Local ScubaNation episode to air Saturday

LIVE OAK, Fla. — Suwannee County is the center of the universe.

Or at least the cave diving universe, according to ScubaNation which will feature Suwannee County on Saturday.

ScubaNation, which features hosts Billy Catoggio and Mitch Horne exploring diving locations around the world, filmed in Suwannee County in January.

The film crew was scheduled to return again in May to shoot summer activities along the Suwannee River and at the springs.

The episode is supposed to air Saturday at noon on Fox Sports Sun.

“Suwannee County is like a mecca for cave diving,” said Richard Black of Florida Dive Connection. “People don’t realize it.”

While filming in January, Catoggio said the episode would show him and Amber Yates training to become cave diving certified, highlight the beauty of the caves and show that many people from around the world are coming to Suwannee County to cave dive.

“I am blown away by the nature, trees, rolling hills and blue clear water that comes out of the springs,” Catoggio said.

They were primarily training at Peacock Springs and Orange Grove Sink at Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park and Little River Springs County Park. The episode will feature underwater footage of some of the other popular cave diving sites like Telford Spring and Cow Spring.

Catoggio dipped his toes into cave diving in 2016 during the episode “Cave County” when he did cavern diver training. The episode featured Peacock Springs and Orange Grove Sink at Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park, Ginnie Ballroom, Devil’s Eye and Ear at Ginnie Springs in High Springs.

Yates, a student at Florida State University, will costar with Catoggio. She started diving in 2013 and said in January she was excited to learn how to cave dive.

“I became intrigued by cave diving while diving at Orange Grove Sink at Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park,” Yates said.

A year ago, the Tourist Development Council awarded a $12,000 grant to Cathy Lesh, owner of Dive Outpost, to help sponsor the show.

The hosts previously spent time at Peacock Springs and Orange Grove Sink or a 2016 “Cave Country” episode as well as Ginnie Ballroom, Devil’s Eye and Ear at Ginnie Springs in High Springs.

ScubaNation is also producing a Suwannee County TV commercial that will air during the episode. The commercial will have a minimum of 78 airings.

Suwannee County TDC has been given all the footage and the commercial to use.

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