Gulf Shores, AL Diving?

andrew.clisbee · Jul 19, 2006

Hi everyone,

My wife and I will be going on a vacation to Gulf Shores, AL next summer, and I was curious about dive sites/conditions. As I've never been to Gulf Shores, I have no idea what to expect, or if I should even bring my gear. Can any of you fine folks give me an idea of what to expect - good dive sites, general conditions, etc for the Gulf Shores area?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks everyone!

Andy

mike_s · Jul 19, 2006

Check out http://www.gulfdiver.net/

They have local dive site info on their site and Gary is on Scubaboard and can answer questions about charters, etc.

Also, SupRBugman here in SB is a very active diver in that area. PM him and he can provide a wealth of information.

Depending on what your skill set is, you might consider diving the USS Oriskany while there also.

jwhitlock · Jul 19, 2006

If you are looking into chartering a boat trip there is many dive sites ranging from 55 ft - 130 ft......... Vis varies depending on the dive site it can be anywhere from 40 ft. 100+ ft.

If your not looking to charter a trip The Whiskey wreck is about 150 yards off shore behind Bahama Bobs. The wreck is an old rum runner that beached and sank over 100 around 100 years ago. There also is the Orange Beach jetties which is a good dive but if you need to dive it at high tide......

Give me a yell Ill be glad to go along......And like mike s said get with Bugman..Hes up on all the local shore diving hot spots (hes also got some secret spots he'll have to blind fold you)lol...........

mwhities · Jul 19, 2006

This weekend, myself and three other divers from the Jackson, MS area met up with SuprBugMan, SeaYoda and NateRR in Navarre to do several dives. The vis was probably 10-15 in some areas, but a little worse in others.

We also dove the Whiskey Wreck. It was quite fun. Saw a few crabs and other fish that I'm still looking up to figure out what they were.

SuprBugMan is quite impressive with the knowledge of the areas to dive. We are definetly going back again to dive with him and hopefully other SBers.

(SuprBugMan, if you read this, I'll buy you lunch again. ;P)

Michael

scubarealtor · Jul 19, 2006

i was there with mwhities. he is very good about buying beer pitchers after the diving is done. he would be a good one to invite down for the weekend.

SuPrBuGmAn · Jul 19, 2006

Shore dives in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area range from 5-15' of visibility on average. As an average, conditions can be much better at times, but also much worse. Offshore dive conditions range from 20-80' of visibility on average and can be worse or better, depending on whatever the gulf decides it wants to do. Most of our offshore divesites consist of artificial reefs(usually boats or bridge rubble, but planes, trains, tanks, ect are scattered about as well as a few natural reefs here and there). Our shore dives range from jetty dives(piles of rocks) and some old natural wrecks in shallow water.

Like Mike said, look into the Oriskany. The Gulf Shores and Orange Beach dive ops offer trips to her, takes about 2 hours of boat time each way, but thats normal for any dive 20+ miles out.

abamick · Jul 20, 2006

We are going to be in the Gulf Shores area next week for a few days.

I remember a long time ago (1985 maybe) there was a sunken plane near the navy base in Pensacola. It was a fairly shallow shore dive out from a fort. Ring any bells with anyone? Is it still there?

is there anything in the area that is shallow? 50-60 fsw?

SuPrBuGmAn · Jul 20, 2006

A plane? I don't know of one, but around the fort with currents and hurricanes over the last decade, I wouldn't doubt that its broken and buried.

Lots of shallow dives in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area well shallower than 50'. Jetty dives, pier dives, shallow beachable wrecks, ect.

abamick · Jul 20, 2006

I thought the plane was probably gone. There was a boat nearby it also. It's been so long ago, I don't remember the particulars.

Thanks, can you tell me who I can contact? We will be in the Fort Morgan area next weekend.

FredT · Jul 20, 2006

The basic rules for the Northern Gulf O Mexico east of the Mississipi river:

The farther east you go the worse the good days get and the better the bad days get. Off the mouth of the river its 2" or 200', depending on the river's plume and your depth. At Gulf Shores the maximum vis is down to about 150' , with the minimum up to about 3'. By the time you get to Panama City the max iws down to about 100', but the min us up to about 15'. The above is without the effects of a named storm, those to strange things all over.

Good stuff on the bottom all over the area, either natural rock, intentionally placed structure or "real" wrecks out to about 250'.

FT

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