Need update on night dives at St Andrews Park

[stevenkimbell]

I found an old thread about night diving at St Andrews, very old, so I thought I would revive it with a new one....
Outside of renting a camping spot, is it possible to dive St. A. at night? I thought about entering before the gate closes and just staying, but when I called the park to ask about options they said that was not one of them. According to them, it is a state park and must be vacated at dark.
The question I have is why? If campers can be in the park, and according to the park personnel they can night dive, then why can't other divers be there? I heard something about a state park pass for the purpose of night diving but cant find any info on it.
Does anyone have updated information or is this just a dead end?
I am planning to be there this weekend, Sept 6/7/8 and would like to get in a night dive if possible.

Thanks Y'all!

 

[Hetland]

What the park folks said. The reason is because they said so

Really, it's simply an access management tool. You can either dive it by boat, or pay the camper's fee. This keeps folks accessing the public resources to a minimum after dark, and cuts down on the chances of vandalism, theft, drownings, and jackassery.

Ft. Pickens (Pensacola) offers a Nite Owl Pass option for folks wanting to access the park during nighttime hours, it's reasonably priced if you go there frequently.

If you've seen what happens at other public parks (the ones that allow total after-hour access) you'll see why something like this is required. Some folks have to ruin things for the rest of us in order to be happy.

 

[stevenkimbell]

Thanks, I appreciate the update. I certainly understand the issues with allowing the public too much access. Not everyone is responsible enough for it.

 

[CurtSchu]

Ok so now that you brought it up what is the shore diving like? Is this something my 11 years old JOW could do comfortably? This might be an option for when we go up to Jackson Blue in Nov. so I can Cave Dive,

 

[Hetland]

Vis is usually good for an hour or two before high tide.

With all the rain lately, there is a 15ft tannic layer of fresh water on top, that blocks most, or all of the sunlight, making the remaining depths into a night dive.

Normally though, current is your only concern. Since you're diving a giant rock wall, you can't get lost, and some of the rocks are handy for staying out of the flow if the current is sporty.

One really good thing about St. Andrews is the kiddie pool. It makes a perfect snorkeling and shallow dive spot if the current is too rough, and it's usually crystal clear. But again, lots of rain lately, so it was coffee colored about three weeks ago when I went last.

-h

 

[btw2459]

If you buy a yearly pass for the Florida State parks you're given a code which allows to to come and go as you please. Regular jetty divers use this to dive on early high tides and to beat the crowds to the best parking spots. The cost is around $120. At the moment you can do a simulated night dive during the day because of the color of the water.

 

[pocky21]

As said, it's like diving in Earl Grey right now - you can forget about any viz in the kiddie pool, as the first 10 feet are pretty well blown out on both sides. I'd estimate 20-25 feet of viz once you get below that, but around 40 feet it turns into a night dive.

That said, I was out there a few days ago and there's quite a variety of life to see even during the day - I've yet to have a dive where I don't see something new. I can't speak for the night diving as I've yet to do it myself, but I have heard they issue permits on a case by case basis. My only other advice is to find a place that'll rent you a boat, or see if one of our fellow SB'ers will take you out. If I wasn't working 2nd shift on the weekends, I'd even join ya.

Edit: If you're feeling really adventurous, lately I've been turning out the lights when I hit the sand and letting my eyes adjust. There's a group of pompano that are pretty skiddish around the light, but come right up to you without. Same with a few good size gags, rays, sheepshead, and one or two monster mangrove snappers that like to hang out on the ocean side - none of them will come near ya with a light on.

 

[RaginCajun]

If anyone has a strong desire to dive the Jetties from a boat after hours look me up. I'm also interested in checking out some of the inshore wrecks like the Shanty barge just for the hell of it. I keep my boat at the light house so it's a really quick trip. If this water ever clears up I'd also like to check out some of the really close inshore stuff too like the Warsaw hole, B&B barge, Chickasaw and so on. Hit me up if you're interested.