Shore diving from Panama City...

[mzenzer]

...or anywhere between Destin and Apalachicola.

I'm looking for some shore dive sites in or near Panama City. Anywhere along that area would be fine. I've read a little about St. Andrews Jetties and it seems perfect. Has anyone dove or snorkeled there? I'll be bringing my wife who is not a diver but I wanted to start her off with snorkeling, and due to some of her inherent fears, its best she does it in an area with good visibility.

Also, in the late 80's my cousin and I came back from a chartered wreck dive off Panama, and decided to get wet on some shore dives on our way back home to Louisiana. We stopped at a dive shop and the guy gave us a map with a few sites. One was a small wreck. The map had directions as such; go to (hotel I can't remember), stand on southeast corner, walk 15 feet to the east, proceed to surf, and swim 100 yards. At that point, in about 17ft of water, you'll find this wreck.

I remember a lot of the details except the name of the hotel or the dive shop (if its still around). If anyone remembers I'd appreciate it.

Also, some good dive shops to seek info on in the area would be great too. And any economical shallow water snorkel/scuba charters would be most appreciated as well.

Thanks!,

Mike

Edited to add: I'm planning on camping at St. Andrews Park, but if someone knows a better primitive camping area then I'm all ears!

 

[simbrooks]

Dont know the sites at all, but my advice is -
1. put this up in the Florida Conch Divers section near the bottom of the main index page in the clubs section.
2. buy a copy of Ned Deloach's "Underwater Florida", it listed a few places around that area and offshore as well as plenty more dives in FL.
3. if you are diving, do it before tuesday night when Ivan comes through, otherwise wait at least another week or two for the bottom to settle down again.

BTW, welcome to the board, batten down your hatches later this week, there's a storm brewing and whilst i wouldnt wish them on anyone else, i am glad this third one of the season isnt coming this way Be safe this coming week.

 

[beachdivequeenbelam]

I got AOW certified there!!!
It has a lot of fish but can have a wicked current sometimes!!
Not too bad that you can't shore dive!!
It calms down and viz clears back up when you get 10-20 ft out from shore..
Waves will bring you back to shore when you are done.
Nice Beach and one hint
NEVER NEVER NEVER GO during SPRING BREAK!!!!
I went in March and the water was freezing, and one billion college students made a one mile drive take 2 hours!!
I am going back soon!!
I love it and there is Vortex SPrings near by!

 

[mzenzer]

Thanks for the replies! I guess I should have also been more specific about my dive.

Weather permitting, I will make this trip during Thanksgiving. I don't know about the panhandle, but southeast Louisiana (I live right outside New Orleans) can be quite hot in November, especially these last few years. What are things like there at that time for snorkeling and general beach activity?

Also, the main purpose of the trip is to meet up with a friend and his son at Vortex springs on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and we planned this trip at that time for a myriad of reasons but one is knowing that the temp there is the same regardless of conditions outside. After we finish Vortex, we were hoping for a couple days of camping and snorkeling/diving at St. Andrews. Again, weather permitting.

simbrooks, my dive shop has that book and I've read about it at underwaterflorida.com. Have to go check to see if they have info on St. Andrews. Didn't think about that - DUH! I'll also repost at the Florida forum if I don't find what I want on the net. Thanks.

beachdivequeenbelam, I'm glad to hear its used for check out dives. That tells me its suitable for beginners - and must be a decent dive.

What are the depths there? Is there anything specific I should look for besides the jetties?

 

[simbrooks]

I checked last night in the book when i got home and it did have St Andrews in there. It also had a few other jetties and shore dives in there, but maybe only a handful from Panama City over to Pensecola. I really dont dive up in that direction much, but i am sure it will only be a matter of time before i start using the Tally friends as a base for trips to those shores and nearby springs. If you look on the FCD section, check out the insider info sticky at the top of the page, i believe SeaYoda wrote a report on some jetties, might have been Destin though, cant recall.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

The wreck you had directions to was in Alabama wasn't it? Sounds like halfway decent directions to the Whiskey Wreck. Panama City, Destin, and Pensacola all have beachable jeddies.

SeaYoda dives Destin Jeddies, I have a recent report(from 9/12) in the FL Conch section as well.

 

[mzenzer]

Thanks Simon! I'm going to buy that book today. I'll check Seayoda's remote as well.

 

[The Kraken]

We dive PC a pretty good bit. I'm unaware of a shore dive off PC beaches. You'll find camping and diving at the jetties at St. Andrews quite nice, especially at that time of year, given that you have sufficient exposure protection.

There is a very nice area within the western jetty with nice sandy beaches that is perfect for snorkeling.

There are pavillions and tables for setting up your gear and fresh water showers adjacent to the pavillions. It's a bit of a walk, but in November you'll not have to worry about becoming overheated.

Diving outside the jetty can be quite nice. The bottom next to the jetty is around 55'. Visibility varies with the weather. Jellyfish can be a problem from time to time. Your most serious concern is the tide and it's current in the pass. The current can become very dangerous, very quickly. Check with the local dive shops for the best time between tides to dive.

I don't know the annual schedule of the facilities, but St. Andrews now has a dive shop with gear rental and, if I'm not mistaken, air refills, no nitrox.

Safe diving . . .

 

[mzenzer]

The Whiskey Wreck sounds very much like the one. However, I did a search on it and found a pic of the beach, and I don't see the hotel that I remember. It was a large multi-story hotel.

However it was in 1987 and I was 16 at the time, so my memory might be a bit fuzzy.

Thanks for the info!

The wreck you had directions to was in Alabama wasn't it? Sounds like halfway decent directions to the Whiskey Wreck. Panama City, Destin, and Pensacola all have beachable jeddies.

SeaYoda dives Destin Jeddies, I have a recent report(from 9/12) in the FL Conch section as well.

 

[The Kraken]

The Whiskey wreck is in either Destin of P'Cola, don't remember which.