New to Diving...Where in FL Panhandle is good?

[Rob9876]

While I have enjoyed dive trips in Panama City Beach and Pensacola (and hear good things about Destin) I think it is important to understand that most Gulf diving (especially sites closer in-shore that would be suitable for new divers) are not anywhere near the water color of amount of visibility that you had in Cozumel or Roatan. While viz and color can be good if conditions align, I've found most near-shore diving is more green than blue, with a good bit of particulate in the water, with viz often 20-40 ft or less. The sites farther out can have nicer color and viz, but many of those may be too much for new divers. Color and viz can also be better in the colder months.

Also keep in mind that most FL panhandle dive ops I'm aware of do not put a divemaster (DM) in the water with you -- since most Gulf sites are artificial reefs, you descend down a buoy line to the wreck/structure and swim around it, and then ascend back up the same buoy line at the end of the dive. Not that difficult, and you can likely hire a private DM if you like at additional cost.

Don't get me wrong, these Gulf sites can have lots of interesting critters to see (including goliath groupers) and it is good diving -- but just a lot different from what you had in the Caribbean. I'm about an 8 hour drive from these Gulf sites, and for me they are fun for a 2 or 3 day weekend, but for any longer than that it starts to be cheaper for me to fly to Cozumel (where hotel, food, and diving are all a lot cheaper) than it costs for me to drive, dive, stay, and eat in the FL panhandle, and the diving is much better in Cozumel (and Cozumel has DMs with you on every dive in the marine park).

 

[MJWitt]

Depending on where you live in Texas, you might consider just flying back to Cozumel for the time and money spent traveling to FL. At least until you get more experience, it might be good to stick with conditions similar to where you were certified. And Cozumel diving is on totally different level of beauty-easiness from anything in the gulf that I’m aware of.

I used to live in San Antonio and my favorite ‘local’ diving was aquarena springs in San Marcos. If you live close enough to make a workable day trip, that could be worth it for you. When I lived in SA, there was a course you took at aquarena to get certified to volunteer dive in the springs and remove invasive plants. I found it well worth the effort and expense to take that course; I had many really fun dives there. I hope it’s still open to the public via that course. It’s a good place for new divers, very shallow, great visibility, and the tasks you do will be great for your improvement in maintaining buoyancy control at shallow depths.

The only place in the gulf I’ve dived in repeatedly is the Flower Gardens, which is a marine park 90 miles out; you get there on a nice-but-rustic liveaboard. You’ll almost certainly want more dive experience before taking a trip out there. It’s pretty deep, nitrox is almost a necessity due to the depth and frequency of the dives, and conditions can be variable. But if you live in the Houston/galveston east TX area, for sure it’s a good option for you when you are experienced enough and ready.

I don’t want to discourage you from exploring the FL gulf coast, I’m sure there are lots of good places, but I saw that you’re from TX and thought I’d pitch in some alternative ideas for you.

Appreciate the info and tips! We're going to FL anyway at our daughter's request for a short vacation. We figured to keep current we'd do at least one dive while there. We definitely love and would prefer Cozumel, and will be doing more Caribbean diving later on in the year.

 

[MJWitt]

While I have enjoyed dive trips in Panama City Beach and Pensacola (and hear good things about Destin) I think it is important to understand that most Gulf diving (especially sites closer in-shore that would be suitable for new divers) are not anywhere near the water color of amount of visibility that you had in Cozumel or Roatan. While viz and color can be good if conditions align, I've found most near-shore diving is more green than blue, with a good bit of particulate in the water, with viz often 20-40 ft or less. The sites farther out can have nicer color and viz, but many of those may be too much for new divers. Color and viz can also be better in the colder months.

Also keep in mind that most FL panhandle dive ops I'm aware of do not put a divemaster (DM) in the water with you -- since most Gulf sites are artificial reefs, you descend down a buoy line to the wreck/structure and swim around it, and then ascend back up the same buoy line at the end of the dive. Not that difficult, and you can likely hire a private DM if you like at additional cost.

Don't get me wrong, these Gulf sites can have lots of interesting critters to see (including goliath groupers) and it is good diving -- but just a lot different from what you had in the Caribbean. I'm about an 8 hour drive from these Gulf sites, and for me they are fun for a 2 or 3 day weekend, but for any longer than that it starts to be cheaper for me to fly to Cozumel (where hotel, food, and diving are all a lot cheaper) than it costs for me to drive, dive, stay, and eat in the FL panhandle, and the diving is much better in Cozumel (and Cozumel has DMs with you on every dive in the marine park).

Totally get what you are saying, and we are keeping our expectations low, LOL. We're going to FL anyway at our daughter's request (most likely just 3 nights) so thought we'd just get in one dive while there to help with keeping current. We aren't going there specifically to dive, but for beach time...but figured we'd try fitting one dive in, if that makes sense.

 

[smashweights]

Used to live down there. If you're going out on a boat, I would focus on wreck dives. They're all artificial reefs now. The natural "reefs" are nothing like what you expect if you're thinking about tropical reefs. Wrecks can be pretty cool though. If you're near Destin, the old bridge rubble is a decent boat dive though hits the edge of OW depth at about 65-70'. Just be aware of depths if you're just OW certified, lots of the wrecks are 60-90 feet. The Destin Jetties are a quicker dive and you could rent a kit and haul it out there to dive them while the rest of the family sunbathes on the beach or snorkels.

Otherwise the natural springs are great dives. I really enjoyed Morrison Springs and dove it twice. Definitely something you won't get anywhere else and non-divers can swim, paddle board, snorkel, relax. You can rent a kit and two tanks at a shop and drive up. Just check the water clarity before you go. Heavy rains can make the river backup into the spring and take visibility to zero. This would definitely be a most of the day trip between getting gear and driving up, diving. You'll get about an hour of bottom time from a rental AL80

Morrison Springs | Walton County, FL - Home Page

Morrison Springs Park

www.mywaltonfl.gov

 

[TMHeimer]

Used to live down there. If you're going out on a boat, I would focus on wreck dives. They're all artificial reefs now. The natural "reefs" are nothing like what you expect if you're thinking about tropical reefs. Wrecks can be pretty cool though. If you're near Destin, the old bridge rubble is a decent boat dive though hits the edge of OW depth at about 65-70'. Just be aware of depths if you're just OW certified, lots of the wrecks are 60-90 feet. The Destin Jetties are a quicker dive and you could rent a kit and haul it out there to dive them while the rest of the family sunbathes on the beach or snorkels.

Otherwise the natural springs are great dives. I really enjoyed Morrison Springs and dove it twice. Definitely something you won't get anywhere else and non-divers can swim, paddle board, snorkel, relax. You can rent a kit and two tanks at a shop and drive up. Just check the water clarity before you go. Heavy rains can make the river backup into the spring and take visibility to zero. This would definitely be a most of the day trip between getting gear and driving up, diving. You'll get about an hour of bottom time from a rental AL80

Morrison Springs | Walton County, FL - Home Page

Morrison Springs Park

www.mywaltonfl.gov

Funny you mention the old bridge rubble dive. It was my 5th dive (2006- age 52) after doing OW course. Went to 70 feet. Was weird because when I was 18 in 1972 I DROVE over that bridge.