Visiting Destin

[Narcd_dvr]

Hi folks,
I'm taking the wife and kids to Destin this coming Friday for 8 days of R&R. On my list of must dives is the Mighty O. Aside from that, are decent divings around Destin worth doing? How about the jetties? Thanks.

 

[mk706]

To dive the Oriskany you'll need to head a little over an hour west to Pensacola. I dived it at the beginning of June with the fellas aboard the H2O Below, booked through MBT Diving. MBT & H2O Below were both great, however, the Oriskany is a little anti-climatic. It's a long boat ride out for what I'd consider a boring dive. If you're a technical diver you may have a different experience.

In Destin, I like Scubatech Diving. I've heard that the bridge between Destin and Fort Walton Beach is a pretty good shore dive. It's on my list to try.

Keep in mind that most of that area of the pan handle consists of sandy bottom. The dive sites seem to be congregated on several artificial reefs. That's not really a problem, until you get out there to find multiple dive boats and folks fishing. A little crowded for my tastes.

 

[oceanbound]

hi Subzero, I agree that H2O would be your best option for the "O", out of Pensacola. ScubaTech also for dives in Destin and yes there are many dive spots in Destin including the jetty. and about 1 1/2 hr drive from Destin you could go to Vortex Springs and Morrison Springs in Ponce De Leon. Scuba Tech can hook you up with some great dives I'm sure. Have fun!

 

[Narcd_dvr]

Thanks for the recommendations on the dive shops and dive sites, will definitely have to check out the springs.

 

[Nemrod]

Please do not use this map for navigation. Also realize that current locals may have different names for places than I.

Google MBT Divers in Pensacola and find that they have a huge list of GPS spots. There are several other online coordinate pages for these areas. I have a bunch that I have collected or marked myself.

N

 

[Dive-aholic]

I 2nd the springs. If you're a little adventurous, you can also rent a canoe and head over to Cypress Springs for a dive in the basin. Does your family dive? If not, they springs are also great swimming holes for them.

 

[MRXRAY]

Search the thread for Destin Jetties. They are finger jetties that are at the mouth to the pass in Destin. This is a great dive but very tide dependent.