Wayward Son
Contributor
I'll be at the jetties tomorrow afternoon. Tides are wrong, but i'm taking my gear any ways, will prolly do 1 tank.
Panama City Beach 3-5 JUL 2010 need current conditions infomation
- Thread starter Conan3
- Start date
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Wayward Son
Contributor
Grand daughter was down for the week. Son came down for the 4th of July weekend to pick her up. The plan was to take one day & go to the St Andrew jetties in Panama City Beach, let her swim & play. We decided to go on the 4th, stay for dinner & fireworks & drive home after.
Coming back that late, we made no effort to get down there early.Got to Panama City at 1:00 PM and had lunch, then off to the park.
Almost didn't do it, but saturday I decided to pack my dive gear & try to slip in a solo tank while the family played. By the time we got there & I geared up, I was hitting water about 3:00PM. Should be little current as it was approaching the dead slack of low tide, but viz was likely to be pretty bad.
I didn't see any other divers around the pavilion & there were only 2 dive flags in the channel.
I figured it was worth a shot...
Dropping into the channel & sticking to the rocks, I found about 10' viz. What was odd was that the 5' close to me was pretty clear, I could see well, just not far.
There was a massive school of baitfish all over the jetties. Started to get into them about 30 FSW, and had them all the way down to the channel. Max depth this time was 68 FSW, with a blanket of fish over me. They generally hugged the structure, staying about 4 - 5 feet from it. They were so thick than when they cleared over me it was like turning on an overhead light.
In the course of working the jetties at various depths, I saw all manner of things. Jumbotron stone crabs, at least 6 juvenile jew fish, each about 3' long or so. I was hanging at 41 FSW and shining my light up at the bait fish when a 5' tarpon came from channel & buzzed me about 5' away. Never saw it again.
Sheep head were every where. Grouper all over the place & while most were short, they were approaching legal size & some were well past legal size. I found some flounder, which I "gigged" with my finger just to let them know that they could have come home with me
I found a few juvenile hog fish, first I've seen in 2 years. While a bit shallower, towards the bay end of the jetties, I started seeing red fish. First, 1 here or there, then suddenly I was in the midst of a school of them in a hunting frenzy, driving the fry. There were easily 100, maybe more, of these, all something in the 36 inch size.
Schools of jack cravalle were actively hunting, as well as some other smallish fish that I don't know the name of.
All in all, I got a 55 minute dive in, mostly spent from 40 - 60 FSW.
After getting out of my gear I went swimming with son & grand daughter. Tried to teach her about snorkeling, but she was more interested in doing it her way, LOL. While putzing around with a mask & snorkel -I didn't bother with fins- in the kiddie pool area, I spotted a baby sting ray. About the size of a coffee cup saucer. Then another, and another. That place is flat out infested with sting rays, no idea why I don't hear about people getting stung there. In 40 minutes I found so many I lost count, 2, maybe 3 dozen? Ranging in size from the babies up to about 3' across with a 3' tail.
After getting changed, we hit Jay Micheal's for dinner, finishing just in time for the fireworks show across the street. They put on a short -10 minutes- but very nicely done show, with some pretty serious BANG in play, then it was time for the 150 mile ride home.
All in all, a very nice 4th for my bunch.
Coming back that late, we made no effort to get down there early.Got to Panama City at 1:00 PM and had lunch, then off to the park.
Almost didn't do it, but saturday I decided to pack my dive gear & try to slip in a solo tank while the family played. By the time we got there & I geared up, I was hitting water about 3:00PM. Should be little current as it was approaching the dead slack of low tide, but viz was likely to be pretty bad.
I didn't see any other divers around the pavilion & there were only 2 dive flags in the channel.
I figured it was worth a shot...
Dropping into the channel & sticking to the rocks, I found about 10' viz. What was odd was that the 5' close to me was pretty clear, I could see well, just not far.
There was a massive school of baitfish all over the jetties. Started to get into them about 30 FSW, and had them all the way down to the channel. Max depth this time was 68 FSW, with a blanket of fish over me. They generally hugged the structure, staying about 4 - 5 feet from it. They were so thick than when they cleared over me it was like turning on an overhead light.
In the course of working the jetties at various depths, I saw all manner of things. Jumbotron stone crabs, at least 6 juvenile jew fish, each about 3' long or so. I was hanging at 41 FSW and shining my light up at the bait fish when a 5' tarpon came from channel & buzzed me about 5' away. Never saw it again.
Sheep head were every where. Grouper all over the place & while most were short, they were approaching legal size & some were well past legal size. I found some flounder, which I "gigged" with my finger just to let them know that they could have come home with me
I found a few juvenile hog fish, first I've seen in 2 years. While a bit shallower, towards the bay end of the jetties, I started seeing red fish. First, 1 here or there, then suddenly I was in the midst of a school of them in a hunting frenzy, driving the fry. There were easily 100, maybe more, of these, all something in the 36 inch size.
Schools of jack cravalle were actively hunting, as well as some other smallish fish that I don't know the name of.
All in all, I got a 55 minute dive in, mostly spent from 40 - 60 FSW.
After getting out of my gear I went swimming with son & grand daughter. Tried to teach her about snorkeling, but she was more interested in doing it her way, LOL. While putzing around with a mask & snorkel -I didn't bother with fins- in the kiddie pool area, I spotted a baby sting ray. About the size of a coffee cup saucer. Then another, and another. That place is flat out infested with sting rays, no idea why I don't hear about people getting stung there. In 40 minutes I found so many I lost count, 2, maybe 3 dozen? Ranging in size from the babies up to about 3' across with a 3' tail.
After getting changed, we hit Jay Micheal's for dinner, finishing just in time for the fireworks show across the street. They put on a short -10 minutes- but very nicely done show, with some pretty serious BANG in play, then it was time for the 150 mile ride home.
All in all, a very nice 4th for my bunch.
OP
Conan3
Contributor
We went out with Fintastic from PCB Dive Locker Sunday morning.
We were the second boat to load, the first boat was the Narcosis and most of their divers didn't show up and they took three divers from out boat with them. Guess they drank to much the night before.
We then loaded up and headed out.
The seas were 3-5 foot swells winds 5-15 KTS.
We got out to the Black Bart and the DM came back up and said the vis was about 20-30 feet and the current was ripping on the surface and the bottom.
We geared up and dropped in.
It was strong current, you had to pull yourself along the line to the anchor rope.
We dropped down to the wrech and their were lots of fish hiding in the eddy around the ship.
When we came back up, we looked like flags waving on the anchor line for the safety stop.
We moved over to span 12 and the conditions were a little beter.
I got thrown on my butt when the ship zigged and I zagged.
I felt like a turttle at that point.
We did a drift dive down the bridge decking as the current was flowing straight down it.
I noticed that someone had put a necklace on the fire hose tip since I was here back the first part of june.
I was ridding the bucking ladder trying to get back in the boat and my weight belt was sliding down. So I took it off and handed it up.
When we came up, there was a storm moving in and we packed up and ran for port.
This was my son's first ocean dive after OW, He had a blast.
We didn't see any Oil at all.
Dave
We were the second boat to load, the first boat was the Narcosis and most of their divers didn't show up and they took three divers from out boat with them. Guess they drank to much the night before.
We then loaded up and headed out.
The seas were 3-5 foot swells winds 5-15 KTS.
We got out to the Black Bart and the DM came back up and said the vis was about 20-30 feet and the current was ripping on the surface and the bottom.
We geared up and dropped in.
It was strong current, you had to pull yourself along the line to the anchor rope.
We dropped down to the wrech and their were lots of fish hiding in the eddy around the ship.
When we came back up, we looked like flags waving on the anchor line for the safety stop.
We moved over to span 12 and the conditions were a little beter.
I got thrown on my butt when the ship zigged and I zagged.
I felt like a turttle at that point.
We did a drift dive down the bridge decking as the current was flowing straight down it.
I noticed that someone had put a necklace on the fire hose tip since I was here back the first part of june.
I was ridding the bucking ladder trying to get back in the boat and my weight belt was sliding down. So I took it off and handed it up.
When we came up, there was a storm moving in and we packed up and ran for port.
This was my son's first ocean dive after OW, He had a blast.
We didn't see any Oil at all.
Dave
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