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Map of Catfish Hotel Sink
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IntermediateShore entry

Catfish Hotel Sink

Florida, United States
Open Water suggestedOverhead environment3–21 m depthShore entryRash guard or 2mm shorty typical

Catfish Hotel Sink at a glance

Catfish Hotel Sink is a intermediate shore dive site in Florida, United States with depths of 3–21.3 m (10–70 ft). Typically most favorable Oct–Dec · from 3 years of archive data. Divers commonly see Channel catfish, Largemouth bass, and Bluegill. Recent reports put the water around 31°C (88°F). Check the latest conditions and entry details before you go.

Marine model · graded 3h ago
0.2 mwaves — under half a meter expected

Tap a factor for its source and model point · Forecast 31°C · seasonal avg 31°C

Site hazards: Overhead environment

Read the full hazards ↓

Dive windows this week

Best: Fri
Sun7:00–21:00
Mon7:00–21:00
Tue7:00–21:00
Wed7:00–21:00
Thu7:00–21:00
Fri7:00–21:00
Sat7:00–21:00

Favorable windowModerate window— no window

First light 6:22 · Sunrise 6:48 · Sunset 20:28

Source: Open-Meteo marine · model point 26 km from site · graded 3h ago

Forecast only — always assess conditions on site.

Forecast · NOAA tide model

Tide & slack timing

Loading tide predictions

Recent diver reports

Dated firsthand observations from divers — not current conditions.

No diver reports for this site yet. — one dated observation helps every diver after you.

What Divers Say

Known for: Channel catfish, Largemouth bass, Bluegill
Best time: Year-round at a constant 72°F; best visibility when the Suwannee River is low (typically late spring through fall low-water periods); river flooding can tannic-out the system. Mind manatee presence in winter (50 ft minimum distance required).

Based on community reviews and site data. Conditions vary — always verify before diving.

Best months, historically

What conditions have historically been typical at this site, month by month — not a forecast.

  1. Jan97%13°C0.6 m
  2. Feb99%17°C0.5 m
  3. Mar98%20°C0.6 m
  4. Apr98%23°C0.6 m
  5. May99%27°C0.5 m
  6. Jun100%30°C0.5 m
  7. Jul100%31°C0.4 m
  8. Aug97%32°C0.5 m
  9. Sep98%29°C0.4 m
  10. Oct100%25°C0.4 m
  11. Nov100%21°C0.4 m
  12. Dec100%16°C0.5 m

June, July, October, November, and December havetypically had the largest share of favorable days here. Conditions vary year to year — this is historical context, not a forecast.

Based on 3 years of archive data. Bar height shows the share of days each month whose conditions have historically scored favorably.

Marine life seen at this site

Species noted at this site — not a promise of what you’ll encounter.

Species seen here

  • Channel catfishCommonly seen
  • Largemouth bassCommonly seen
  • BluegillCommonly seen
  • Florida garOccasionally seen
  • Suwannee cooter (turtle)Occasionally seen
  • American eelRarely seen
  • West Indian manateeSeasonal
  • Striped mulletOccasionally seen

Fills & rentals nearby

No dive shops mapped within 25 km. Know one? Add it to the map.

Site details

Catfish Hotel is a duckweed-covered karst window in Manatee Springs State Park on the Suwannee River, connected to the Manatee Springs cave system. Divers descend a wooden staircase into a ~35 ft basin, with a large cavern entrance around 50 ft that opens into a daylight zone reaching about 70 ft. It is a classic North Florida cavern/cave training and staging site, named for the schools of catfish that congregate in the basin.

cavecenoteshore

Overhead environment — large cavern beyond the basin requires cavern certification, full cave beyond the daylight zone; strong siphon flow on one side of the cavern; thick duckweed mat on the surface can disorient on ascent; dark tannic surface layer; submerged trees and silt.

Reviews

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