eon County, part – in Wakulla County. Some are enormous (Big Dismal is some 60 m deep), some smaller, some have small lakes at bottoms and some are dry.
Here starts the Wakulla – Leon Sinks cave system. Not all sinkholes now are leading into the cave – most likely the passages have been silted up, but quite many have connections to cave. Some of Leon Sinks are listed below:
- Big Dismal – wet sinkhole (with lake in it). This sinkhole is 30 m deep up to the water level and another 30 m deep below the water level. At 25 m depth is located entrance in cave system. Located at 30.315803 N 84.351568 W.
- Black Gum – wet sinkhole. Located at 30.302703 N 84.352514 W.
- Gator Sink – wet sinkhole. Located at 30.301025 N 84.351580 W.
- Gopher Hole – dry sinkhole. Located at 30.308808 N 84.347690 W.
- Gremlin Sink – wet sinkhole. Located at 30.301660 N 84.352945 W.
- Hammock – wet sinkhole. Located at 30.314537 N 84.347152 W.
- Turner Sink – wet sinkhole. Located at 30.265105 N 84.341432 W.
In the cave system live numerous animals, including ones, which are endemic. One is Woodville Karst cave crayfish (Procambarus orcinus), which is not met outside Woodville Karst. This small crustacean lives in the silt of sinkholes and caves and its existance might be very endangered by the decreasing water quality.
Another endemic crustacean is the swimming Florida cave isopod (Remasellus parvus).
The courage and persistance of the explorers of Woodville Karst Plain caves is admirable. The exploration of these underwater caves has been technically extremely demanding and, unfortunately, has claimed many lives.
Research of the Wakulla cave system started in 1955, when 355 m long passages were explored.
Since then several expeditions have been organized and the underwater caves were explored step by step. This research always has been very dangerous and requires excellent organisation of research itself and safety measures.
Culmination of this research took place in July 28 2007. Two experienced cave divers of Global Underwater Explorer’s Woodwille Karst Plain Project – Jarrod Jablonski and Casey McKinlay - entered Turner Sink in the Leon Sinks and after 20 hours came out in Wakulla Springs. Dive itself took 6.5 hours, 14 hours were necessary for decompression after diving 90 m deep. There was no possibility to come to the surface in between – thus this was truly astounding accomplishment with very complex support system.
Thus there were connected several large cave systems and the largest underwater cave system in United States was discovered. Since then researchers have managed to extend the knowledge and now the known total length of passages is fantastic: 51,483 m!
By far not all is explored yet. Not too far is Chip’s Hole – more than 5 km long cave system and several more cave systems.