Destin Jetties 6-25-5

[Corigan]

Hey, you Looney Birds have a good dive for me !!!

the K

We sure will. If everything goes as planned I'll have a good 12+ dives for ya over the next few days.. Cya when I get back so we can do our SAR dives.

Matt

 

[jstuart1]

I'm heading over to Vortex on Monday eveing from Slidell. I have been wanting to dive there for along time. Plan to be there about 7 or so in the morning. I'll only be there til about noon before heading down to sarasota. Plan to stop back in on Thursday eveing/ friday morning for another dive before heading back to houston.

It looks like I am going to have to wait to come down till Sat. Evening. Fran and I both have to work Sat. morning so won't be arriving till late in the evening. I believe Kyle and Heather are both heading down as well. We are going to stay through Tuesday though. I am hoping to get some boat dives while I am in down there. Anybody up for the jetties or any other diving (springs, boat trips) Sun-Tues? I know if morrisons is clear I'm definately going to be hitting it a few times.

Matt

 

[Corigan]

I'm heading over to Vortex on Monday eveing from Slidell. I have been wanting to dive there for along time. Plan to be there about 7 or so in the morning. I'll only be there til about noon before heading down to sarasota. Plan to stop back in on Thursday eveing/ friday morning for another dive before heading back to houston.

Cool Man. If you have time try to dive morrison springs too, it's right down the road from vortex. Its free, and a cooler more natural dive than Vortex IMHO. I wish I could meet up with you on tuesday, but I have an AM charter to catch, and then the jetties with SeaYoda in the afternoon. Then I have to high tail it back up here to Georgia. Hope you have some good dives!

Matt

 

[jstuart1]

I see most of you guys dive Morrison instead of Vortex. What's the reason and how are they different. I have never been to either. How is the entry/ exit, what's there to look at etc....

 

[Corigan]

I see most of you guys dive Morrison instead of Vortex. What's the reason and how are they different. I have never been to either. How is the entry/ exit, what's there to look at etc....

Reason, it's free. It has a big cavern like vortex, but not a cave like vortex. It is more natural, you don't see giant Koi. You see bass, brim, eels, crawfish, and other freshwater species that are native to the region. It is also a river run that you can snorkel/scuba that has much to see. Also the atmosphere is great! it is surrounded by cypress trees and gives a very natural picturestic view. I like it much more than vortex, and the price is definately right. Of course the facilities are better at vortex. You can't get airfills at morrison, but with vortex right around the corner it's not too hard to get one. I would say definately check out both, they are both unique in their own ways. Entry/exit for morrison is a beach so it is a standard shore dive with no waves/currents to contend with. If you are going to morrison though make sure to bring a diveflag or make sure there are a few already on the water. Boaters can use the shore as a launch and do come through.

Matt

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

If you've never been to Vortex, its worth a swim by all means. Like Corigan said, Morrison is just so much more natural looking than Vortex. The only manmade structure in the water is a simple dive platform at ~15'. The caverns are also much much more interesting at Morrison. Vortex's cavern is small in comparison since they blew it open. Vortex does have a cave if you are certified for that kind of dive. As for manmade structuers in Vortex's basin, several platforms, plumbing, practice caves, an airbell, ect. Aside from the koi, you'll see mostly the same fish/wildlife at Morrison as you will at Vortex.

Vortex has a full service shop and Nitrox fills. Morrison's has cold showers and bathrooms to offer, but thats about it(including no electricity). Vortex pumps the tannic water out of the spring run, keeping the basin blue and somewhat clear(it still gets particles floating in the water from run-off and the bottom). Morrison gets tannic with rainfall, so you have to watch the water levels. The bottom of Morrison is full of duckweed which gets kicked up easily as well - visibility can drop significantly in a short period of time due to this. Fortunately, this weekends water levels are very promising for a nice clear dive, possibly even one of those gin clear weekends at Morrison

I preffer Morrison on a bad day to Vortex on a good day

Definately give Morrison a try if you are in the area. You'd truly be missing out on one of the better panhandle springs if you bypass it! Still, one day you'll have to come back with more time for Cypress - that goes for you too Corigan! (Kracken's Major League Dive will be a great opportunity).

Can you guess which spring is which from the pics below? LOL

I'm out till Sat night or Sunday.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Would it be better to go to vortex on a Sun (slam packed I assume) to get fills, or head to scubatech or emerald coast scuba for fills? I am not quite sure which store is located closer to the jetties, and who can accomidate nitrox fills in a timely manner.

Matt

Honestly, I'd get the fills in Destin. Vortex is pretty slow on their air fills - I haven't had the need to use them for Nitrox but I'd assume they are slow at that too. I do know the Nitrox fills are banked, which should make things a bit quicker.

Is Darcy going to make it on Saturday?

She's definately diving Morrison Saturday morning, she wasn't sure about the jetties though. She may be diving Sunday as well, not sure if she ever made a solid decision on that.

 

[Corigan]

Honestly, I'd get the fills in Destin. Vortex is pretty slow on their air fills - I haven't had the need to use them for Nitrox but I'd assume they are slow at that too. I do know the Nitrox fills are banked, which should make things a bit quicker.

Sounds good to me, that is what I assumed but I just wanted to make sure.

She's definately diving Morrison Saturday morning, she wasn't sure about the jetties though. She may be diving Sunday as well, not sure if she ever made a solid decision on that.

I hope she comes out Sunday, would be good to see her again.

Those pictures up above of morrison vs. vortex definately show the difference well.

Matt

 

[philmottrek99and02]

I am in for a Sunday at the jetties off Destin if I can get 2 dives in. High tide is a little bit after 2. You vets to the jetties tell me if this dive plan will work. I am planning a 60' dive off the short jettie for both dives. First dive will be 30 min (3 mins at 15') with a SI of about 45min then back in for a 30 min dive. If my first dive is at 1pm, is this advisable? Will anyone be there to be a buddy? Let me know because I'd hate to drive the 4 hours just for a single dive and the Springs in the morning is just a bridge too far for where I'll be driving from Sunday morning. I'll be driving down from Hattiesburg MS.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

The trip to 60' is a gradual one with many stops on the way to meet the fishies. We can usually stretch this out an hour or so or until someone starts running their air down to a turnaround point(turnaround depends on airconsumption - since you're new, we'd probably set a 1500psi turnaround). The trip back is gradual as well, with many more stops to look at the fishies This accounts for many safety stops The tides are unpredictable as for what they will do. Even if they change quick, you can do a second dive to a shallower depth of 35'ish without getting too far into the channel as to be sucked out by the currents.

I'm planning on being their at 2PM. I'll probably only do one dive, but Corigan and kylepried will be their as well and will probably be willing to dive again.

Our dive plans usually amount to:
Get in water and work our way slowly down to 55-60' around the point and look around until our turnaround(normally in the 1200psi range). Turn around work our way slowly back to the shallower depths of 15-20' where we dive until we get bored, tired, or run low on air, then surface(usually within the 45 min to an hour range). If we didn't have problems with the currents we'll do another dive. The walk back to the car to grab a tank and get back, rest after the hot/tiresome/sweaty friggin walk, usually takes 30-45min. Then we repeat our original dive plan. If anyone calls the dive early, we abort early. This can happen for current, comfort, change in visibility, whatever. The jettie dives are hardly a square profile which makes planning them on tables a bit conservative. This is when a dive computer really helps extend your bottom time.

Hope to see you out there. My cell is 251-978-4089 if you need to call for more info or you're wondering where we are We made it there for a bit after 1PM today and tomorrow we have a bit more time so I don't see a problem for us having to be there at 2PM. I won't be back online until tomorrow evening so the cell phone will be the only way to contact me.