I'm up for the jetties at Saint Andrews. If you'll be my guide I'll fill your tank and give you a spearfishing stringer, if you're interested in stringers.
MAY 18, 2015! Lets dive the Jetty in Destin or over in Panama City Beach.
- Thread starter Jason_Ellington
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Wayward Son
Contributor
I am, but I work M-F so mid week isn't really an option. A saturday in late march might be possible. It's about a 3 hr drive from here, doable for a day trip.
Wayward Son
Contributor
I've only dove Destin jetties a few times. It's nice. Parking severely limited & a long walk through to really soft sand.
But St Andrews is far more accessible. Decent sized parking lot and at that time of year you should be able to park close to the pavillion. Fairly short walk to the kiddie pool, go straight across, through the rocks & down.
That corner is about as close as you can park to the beach side at the gulf side, it's going to be a long slog with gear no matter where you park.
I've seen all sorts of stuff there. Goliath grouper, gag grouper, snapper, flounder, horseshoe crabs, octopus, spotted eagle rays, schools of redfish, even some juvenile hogfish some years ago. Lots of small stuff. One spring I saw a school of fresh hatched barracuda, maybe 2 inches long.
But St Andrews is far more accessible. Decent sized parking lot and at that time of year you should be able to park close to the pavillion. Fairly short walk to the kiddie pool, go straight across, through the rocks & down.
That corner is about as close as you can park to the beach side at the gulf side, it's going to be a long slog with gear no matter where you park.
I've seen all sorts of stuff there. Goliath grouper, gag grouper, snapper, flounder, horseshoe crabs, octopus, spotted eagle rays, schools of redfish, even some juvenile hogfish some years ago. Lots of small stuff. One spring I saw a school of fresh hatched barracuda, maybe 2 inches long.
Wayward Son
Contributor
these were in the kiddie pool one day:
Wayward Son
Contributor
oh yeah, the kiddie pool is chock full of sting rays, from tiny to medium sized. If you snorkel out in the deeper areas towards the rocks they can be found all over the place.
Saturday, 3/19 or Sunday, 3/20 are certainly doable. I'm not sure if on tide is better than the other.
Sorry about slacking on reply. I've been spending time and money on my other hobby, ham radio. Hamcation 2016.
Both days have the high tide pretty late. Saturday 3/19is like 7:52p and Sunday 3/20 is almost an hour later. So, it sounds like a night dive which isn't all that appealing to me. Especially early evening as it is my understanding that sharks are more active at dusk.
The only other option I see is slogging the sand on the beach side for entry and letting the tide push us back inside the passage. Of course I would have know idea of how to idenditify the exit at the kiddy pool under water and might have difficulty from the surface.
Thoughts?
The only other option I see is slogging the sand on the beach side for entry and letting the tide push us back inside the passage. Of course I would have know idea of how to idenditify the exit at the kiddy pool under water and might have difficulty from the surface.
Thoughts?
Wayward Son
Contributor
people from my old club do a night dive there maybe once a year, usually around july or august. I never made one.
the park is actually closed then, what you have to do is get in early & just stay. you can get out but unless you have the gate code you can't get back in.
sharks don't bother me much & in the park you can't stick anything so there isn't any reason for them to hit you.
the park is actually closed then, what you have to do is get in early & just stay. you can get out but unless you have the gate code you can't get back in.
sharks don't bother me much & in the park you can't stick anything so there isn't any reason for them to hit you.
Wayward Son
Contributor
I like night dives, but I like them better when it's nice & warm 
I haven't been in the water in quite a while so I plan on taking it easy getting started up again this year. need to get back in the feel of things.
I haven't been in the water in quite a while so I plan on taking it easy getting started up again this year. need to get back in the feel of things.
I should be in good form as my AOW dives should be in March.
I think sharks have Romulan cloaking devices. The last dive I was on no one saw any sharks, until the one spear fisher speared a Sheepshead. He said four sharks appeared out of know where.
The low tide is about 7am and high almost 7pm on Saturday the 19th. One of us could park beach side for unloading and entry from the beach. We could park the other vehicle near the kiddy pool or fishing pier in the lagoon for exit.
If we stay shallow about 35ft-40ft I could probably manage 60-90 minutes of bottom time, perhaps 120 minutes on aluminum 80. Given 60-90 minutes bottom time and surf entry which exit do you think would be better, the kiddy pool or fishing pier?
I think sharks have Romulan cloaking devices. The last dive I was on no one saw any sharks, until the one spear fisher speared a Sheepshead. He said four sharks appeared out of know where.
The low tide is about 7am and high almost 7pm on Saturday the 19th. One of us could park beach side for unloading and entry from the beach. We could park the other vehicle near the kiddy pool or fishing pier in the lagoon for exit.
If we stay shallow about 35ft-40ft I could probably manage 60-90 minutes of bottom time, perhaps 120 minutes on aluminum 80. Given 60-90 minutes bottom time and surf entry which exit do you think would be better, the kiddy pool or fishing pier?
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