Newer Diver

I got certified about 3 months ago while I was down in the Florida Keys. Now that I'm back at school at LSU, my buddy and I are itching to do some diving. But, we are poor college students. We have a small 19 foot boat, and comfort is not an issue. Any advice on some Alabama, close panhandle diving? Looking for some plans for a weekend trip where we just sleep in the SUV and dive the day. Have all own gear, so just need air rental and boat launch fee's (if we use the boat). Any help would be welcomed as I don't know what to expect since I've never dove anywhere except the keys.

PS. I am advanced open water with boat, deep diving, and nitrox specials.

Lots of shore diving options along the AL and FL panhandle coasts and lots of inshore dives that your 19'er can handle on smaller days.

one of the most common ones is st andrews jetties at PCB, I haven't been there on scuba but I really enjoyed freediving there, if I recall the max depth was around 55-60' but most of it is in the 25-35'

BoneDoc:

one of the most common ones is st andrews jetties at PCB, I haven't been there on scuba but I really enjoyed freediving there, if I recall the max depth was around 55-60' but most of it is in the 25-35'

Click to expand...

That looks like a place we can make a weekend camping trip and maybe have alittle fun during the evening hours. The women can lay on the beach while we dive a bit. Any other spots yall can think of just let me know. Thanks guys.

Check out this link to dive site on MBT Divers website: Local Dive Sites

St. Andrews is a great dive, especially if you're newer. I've done about 15 dives there in the last 2 years because its really easy and really cheap. Just be sure to plan your dive for about 1.5 to 2 hours prior to high tide to get the best vis. If you don't the water will be very green and vis will be reduced to almost nothing. There's a boat ramp in the park if you decide to camp. I don't have a boat, so I don't know what the fees are. There's supposed to be many dive spots within a few miles of shore. Make sure you have a good GPS! I have a book that gives the coordinates for a ton of panhandle dive spots, so PM me if you want them.

+3 for St. Andrews. Excellent site. As is the case with all shore diving, be sure to plan your trip with the tides. Massive schools of redfish last time I was there, along with tons of grouper.

You will also enjoy Ft. Pickens, near Pensacola. In my experience the current is usually a little bit stronger compared to St. Andrews, however proper planning around the tides can give you some good conditions. I really, really recommend gloves here. Have been out there with decent current several times, and held on to the rocks to work our way back in.

The Destin Jetties are are the third of what I consider my 'go-to' shore dives around here. Conditions can be great. There is a little bit of a walk, though. You'd probably appreciate the boat, if for nothing more than to ferry your gear around to the site.

There's tons of other sites, but these are the first that come to my mind as a boat-less resident!!

What kind of dives were you making in the Keys? Shallow inshore patch reefs? Outer (deeper) reefs? Wrecks? The diving up here is a little different, but can equally enjoyable!

In the Keys we would vary our dives greatly to stay no-deco. First dive might be a 120 foot wreck, and second would be a 45 foot reef. The best had to be the 115 foot bridge rubble from True Lies. A drift dive with massive Jewfish. Must say I will be hard pressed to find diving like that anywhere else in the US.

On another note, I have a buddy who spears out at the rigs. I'm thinking I'm going to start diving with him and start with a pole spear and ease myself into that sport. Still looking to do some panhandle dives, so I'll write a report whenever I make it over there.