Shore Diving in Panhandle of Florida

[StaceyL]

Does anyone know of any good places to shore dive in the Pensacola to Fort Walton, Florida area?

 

[diversteve]

St. Andrews State Park Saint Andrews page
or the Destin Jetties. Destin Jetties

 

[Tessunderwater]

There is also Ft. Pickens and plenty of gulf dives through local charters like Dr. Dive and H2O below.


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[Dr Dive]

Thanks Tessunderwater. Pickens was having some great conditions and it will probably be the weekend, or maybe Friday before we know how quickly things are settling down. There are also reefs at Park East, Park West and Navarre. Lots of opportunities, just waiting for the wind to stop.. We had minimal rain, so should settle fast. We'll let you know as soon as we know.
Capt. Jim
Dr Dive
Dr Dive Pensacola, FL - Home of the USS Oriskany

 

[WeldonDowd]

Dr dive, where can I find more information about Park East, Park West, and Navarre. Are those accessible from the shore? We usually dive in Panama City but I'm looking to do something different soon.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Pickens, Pensacola Beach Pier Rubble, the concrete christmas trees off by Portofino, and Destin Jetties are some great dives.

 

[StaceyL]

Ah yes, we used Dr. Dive a couple years ago and had a great experience... how is your schedule for this weekend Capt Jim, and how are the conditions looking out there?

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And thank you all for the suggestions - this will be our first shore dive so we want to be sure it's good for beginners, I've heard the Destin jetties should be dove at slack tide after high tide when the visibility is good and the current isn't as strong...

 

[SnorkelLA]

When I dive the Perdido Pass Jetties, I try to hop in right as high tide starts, because afterwards the water pulls out fairly quick. I don't know how the Destin Jetties are, though

 

[DocCarl]

Glad to see you coming this way, Stacy!

Since this will be your first shore dive, I'd suggest either Ft. Pickens or St. Andrews. Perdido pass can be a nice dive, but it is somewhat more unforgiving than 'Pickens when it comes to tidal currents. 'Pickens also has the closest parking. Destin is well known for the particularly long walk in full gear to get to the dive site. St. Andrews has very good access, with typically better visibility, but it is a much longer drive if you're coming from N.O. All the pass / jetty dives are more or less tide dependent - with divers' comfort level in varying conditions being a primary factor.

At the moment, I have tentative plans for Morrison Spring / St. Andrews Jetties on Saturday and maybe the Whisky Wreck (Gulf Shores) / Ft. Pickens on Sunday. If our travel plans coincide, I'd be happy to show you guys around at any of those four sites!


Carl

Ah yes, we used Dr. Dive a couple years ago and had a great experience... how is your schedule for this weekend Capt Jim, and how are the conditions looking out there?

---------- Post Merged at 09:01 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:56 AM ----------

And thank you all for the suggestions - this will be our first shore dive so we want to be sure it's good for beginners, I've heard the Destin jetties should be dove at slack tide after high tide when the visibility is good and the current isn't as strong...

 

[Dr Dive]

Dr dive, where can I find more information about Park East, Park West, and Navarre. Are those accessible from the shore? We usually dive in Panama City but I'm looking to do something different soon.

Call me during the day Thursday. Not much published about these sites yet, but I'll tell you what I know.
Capt. Jim
617-943-5553

StaceyS. Seas are settling down for the weekend. Vis should settle as we had little rain. I'll post as soon as somebody can get out and see. Thanks for the nod. Looking forward to seeing you again soon.