directions to Destin Jetties

[wet em and get em]

I am looking to go diving in Destin trying to find good places to go.I hear that the jetties are a good place to go for free but cant seem to find direction can anyone help me. thanks

 

[mike_s]

You can find directions here in a post that Sea Yoda did in the FL Conch section.

Destin Jetties Directions:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=724595&postcount=9

You'll want to dive it at slack high tide. Otherwise the currents are too strong. Get there as early as you can to get parking place.

If you see this guy and girl in/near the back of a Ford pickup arguing about gear, wetsuits, the water being too cold, wanting to snorkel instead of diving, etc... then you know you've found the parking area. This is normal for here... Just ignore them... They don't bite as long as you don't try to feed them....

Check the FL Conch --> North FLorida Panhandle Trips forum and you'll find people diving it about once a week and get a "guided tour". In fact, PM SeaYoda and and see when the next time he's diving it. he's a great guide to the area.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forumdisplay.php?f=237

Other free dives in the area are the Navarre Pier, Morrison Springs, St Andrews Jetties (free to dive, but $5/carload to enter, but well worth the money as you don't have to fight for parking).

Snorkeling is decent at the Crystal Pier Pilings in Destin/Crystal Beach area. You can dive it, but it's pretty shallow and easy to snorkel.

 

[wet em and get em]

Thanks very much I live in Louisiana,this would be my first beach dive. All I ever done was rig dive it is great if you get the chance. I dont know about you but I love to spearfish,but me and two of my budies are looking to go off on an adventure,if you have any more tips they would be greatly appreciated.Onec again thankyou .

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks very much I live in Louisiana,this would be my first beach dive. All I ever done was rig dive it is great if you get the chance. I dont know about you but I love to spearfish,but me and two of my budies are looking to go off on an adventure,if you have any more tips they would be greatly appreciated.Onec again thankyou .

Welcome to SB. Had you posted an Introduction in that forum, you would have been offered more suggestions, but - you still can.

You want adventure suggestions? Nothing compares to the thrills of:
>> Kelp bed diving the California Channel Islands;
>> Acres of Orange & white anemones with 3 ft/24 ray starfish and more in Puget Sound around Seattle;
>> Real, wooden wreck diving in the St.Lawrence river at Ontario - want to go back and do the flooded locks;
>> Real, World War II wrecks off of North Carolina;
>> Drift dives off of Cozumel with a quick crossing to see dozens of turtles on one dive off of the mainland - want to go back and to the sinkholes on the mainland;
>> Walls dives off of Roatan;
>> A cave with stalactites 130 ft down in Belize's Blue Hole;
>> Sitting in a warm water spring down on the reef off of St.Nevis;
>> And I keep going back to Floridas Overseas Hiway running over 100 miles of The Keys. In Nov, I'm going to see an impossible dive of a muscular dystrophy patient totally respirator dependent. Wow :11:

 

[wet em and get em]

You are correct,how rude of me. Well let me start of by I am 22 years old Ive been offshore fishing sence I could walk.About 3 years ago I got into free diving,to spearfish it was a blast then I wanted more,got my c-card ,got married,now just looking to have fun diving just like the rest of you guys.Lucky I found this site when I was looking to find directions to Destin jeties.On another note my brother and I just won 1+2 place in the grand dad of them all(grand isle tarpon rodeo) with 2 bewts,Mangrove snapper division. It was a blast weve been fishing that for ever an that makes two years that we win in that division. Well thats about it in a nut shell hope to here from you soon.

 

[mike_s]

Thanks very much I live in Louisiana,this would be my first beach dive. All I ever done was rig dive it is great if you get the chance. I dont know about you but I love to spearfish,but me and two of my budies are looking to go off on an adventure,if you have any more tips they would be greatly appreciated.Onec again thankyou .

Actually, I don't think it's legal to spearfish off the Jetties in the state of Florida. Actually I think the rule is you have to be a certain distance offshore to spearfish.


hmmmm... I went looking and found that both apply

from http://myfwc.com/marine/spearing.htm

You May NOT Spearfish (Excluding bowhunting and gigging):

• Within 100 yards of a public swimming beach, any commercial or public fishing pier, or any part of a bridge from which public fishing is allowed.
• Within 100 feet of any part of a jetty that is above the surface of the sea – except for the last 500 yards of a jetty that extends more than 1,500 yards from the shoreline.

Other rules apply also... you can read them at the above URL.


Since the only other dive you've done (from what you said in your 2nd post) is an oil rig dive, you might want to meet up with some other folks so they can give your a good pre dive brief of the site. There is LOTS of boat traffic and having a dive flag doesn't seem to deter them from going straight over you. Diving in the Jetties in Destin you can almost hear a boat 90% or more of the time.

 

[DandyDon]

Oh, it's not required - just a nice option. Post your Intro here if you'd like on that forum.