Best Time to Dive - Tides

[Jakestg]

Hey,

There is a local dive site here that is very accessible by my brother and I and we really enjoy it. It is the Destin Finger Jetties. Some days the water likes us and sometimes the water doesen't. I have a tide chart that tells when High Tide is best when Low Tide is the worst, i'm guessing that is how it works. It is the entrance to the past so the current can get really bad if you do not time it right. My question is, when is the best time to go? For example my tide chart will says 8:00aH and 6:00pL.
Should I start my dive as close to 8:00aH (High Tide) as possible?

Thanks

 

[Native Spear-It]

I like to start my dives at Destin Jetty about an hour or so before the high tide, the current is generally lighter and the viz is usually the best.

 

[gtmurff]

Roughly how long does slack tide last? How much bottom time do you get during those dives?

 

[TMHeimer]

I like to start my dives at Destin Jetty about an hour or so before the high tide, the current is generally lighter and the viz is usually the best.

I'd agree with that. Also, keep an eye on that one easily visible buoy -- if it's still tilted way "upstream", better hold off a while longer. Sometimes those crazy diurnal (sp?) tides down there don't like to follow the NOAA tide tables very precisely! Another (but less interesting) dive is the Destin Bridge. You can park on the W. side of the bridge, gear up and walk along the beach a ways, then ride the incomming current back to the bridge--of course, can be that same nasty current if not timed right.

 

[Fish in a Barrel]

I haven't done any shore diving, so pardon my ignorance. I understand that you're diving around slack tide, but wouldn't you generally want to dive low tide instead of high tide to avoid any possibility of trying to return to shore against an out-flowing current?

 

[Native Spear-It]

Roughly how long does slack tide last? How much bottom time do you get during those dives?

Last time out , dive #1 - 54 min. Dive #2 - 35 min. Max depth was 49ft. The amount of "slack tide" varies. There is usually some current, just not as strong.

 

[Native Spear-It]

I haven't done any shore diving, so pardon my ignorance. I understand that you're diving around slack tide, but wouldn't you generally want to dive low tide instead of high tide to avoid any possibility of trying to return to shore against an out-flowing current?

When diving the high tide, the visibility is usually the best, you have the clearer gulf water. As the tide falls, the clear water goes back out into the gulf followed by the silty bay water which reduces visability. The pass at the jetty is very narrow, somewhere around 300 yards wide or so . A large volume of water is forced through the narrow channel which can make the "current" extremely strong. If you are caught in a current that you can't swim against on the in coming, you may end up in the bay somewhere. If the tide is out going you may wind up out in the gulf. There is a great deal of boat traffic here as well.