Can you swim in Jacobs well right now?

Swimming at Jacob's Well is currently not permitted. Please check back here for updates regarding the 2024 swim season. Please note that the park is still open for hiking and viewing the spring during our regular hours. Plus we have geocaching, bird watching and a Nature Center to explore and enjoy!



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As of June 29, 2022, swimming will not be allowed at Jacob's Well Natural Area (JWNA) for the foreseeable future. The threat of high bacteria levels, other pollutants and poor visibility conditions are unsafe for swimming.

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Temperature of the water in Jacob's Well remains a near-constant 68°F and visibility is typically excellent. The spring provides habitat to numerous species of fish (principally sunfish and perch); turtles; aquatic insects; crustaceans; and, most notably, the cave-adapted Fern Bank salamander (Eurycea pterophilia).

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The well takes an initial plunge through 23 feet of well-lit water to an apparent bottom, but then it veers off into a descent of increasing darkness. I visited with Gregg Tatum who has logged over 250 dives there. He says it is no place for a novice.

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For the second year in a row, the iconic spring-fed swimming hole has stopped flowing, the consequence of drought and overpumping. It was a scorching day in July 2022 when I last peered into Jacob's Well.

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The well still produces clear, drinking water, and visitors are allowed to draw water from the well and drink it. Jacob's Well is considered to be the most authentic Christian holy site as no one can move a well that is more than 40 meters deep.

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After about a dozen divers drowned trying to explore the bottom of Jacob's Well, the fourth chamber was finally sealed up for good.

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