Hydrospace?

[easyrider003]

Just wondering if anyone could tell me if hydrospace dive shop in Panama City Beach Florida is still open? I know that they had to close due to the bridge being rebuilt and I have searched for them online and can't find them. Just wondering if anyone could give me any more informaion about the shop

Thanks,
Michael

 

[PhilEllis]

Just wondering if anyone could tell me if hydrospace dive shop in Panama City Beach Florida is still open? I know that they had to close due to the bridge being rebuilt and I have searched for them online and can't find them. Just wondering if anyone could give me any more informaion about the shop

Thanks,
Michael

Hi Michael. Unfortunately, Hydrospace is no more. Joel Prather was the owner of Hydrospace and under his leadership, there were always boats going out almost every day during season. I think he simply got tired of the struggle that is the scuba business, and has sold all of his boats and customers lists to Panama City Dive Center. Mike Gomez is the operator there and he does a good job. Give him a call. Thanks.

Phil Ellis

 

[easyrider003]

Thanks for you help. It will save me trouble in the future of trying to get in touch with the shop

 

[ClayJar]

If you went there and searched for the building, it'd be gone too, now. The boats, on the other hand, are still in the same spot. (We were just out there eight days ago -- we do all our checkouts as three days: Vortex, PCB, PCB.)

I've heard most of this year that PCDC was planning to put a fill station in right there by the boats, but at least as of a week ago, it's not there yet. (It'll be nice if and when that ever comes around. It's not *that* far to PCDC, but my car's small enough that I have to repack every time. :biggrin

 

[Jim Baldwin]

If you went there and searched for the building, it'd be gone too, now. The boats, on the other hand, are still in the same spot. (We were just out there eight days ago -- we do all our checkouts as three days: Vortex, PCB, PCB.)

I've heard most of this year that PCDC was planning to put a fill station in right there by the boats, but at least as of a week ago, it's not there yet. (It'll be nice if and when that ever comes around. It's not *that* far to PCDC, but my car's small enough that I have to repack every time. :biggrin

I know that change is constant but it sure was easy to walk out of the Holiday Lodge and in a couple of minutes walk up to the dive boats. As my wife said that was truly a divers hotel. From gear tables outside to the phone and cable stapled to the walls and just one key for the room. And who can forget the roll out bed/slash couch.

I still have Joel's business card in my card file at the office. Sorry to hear that he sold out.

 

[mike_s]

sold all of his boats and customers lists to Panama City Dive Center.

Just FYI,These boats that used to be owned by Hydrospace though and are now owned by Panama City Dive Center all have a serious problem though with their navigation systems. For some reason the GPS and autopilot only have 2 dive sites programmed into them.

The boats autopilot will automatically steer you first to the Black Bart and then for the second dive to Bridge Span #14.

Considering the number of other wrecks in Panama City that are out there, it's a shame that these particular boats seem to have this "navigation problem". Hopefully one of these days they will be able to fix it.

 

[ClayJar]

I think it's you, mike. The last two trips (ten dives) we've done out there, we've hit:

• Black Bart
• Bridge Span #14
• USS Strength
• "Navy Trash Pile"
• Stage II
• Bridge Span 1
• USS Grierson (Liberty Ship)
• Mac's Reef

We did the Span 1 for both dives one trip, as it was the first day of the checkout and we had about 8' viz there. We did Span 14 once each Florida trip; it was our night dive after Mac's Reef this last time. Still, that's eight sites in ten dives over two weekends (we didn't end up on the Hovercraft these two trips, so that one's missing from the list, and we only did Mac's Reef and not any other deeper sites, but we had OW students checking out and only one deep/night trip).

Basically, I guess what I'm saying is that if you want to go to the rest of the sites out there, I'll give you a copy of our checkout trip schedule, as we seem to have a much more effective time of it than others. :biggrin:

Honestly, though, it seems that Span 14 and the Bart are included by default. If you just do two dives on one outing, you'll likely end up there. If you've got the boat, Strength and Span 1 are the other standard pair. If you go there often and do two or three runs each weekend (depending on whether a deep/night run is included), you basically get to choose. (We usually don't choose until we're on the boat discussing it with the Cap.) We're in the "there every month, usually with a full Island Diver" bin, so maybe we get the rewards program. (We did checkout dives on the Liberty Ship twice this year. )

 

[PlayaCountryBoy]

WOW!!! Gomez is still at PCDC?!? Whatta character!!! I dove with him 20 somethin' years ago as a teenager. He surley wouldn't remember my young scrawny ass (at the time), but boy, I sure remember him! I highly recommend anyone diving the Panama City area to check out Panama City Dive Center..some my fondest diving memories are with this company!

 

[Tom Smedley]

You wouldn't know Gomez any more. When you knew him he looked like Jerry Garcia. Now he is rotund and bald with with a Fhu Man Chu beard and I guess you would say he looks like Fhu Man Chu. (What an overzealous censor - It didn't like f u... Go figure)

 

[mike_s]

I think it's you, mike. The last two trips (ten dives) we've done out there, we've hit:

Heh.... maybe so. I think they have some competition now that will actually go to the other wrecks. That might make some difference.


They are helping sink a new wreck down there. INifinit Blu. They were also involved in helping sink Mac's Reef this past summer.