Sorry for the delay. I've been busy but now I can fill you in a bit more.
There is not a "bad" dive op here in PCB that I've run across.
PCDC: PCDC WebsiteI'll spend some time talking about them because I've been out with them twice in the last couple weeks and because they get the "cattle boat" reference the most. They have 3 boats: Island Diver, Reef Runner, & Capt. Scuba. When you look at them on their website, it is a bit misleading because it appears cramped with people but it isn't. Yes, they are the closest thing to "cattle boats" that we have here but the difference is that this isn't the FL Keys or Cozumel and so the boats are not full unless it is a holiday weekend or something. Even then you sometimes have it great. We went out July 4th weekend and there were only 4 divers on the boat including me and my dive buddy. I've been out with a dozen or more people on their boats and have never had an experience like ppl describe w/ cattle boat ops. There's plenty of room and good conversations on the surface intervals. I've booked 6packs because I didn't want cattle boats and I've usually always felt pretty cramped in them, with little space for getting gear out and setting up. Anyway, roll the dice because you've got great odds. Crew's good, service is good, and they seem to have the greatest history here in PCB. Mike G. has been integral in getting some of the wrecks placed here from what I understand. They are at beach's end of Thomas Drive and the dock is a short drive nearby Capt. Anderson's and The Boat Yard (recommend both for evening dining). Grade: A+
Diver's Den:
Panama City Dive Shop, Dive Charters and SCUBA Certification | Diver's Den | 850-871-6889 another good op. with good boats and good crew. I've less experience with them but enjoyed them just the same even though my dives with them have all been in ROUGH seas with swells ranging 7-10 ft. Nothing negative to say at all. Smaller capacity boats in the same vein as Dive Locker. I did mention something in passing about my GOPRO in the shop and the owner piped up that he didn't like them and preferred the Contour (what they sell) with a list of why it was better than the GOPRO and why mine would flood at depth. Hey, he's gotta make money too so I don't begrudge him pushing it. They are almost directly across from Capt. Anderson's on Thomas Drive. I can't for the life of me remember where their boats are docked but its not far from the shop either and may be the docks by J Michael's Restaurant on Thomas Drive (another highly recommended restaurant). Grade: A
Dive Locker: get my gear serviced here and have used them the most so far. Again, good boats and good crew with no negative experiences. Their shop is the 1st one you'll see if you come down Thomas Drive. I like their shop, their staff, and they've always got cool dive shirts. Their boats are docked in Pirate's Cove Marina if I remember correctly. Grade: A
As you can see, either I'm not overly critical or we've got good diving ops. here. I've been well taken care of. These are the three premier dive ops. in PCB.
Another op that I've not dove with (yet) but hear great things about and have been in their shop is
Panama City Dive Charters.
Panama City Dive Charter's Current Fleet of Dive Boats
I think this group is a conglomerate of dive charter boats that have banded together in some way to help business and expenses and so forth but I'm not certain of what the relationships are. I just know they all maintain good reps and I've never heard any horror stories from the dive community here. I actually have been out on the "Wreck Raider" with Capt. Rod. but I think it was before he joined this dive op. and was an independent charter. We chartered him for my advanced cert. dives. I see Better Bottom Time is also on the list here. So note that they may have a more independent charter feel to them, which ain't bad because they can get you to places the typical ops. don't frequent as much.
Let me restate and overstate again that you HAVE to plan on diving the Jetties. Let me tell you, I'm a creature comfort type of person. When I was considering doing this shore dive I was thinking "this is gonna be miserable walking in and out of the water, sand, heat, the people, keeping track of tides, etc." and I was not expecting an overwhelming experience. I assumed it'd be a good cheap way ($8 entry to the park) to just get wet. Well, I was SO WRONG. The only burden of any sort was towing the dive flag. But this dive was the BEST dive I've ever had here in PCB. You do have to look out for mono-filament and fishermen. BUT, if you really want a great experience, just stay in the Kiddie Pool and don't crest the rock wall at all. You'll not get much beyond 6 or 8 feet (maybe more at high tide) but I've had more significant time with marine life staying in here than any other dive experience. I wasn't constantly looking at gauges and checking current, depth, and so forth because it was a completely safe dive so I could focus more on the wildlife. Oh, you do have to look out for urchin. Me and a buddy when out Sunday after church and spent about 2-2.5 hrs. just bobbing up and down the Kiddie Pool side of the jetty wall. I saw baby barracuda, my first octopus, crabs, flounder, snails, nudibranchs, arrow crabs, worms, cool jellyfish, tons o' different types of fish. You do have to deal with a few more ppl and some snorkelers (you can snorkel it just as easy but I don't like having to come up for air,
but it was just outstanding. I'll post some video when I get it edited. It has to be an AMAZING night dive. I hope to do that soon. OH, and on the other side of the jetty wall, you have a better chance of running into a shark or two than you do on the wrecks. Bulls, Nurse, and sometimes Hammer Heads frequent the area. They even had a picture of some actually IN the Kiddie Pool a couple years ago.
Dive the outside at high slack tide for the best viz and current conditions. And be advised that the current can really, REALLY rip when not during that time and viz is poor to non-existant. I've heard personally from people with horror stories and some pretty close near-misses who unwisely dove outside of high, slack tide. MUST use a dive flag in tow.
Be sure and post your experiences!
