Grayton Beach Qs

[DallasNewbie]

We're here near Seaside for a few days, and I was hoping to get a trip out to the underwater museum of art, but the only ops I can find offering trips seem to be put of the Destin area, and I don't really want to turn it into a full day. Any suggestions for someone more local?

Failing that, we might just go to Grayton beach and swim out to the artificial reef, but I've got one tank that's empty and discovered on our way out of town that the pandemic killed my LDS. Suggestions for someplace nearby to get a fill?

TIA

 

[Just Don]

I'm also from the Dallas area (north suburbs), and am planning a trip to the Destin/Grayton Beach area this summer. Were you able to find answers to your questions and get into the water? Any recommendations for me as I get ready to head that way in a couple of months?

 

[DallasNewbie]

I'm also from the Dallas area (north suburbs), and am planning a trip to the Destin/Grayton Beach area this summer. Were you able to find answers to your questions and get into the water? Any recommendations for me as I get ready to head that way in a couple of months?

I posted a follow-up about Destin on a different thread, copied below. While we didn't dive with Scuba Tech, I did visit the shop and find them very friendly. The only reason we didn't dive with them was timing. On the trip to Seaside, I couldn't find anyone nearby that even returned calls or emails. Everyone I could find was back in Destin area. So a trip to the underwater museum would have wound up being a whole-day affair, and we weren't there long enough to make that worth it. If you've got (or rent) a paddleboard or kayak, the snorkel reefs are worth checking out.

Reefs

I realized I never updated the thread after our trip, so here it is:

We wound up not diving at all. I did contact scuba tech about the jetty, but because of the tides, the best option would have been very early in the morning.

Instead, four of us took paddleboards out to the dolphin reef off Miramar beach and snorkeled. It was very cool. I did visit SCUBA Tech first to get a diver down flag as one of the lifeguards on my reconnaissance trip said they're highly recommended as sometimes jetskis and small boats pass between there and shore. Even though I didn't dive with Scuba Tech, they were very friendly and helpful.

There were several buoys marking the reef, and I had a line to tie off the paddleboards. It worked out great. There we other snorklers out there, both on paddleboards and not. The swim out wouldn't have been terrible, but I would have wanted some sort of buoyancy device in case. In talking to the lifeguard, he pointed out that even though they're there, if you get in trouble that far out, it's going to take them a minute. Nevertheless, there were some swimmers.

On the way home, I made the family stop at Navarre. The reef there is very reachable from shore for a confident swimmer, and the facilities at the beach are nice too. The reef is probably 10-20' deep, so important that you're comfortable on the surface and diving in surging water well over your head because what's visible from the surface is limited.

At both sites, the reefs were ok, with small reef fauna and fish. Definitely worth the effort in both cases.