Catfish Hotel, Manatee Springs State Park, Florida

As part of our visit to Manatee Springs State Park, we walked to another much smaller sinkhole called the "Catfish Hotel." The surface of the water is covered with duckweed or Araceae Lemnoideae. While descending the wooden staircase to the sinkhole, I slipped on the wet steps and slid halfway down the stairs into the water. I frantically tried to stop from sliding into the 90 foot deep sinkhole while protecting my camera from smashing or falling into the water. I finally managed to stop, but I was soaked almost to my waist. This is the photo I took just before crashing down the stairs and into the water. I did not take another photo after I fell in. My camera was fine but I had assorted scrapes and bruises.