it being just a passage way
This part is but the second restriction is gnarly, the third is alarming and the fourth is terrifying.
That's a whole heap of nope from me.
What’s that blue pipe
I bet it would be very easy to get that all silted up and loose all visibility.
Yes it is. Proper buoyancy is key.
Why does it look like youre going uphill
On the way back out, you are going uphill. From the cave entrance to the gate the depth goes from 50 feet to 115 feet.
I have to vortex springs it is a nice place butt cost to much
How much?
Oh hi Ben