Pensacola Shore Dive trip: a new diver seeks advice

[red_tide]

Typically, it’s one dive only at a site. There isn’t enough time during slack tide for two dives and definitely not enough time to go to another dive site. It’s about an hour and 20 – 30 minutes from the Destin Jetties to the St. Andrews Jetties.

Just to give you an idea of what the currents can be like, an instructor at one of the Panama City Beach dive shops told us the story of an employee that decided to do a drift dive at the St. Andrews Jetties. He did it after low tide so he would be coming back into the bay instead of being pulled out into the gulf. He swam out on the beach side, went around the end of the jetties and submerged. He told us the drift took 6 or 7 minutes to go from one end to the other – that’s about half a mile! I sure wouldn’t want to fight that while being pulled out into the gulf.

We have a boat, so we rarely do the Destin Death March. We just boat up and anchor to do that dive. We have friends that walk it and rent a big wheeled beach cart/wagon to pull all their gear to the entrance.

Your times look great. Be there early and watch the current. Also, my daughter loves to take frozen peas to feed the fish on her dives. Some dives, she spends more money on peas than on air!

 

[Lorenzoid]

Great. So plan to enter the water around 30 minutes before high tide and exit 30 minutes after, for an hour-long dive? We would probably get some local advice at one of the Destin dive shops while we have them fill our tanks, but advance info like this is much appreciated.

Do you recall where your friends rented the beach cart?

 

[red_tide]

I don't remember where they rented the cart. I'm sure it was one of the places that rents beach chairs, umbrellas, etc.

I would plan on a 45 - 60 minute dive. I don't have my dive log in front of me, but I seem to remember that Destin is 45 fsw max depth and St. Andrews can hit 60 - 65 fsw. St. Andrews does have what we call the "kiddie pool" which is a large area of water inside the jetties. Once the current picks up, we have done 2nd dives along the jetties in the kiddie pool where it's probably 10 - 12 fsw max.

 

[Midwesterndvr]

"Dive pros" are highly rated in that area. There's the uss Massachusetts wreck, oriskany carrier wreck, also might be some decent spots off fort Pickens.

 

[Michael Gtr]

I might be taking a trip down there next month. Let me ask a question I think I know the answer to. Since there is only one high tide during daylight hours, then I could only dive one site--either St. Andrews or Destin Jetties but not both--in one day? In view of the "death march" in Destin, I'm leaning toward St. Andrews.

From the tide tables (Navarre Beach NOAA station?), it looks like Sat. March 18 or Sun. March 19 might be a good choice for an afternoon dive.

I'm starting to think about going to the beach for a high-tide ocean dive followed by a fresh water spring dive assuming the water levels there to corporate. Then i can get two or more dives in a day and still get to be in the ocean!!!

I have another question as well, what is the best way to go on a boat dive? Around here (mid missouri) there isn't a whole lot of options and the dive community is small enough so talking to the local dive shop('singular) can usually find a hand full of people interested in renting a house boat for a weekend and diving a lake.

What do people around there do? Just hire the dive shop charters? Post somewhere else on this forum? I'm really new here and not sure how flordians do it....

 

[TMHeimer]

From my experiences:
Vortex: OK if you like fresh water fish. Pricey--was $32 in 2007 ($25 in 2006). Lotsa classes there.
Morrison: The one time I went was murky, but they say that was unusual. 2007: Someone stole the sign warning of alligators.

Destin Jetty (Thumb Jetty on E. side). OK. about 55'--deeper than out in the channel. A place to tie off your dive flag. Murex shells. Saw rays.
Destin Bridge: Park on W. side of bridge (on Okaloosa I.). Technically you now need a free permit from Eglin AFB--apply on line. Walk to the right to a "point", dive to bridge and return to parking lot following bridge in.
St. Andrews: 70' on channel side of the 8' "Kiddie Pool". Best dive I've had on the panhandle (2008). 2 other times ('14 & '17) viz went to black not far down. Gulf side OK if not wavy & viz is OK. 45' at jetty end. Some start at beach & go around end of jetty & back in channel--or do the reverse according to current direction in channel.
Pickens: OK. Buddy technically required. Cost went fro $8 to $15. Fishermen at jetty--beware. Viz was good the 2 times I was there.

All inlets on the panhandle (& Perdido Pass, AL) are current dependent with only rare slack (high) tides in winter, though more as March progresses--check with NOAA. Current can be very strong.

Dive flag always required by law, though at St. Andrews I opted not to use it at 70' by the jetty in the channel, as you ascend right up the rocks.

 

[ReefHound]

Pickens entry fee is $15 per car per week, St Andrews is $8 per car per day. We usually tie off our flag at the jetties on initial descent.

 

[GJC]

Portofino and Navarre Beach artificial reefs are beach dives to shallow (20') artificial reef structures with a good amount of sea life. You can dive them any time (not tide dependent) but you don't want to go there in heavy surf conditions. Just watch the weather wind reports.

You can potentially do Fort Pickens at high tide and then do one or both artificial reefs the same day.

 

[TMHeimer]

Pickens entry fee is $15 per car per week, St Andrews is $8 per car per day. We usually tie off our flag at the jetties on initial descent.

I just paid $4 (car & me) for a day at St. Andrews Feb. 16--maybe that's the weekday rate.

There are numerous places to dive in "the bays"--P'cola, Destin, Ft. Walton--but these are not interesting. However, some are not tide dependent.

 

[TMHeimer]

I might be taking a trip down there next month. Let me ask a question I think I know the answer to. Since there is only one high tide during daylight hours, then I could only dive one site--either St. Andrews or Destin Jetties but not both--in one day? In view of the "death march" in Destin, I'm leaning toward St. Andrews.

From the tide tables (Navarre Beach NOAA station?), it looks like Sat. March 18 or Sun. March 19 might be a good choice for an afternoon dive.

Actually, the walk to the Destin Thumb Jetty isn't all that bad (and I'm OLD), though probably real tough when the summer weather heats up. And you can enter the water well before the jetty and dive to it, etc. The problem with it (besides needing slack tide) is the limited parking on the road. I always found a spot, but that's in Jan.-March. Would imagine after that you'd have to arrive really early (then wait for the &*^% *(^% tide).