In Texas, it is a rite of passage to dive into the sinister waters of Jacob’s Well. Teenagers dare each other to jump into the swimming hole’s 12 foot opening from great heights. Jacob’s Well is inviting from the outside. Who doesn’t want to swim in a clear spring encircled by rocks that form a natural swimming pool? Jacob’s Well extends 30 feet below ground into a vast network of caves that have been known to trap adventurous divers. At least 9 people have died in recent decades. The true number of fatalities is most likely higher.
Located less than an hour outside of Austin, Jacob’s Well has become one of the most popular hill country swimming holes in all of Texas. Swimmers love the thrill of serenely floating above a 30 foot hole that has proven fatal to an untold number of divers. Seasoned divers routinely explore the claustrophobic underwater caves far below the 30 foot drop-off. A team of divers attempted to install a grate to restrict access to one of the most treacherous caves. In true Texas style, another diver removed the grate and left a waterproof note saying that it was impossible to keep people from exploring the caves.
Texans grow up hearing ghost stories about the unfortunate divers whose spirits haunt Jacob’s Well. In 2000, a local diver told a chilling story about finding multiple human femur bones and a human skull deep in the caverns of Jacob’s Well. Most swimmers visit Jacob’s Well for a carefree day of soaking in the water and relaxing in the sun, but some are captivated by the graveyard in the swimming hole’s shadowy caves.
The searing Texas heat will forever drive locals and tourists to cool off by soaking in the nearest swimming hole. Jacob’s Well has a special appeal for those who delight in doing something dangerous. Chances are if you don’t jump from a great height off a jagged rock into the swimming hole’s narrow 12 foot opening, or attempt to dive into the gloomy depths of Jacob’s Well—you’ll probably live to tell about the afternoon that you spent there. If you’re brave enough to float above the deep dark caverns of Jacob’s Well, you can forever say that you swam in one of the most dangerous diving spots in the United States. So long as you leave the exploration of the depths of Jacob’s Well to experienced divers.
Location:
1699 Mt. Sharp Road
Wimberley, Texas, 78676
United States