Description:

Alexander Springs is a first magnitude spring located in the Ocala National Forest about 6 miles south of Astor Park. It flows from a large cavernous opening in the bottom of the the central section of the pool. The large pool is over 300 feet North-to-South & ~ 250 feet East-to-West. Much of the pool is fairly shallow, but in the area of the main spring vent there's a large open area of exposed limestone reaching around 25-28 feet deep. The pool discharges to Alexander Springs Creek, which flows about 10 miles to empty into St. Johns River. On 8-14-07 I scuba dove & snorkeled Alexander Springs and photographed this large Florida Softshell Turtle (Apalone ferox) along the vegetated edge of the pool. I wanted to share the natural beauty of this scene with others.