Destin Jetties Dive Report 11/11/05 - update on changes

Gulf-Gulper and I were in the water at the jetties when the sun broke over the horizon. We entered close to the point and found a very steep slope of sand just 3'-5' from the water's edge. After waiting for a little more sunlight, we swam down the slope to about 30'. Viz was crummy - 10'-15' and full of particles. I have attached a google earth shot with the approximate areas affected by the new sand drawn by me. At 30' I saw rocks begin to appear from the sand and the first recognizable landmark, the old blue bucket full of concrete. From there South, the rocks had a little more sand and a lot more trash sprinkled around. We did not go all the way to the anchor but I managed to hit 50' in depth, the temperature was 70 degrees there. Since we were diving at sun up, there were lots of boats headed out to fish in the Gulf. The channel runs much closer to the finger jetty so we dragged the flag with us and stayed close to the incline of the rocks. I still got spooked a couple times with all the boat traffic over head. Not many critters were out to be found. The current was a slow push toward the bay during the dive which made for a nice slow drift back at the end. We got to the sandy slope just Northeast of the point and tried to stand up to get out. The sand was so loose that my foot sank down to the middle of my calf. We decided because of the loose sand and the 45 degree air temp, with North breeze, to walk along the top of the slope all the way to the wall along the access area. The dive had lasted 60 minutes and we were on our way back home. Here are some pictures:

So from about 30' to the point there are visible rocks to dive on correct? Still seems worth the dive, but I think I might wait for some of the particle to settle before driving out

Thanks for the report.

North and East of the point is nothing but sand, just like along the rest of the beaches. A very steep slope down to 20'-30' exists when you enter on the North edge of the point. The rocks that stick out at the point mark where the new sand ends and the rocks stick out from the surface on down. That spot gets to be about 30' at its deepest point. You turn south as usual and the rock field seems to be nearly the same as it was.

I'm not sure if the new water flow is to blame for the particles or the double high tide. I would normally have stayed on the North side of the jetty due to the viz, but there is no North side any more. What will all the snorkelers do? Where will they go?

Stick em under the bridge

Throw em under da bus? Ooops wrong thread.