Note: This article was originally published in June of 2013 and is being shared here for historical purposes
Vortex Spring, located near the town of Ponce de Leon in the Florida Panhandle, is one of the most well known SCUBA diving destinations in the southeast United States. It is the largest diving facility of its kind in the state of Florida with visitors coming from all over the country for training and to enjoy the sunshine and clear spring water. This beautiful, privately owned, water park offers a variety of outdoor activities from swimming and sunbathing to openwater diving and cave diving. With a long rich history as a SCUBA diving training destination, many memories have been made here, and for many divers the love of the sport began here.
Encompassing 480 acres, with a magnificent freshwater spring pumping out over 28 million gallons of clear, fresh, 68 degree water each day, Vortex Spring truly is a SCUBA diving and water sports resort. Visitors will find camping and lodging along with a full service dive shop onsite to meet their needs. 
Not only is Vortex Spring a perfect openwater training site but it also offers excellent spring, cavern and cave diving. For swimmers and snorkelers the spring pool swimming area slopes gently from shallow to deeper water and you can enjoy a diving board, two high jumping platforms, a “zip line,” 2 slides, and an old-fashioned rope swing. Snorkeling, canoeing, and kayaking are popular activities and there are plenty of grassy areas for sunbathing where visitors can spread out and spend the day. The Vortex Spring website accurately describes the park as “Cool, Refreshing, and Fun.”
The heart of the park is the 200+ foot diameter spring basin with a sandy bottom and limestone formations near the cavern entrance. Waters from the spring flow into Blue Creek which joins the Choctawhatchee River over a mile and a half 
downstream. The basin has multiple entry areas, training platforms at 20 feet, man-made swim-throughs, and even a platform for divers to practice a giant stride. The cavern entrance is approximately 50 feet deep and leads to a long sloping tunnel over 300 feet long. Here divers will find a gate allowing entrance to certified cave divers only.
The Dockery family bought Vortex Spring in 1972 because they understood how attractive a facility like this would be to divers. As owners of a successful SCUBA diving shop in Flint, Michigan they made regular trips to Florida to take advantage of the weather and all the fantastic diving opportunities. They understood that this natural spring would not remain long in private ownership so they made the purchase and set out to create the park we know today.
Denzel J. (Doc) Dockery and his wife Ruth started in the SCUBA diving business in the early 1950s. “Doc” became a diver when he built his first homemade SCUBA rig in 1949 from a set of plans he found in a magazine. The Dockery’s opened their first dive shop in a garage and went on to build a successful lifetime business in SCUBA diving. “Doc” and Ruth are also credited with creating the familiar red and white “diver down” flag that we all recognize as a symbol of SCUBA diving. With their knowledge, ability and connections they designed, built, and marketed the successful dive resort that became Vortex Spring. They personally operated it until 1997.
The Dockery’s passed the management responsibilities on to their daughter Connie and her husband Danny Taylor in 1997. Under the daily direction of Connie Taylor, Vortex Spring flourished and grew in popularity. Connie is a mix of professionalism, ability, enthusiasm, and personality. She says, “We’re here for the smiles on the faces of our customers and the memories we make for them.” Building on the prosperous business created by “Doc” and Ruth, Connie and her husband maintained and grew Vortex Spring as a top diving destination. “Whatever worked in other industries we applied here.” Is Connie’s description of their approach to building the business. Over the next 10 years under their management, Vortex Spring thrived with constant activity.
In 2007 Vortex Spring was sold to northwest Florida businessman Lowell Kelly, who brought in new management but continued to operate the park much as it had been run in the past. After a decline in business from the recession and the untimely death of Mr. Kelly, the Dockery family was forced to foreclose and regained ownership on October 1, 2012.
Today, Connie Taylor and her brother Daryl have taken over management responsibilities. With Connie’s two daughters and some experienced staff members they are working hard to bring this wonderful facility back to the standards set and maintained by the Dockery family. They bring a very personal touch to the daily operation with a friendly and caring attitude that makes visitors feel welcome. In an online post Connie says, “The old management is back with a vengeance. Our staff is knowledgeable, friendly and ready to help any way possible. We are doing everything in our power to restore it to the treasure it once was.” She wants to say, “Thanks to the diving community for your support.”
The original allure of the spring that made it so popular was the water quality and “Doc” Dockery worked hard to deliver crystal clear, pure water for divers and swimmers to enjoy. Connie and her team are hard at work removing algae from the sandy basin and reducing the silt so easily stirred by new divers. Restoring the water quality is their major focus and they are rapidly bringing it back to the standard so many divers remember.
Connie describes Vortex Spring as, “The Diving Instructor’s Fail-Safe Destination.” An instructor can always count on this facility to be open and available when bringing students for training. They are not dependent on the weather and the 68 degree water temperature means training at all levels can be conducted year-round. The park has everything necessary for a single student or a large group with lodging, camping, snack bar, air and nitrox fills, and onsite dive shop. Connie says at Vortex Spring, “The diver is all.”
This unique scuba diving and water park is truly a gem and visitors are impressed by the extensive facilities, constant activities, and great diving opportunities. A visit to Vortex Spring is always memorable and with the renewed focus of Connie and her team it will remain a top diving destination. In Connie’s words, “The future is wide open!”