Panama City in Late November

[Jerryg]

I will be traveling to Panama City Beach for the Thanksgiving weekend and am very curious about water conditions at that time. I'm trying to figure out what I need in the way of an exposure suit Does anybody know
1) What to expect for water temp
2) Is there a thermocline and what is the temp.
3) What kind of visibility can I expect.
Can anybody answer these same questions for Vortex Springs. A friend of mine and my son are will do their first OW dives there. Since I won't have a dive buddy I'm planning on taking a wreck diving specialty class. Thanks for the help.
Jerry

 

[jviehe]

Suffice it to say, it'll be cold, probably low 70's on the surface, with a thermocline close to the surface, and 10degrees cooler. You'll probably want a full 3mm+ wetsuit, with hood and gloves maybe. Viz depends on the weekend, but averages around 30. Vortex is cold all year around, probably 70, viz depends on whether there is an OW certification class in the water, at which point it drops to 0. Lemme know when your coming. Im always up for a dive out of PC.

 

[Genesis]

all year around.

Last year I switched to my drysuit the first week of December.

Two days ago out on the Janet (a local wreck in 100' of water) the bottom temp was 72F, and the surface temp was 76F. Nice and "refreshing."

This is a 4-6 degree drop in ONE WEEK!

That's pretty unusual around here, but if it portends things to come, next week I'm diving dry. By late November you definitely will want either a full 5mil suit as a minimum, or a drysuit.

If you come a bit further west (Destin) give a shout - I am always willing to blow bubbles around here and don't have "schedules to keep" like the commercial guys....

 

[Jerryg]

Thanks for all the replies. I only have two wetsuits. A 3mm shorty and a 7mm farmer john. I was hoping for a little freedom but it looks like I'm stuck with tons of lead. I dove last weekend in the quarries near Indianapolis(Blue Springs). Surface temp was 64F. Thermocline at 40 ft with water temp dropping to 51F. I'd love to dive with you folks, but I'm bring 5 friends with me who are all doing referal dives for OW(two SSI 3 PADI). I'm going to do a wreck diving specialty class to fill in the time. I finish my Rescue Diving Class this weekend. In the COLD water of the Toledo quarries(Vortex). Again, thanks for the feedback
Jerry

 

[inter_alia]

Jerryg,
on the first of November, I did a couple dives out of PCB -- the first was at "Stage One," off-shore, and the second was at Bridgespan 14 (I think it was 14, in-shore.) Conditions were roughly the same: no real thermocline, 74 degrees on surface and maybe 72 at 106' (I was doing a deep dive for SSI specialty course). Vis was 30 to 50, not bad for these places, and seas were nearly glassy.

I tend to be chilled easily but with a 5mm, beanie and regular gloves (they're the "suede" kind, nothing special), I was fine in the Gulf even after being in Vortex for a full day beforehand.

Vortex was lovely -- we went on Halloween for more SSI class work. Temp was about 66, vis was entirely dependent on who was in the water (some Open Water students were with our dive op, too) and at night, the eels were just gorgeous. I wore the same stuff noted above and, while chilly on the surface sometimes -- no problems with five half-hour sessions in the springs.

In three weeks, the Gulf will cool down some but I'm pretty sure it's gradual. Some of the people on our boat were in .5 for the first dive, then put on their 3mm for the night dive. Nobody really complained about the temps...

Have a great trip!

 

[mikswi]

Hey! My wife and I have been planning a trip to Panama Cuty Beach for over a year now and we have gathered allot of information about the area. We are renting a beach house which is about 45 feet to the water. It may not be the warmest in late Oct-Nov but its better then the New England weather we are used to! Plus, close access to the water ensures that we will have plenty of opportunities over the 2 weeks to get wet!!
I have enclosed a link that displays the average weather and water temp for Panama City ( zip 32408).

Hope this helps,

Stay Safe

 

[mikswi]

Hey! My wife and I have been planning a trip to Panama Cuty Beach for over a year now and we have gathered allot of information about the area. ....................Sorry I didnt give the link!! What A Dumb a**!!

http://www.w3.weather.com/weather/climatology/daily/32408?climoMonth=11

 

[Genesis]

Actually that time of year is one of the best to dive around here.

Water temps are still in the mid 70s, there are a lot fewer people out there, and surface temps (air) are VERY comfortable.

I love that time of year here....