There’s so much to do at the many breathtaking watering holes found across Florida, that you might not even ponder the fact that some of them are crawling with paranormal activity.
Whether you’re in the water, on the water or on the banks or surrounding areas, these creepy and sinister entities will have you fleeing for your life.
Updated 2/10/2020 – The thing about water is, it’s a natural conduit for the spooky forces to travel through.
From ghost boats to evil spirits and dark terrors who want more than your flesh – there are some who only want your immortal soul.
If you decide to venture further to experience the horror for yourself, don’t say you weren’t warned.
Table of Contents
- 1 10) Juniper Springs – Silver Springs
- 2 9) Wekiwa Springs – Apopka
- 3 8) Ichetucknee Springs – Fort White
- 4 7) Troy Spring – Branford
- 5 6) Manatee Springs – Chiefland
- 6 5) Wakulla Springs – Wakulla Springs State Park
- 7 4) Madison Blue Spring State Park – Lee
- 8 3) Fanning Springs State Park – Fanning Springs
- 9 2) De Leon Springs State Park – De Leon Springs
- 10 1) Crystal River Preserve – Crystal River
10) Juniper Springs – Silver Springs
leo818lion/flickr
What’s not to love at Juniper Springs, known as one of the oldest and most favorite watering holes in Florida?
The crystal clear water under the trees and palms is where a sinister force resides, according to witnesses, who report that it induces a trance that’s almost impossible to shake off – especially if you’re on your own.
Mostly targeting older people, it is said that the first sign is the body going weak, then the eyes start rolling back.
One woman reported how her grandfather was suddenly rigid and slipping under water, but his eyes were the most frightening.
She dragged him out in a panic, but luckily – several hours later – he was back to normal.
9) Wekiwa Springs – Apopka
jordan rogers/flickr
Everyone loves seeing wildlife when visiting the best swimming holes in Florida and Wekiwa Springs is no different – unless you count the bizarre sightings which involve the appearance of turtles swimming by.
Visitors advise that you might think they’re turtles but they are only a hallucination – at first.
Two young witnesses stated that they thought it was cool to swim with turtles but when they suddenly saw ghostly, human eyes peering up from under the shells – they were terrified.
Believed to be the helmets belonging to the spirits of unknown soldiers, reports say that if they get too close – they’ll bite you.
8) Ichetucknee Springs – Fort White
svasti cross/flickr
Thought of as one of the prettiest watering holes in Florida, these springs are surrounded by lush greenery, trees and bushy areas where invisible entities are often heard stalking through the woods.
Visitors report hearing footsteps and twigs snapping when no one is around, along with a creepy feeling of being watched.
One witness advised that he heard whispering in the bushes while swimming, so he climbed out to have a look.
When he heard the whispers telling him to kill himself, he was mortified and raced back to the water, followed by stomping on the ground behind him.
Once in the water, the whispers stopped, but he was depressed for weeks afterwards.
7) Troy Spring – Branford
phil’s 1stpix/flickr
One of Florida’s most memorable vacation spots, Troy Spring has an unusual haunting that involves a phantom steamboat – thought of as the spiritual remains or an imprint of the Civil War era steamboat which was deliberately sunk at this location, to keep it from ending up in the hands of the enemy.
An eerie mist starts forming, then the steamboat glides through with several lonely ghosts on deck.
Some say that to see the boat is to herald the end of your life.
Pray that you don’t pass over here – otherwise you’ll end up drifting forever with the cursed spirits aboard the mysterious and eerie steamboat.
6) Manatee Springs – Chiefland
jennifer v./yelp
Considered to be one of the best spots for swimming in Florida, Manatee Springs is also known for the strong and swift undercurrents, but don’t think for a moment that anything normal is going on.
Locals say that what you feel underwater are the rushing and swirling ghosts of a family who drowned many years ago.
A young woman who advises that she is a strong swimmer, was horrified when she felt ice cold hands wrap around her ankles and dragging her under.
Then she was swept away by a number of icy hands, doing her best to fight as she bumped her head on the rocks and roots.
When she finally surfaced, she vowed never to return.
5) Wakulla Springs – Wakulla Springs State Park
melissa t./yelp
If looking for places to hike and swim near you, you might want to think twice about paying these springs a visit – especially at twilight.
Visitors advise that a creeping mist that lays low over the surface of the water is really a blanket of ghosts trying their best to sneak up on their unsuspecting victims.
An older woman was reported to have suffered a heart attack after being covered in the ghostly mist.
She screamed and then sunk under, but when the ambulance arrived to take her to hospital, she was babbling on and on about the evil spirits in her heart.
Many say that she was lucky to have survived.
4) Madison Blue Spring State Park – Lee
keith curry-pochy/flickr
Now thought of as one of the not so secret swimming holes in Florida, many cave diving enthusiasts flock to this location.
What they don’t like to talk about are the shadow people seen in the caves – floating in the water and then suddenly attaching themselves by climbing onto the diver’s backs.
A couple who endured this nightmare advised that they were having a blast, until the girlfriend began to scream and then swam away in a panic.
Once her boyfriend got out and found her shrieking on the banks, he said she kept screaming, “Get it off!” – but there was nothing there, apart from the claw marks on her shoulders.
3) Fanning Springs State Park – Fanning Springs
paul clark/flickr
Many agree that this location is one of the best Florida lakes you can swim in, but some visitors say they’ll never return after facing a chilling entity in the water.
No one has seen the spirit but they have definitely felt it – in the random cold spots that morph into temperatures below freezing all of a sudden.
A young mother reports that her five year old daughter started screaming while the family swam around her.
She said she’ll never forget the huge difference in the temperatures when she swam only a couple of feet to get to her.
Her daughter ended up with hypothermia and insisted that she had a monster in her blood.
2) De Leon Springs State Park – De Leon Springs
rusty alaska/flickr
When trying to find places to do some cliff diving in Florida, a group of friends decided to go kayaking instead and were having a great time, until one of the men called out that he was snagged on something.
He soon screamed that something was in the water, while his friends watched in horror as the water began bubbling and churning.
His wife also screamed, saying that there were white hands gripping the side of the kayak.
It started to rock and they were soon tipped over. When the other members of the group tried to paddle over and help, they too saw hands and were tipped over, while their kayaks were ferried away by invisible entities.
It was lucky that none of them drowned.
1) Crystal River Preserve – Crystal River
nadia aly/flickr
One of the main attractions here are the Manatee who reside in the beautiful, clear waters.
Some believe that they are the epitome of pure goodness and one witness advises that she was saved by a large one when she encountered a black mass under water, while she was snorkeling.
At first she thought she was heading towards a Manatee but when a horrifying face broke through the darkness and lunged at her with long, white fangs – she freaked.
It was only when she felt a bony hand around her throat that a Manatee swam at her and nudged her back to the surface, after scaring off the nightmarish entity.
