Question Need help with improving my Itinerary - Miami/Destin Dive trip

[Divin'Papaw]

You don't travel from California to Florida to dive BHB. I flew to Miami 3 years ago to dive Key Largo for 8 days. The first 4 days went fine then wind and waves blew out the diving in Key Largo for the rest of the trip. I bailed out of the Hotel in Key Largo and got a hotel near BHB and got 2 days of diving to finish the trip. My mood went from depressed over getting blown out in Key Largo to BHB saved my dive trip.

Edit: You don't need a guide.

That depends upon who "you" are. I know people who have traveled from Europe to dive BHB.

Also, for your first dive at the bridge, you may not "need" a guide, but a good guide can turn an average dive into a fantastic dive. There is so much to see and many areas to explore. Unless you have time to figure that out yourself over time (visiting divers don't have that luxury), a good guide can make a big difference. Just my opinion as someone who did get a guide for my first dive and have now done over 30 dives at the bridge since. The guide was money well spent.

 

[MrChen]

I could totally see where someone who doesn't know when to enter/exit, doesn't know how best to navigate the area, and doesn't have a clue of the treasures there are to find, would find the site boring and potentially a waste of time. I'll take my HP120 tank and even after 3.5 hours, I don't want to get out.

 

[Johnoly]

and many areas to explore.

Agree... BHB doesn't look that big on google maps. But as you stand on the beach, 1st time visitors will instantly be faced with a challenging choice because it's bigger than in pictures. That choice is.......
" Go Left or Right ? ". Sounds simple until the end of your dive & back in the parking lot and you find out you missed a huge moment>>on the other side !!

 

[MrChen]

Agree... BHB doesn't look that big on google maps. But as you stand on the beach, 1st time visitors will instantly be faced with a challenging choice because it's bigger than in pictures. That choice is.......
" Go Left or Right ? ". Sounds simple until the end of your dive & back in the parking lot and you find out you missed a huge moment>>on the other side !!

Which means, you must dive it at least twice

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I've never had a bad dive at BHB except for one time.. and that was a huge learning opportunity. Other than that, BHB is what you make of it. I've heard of people hating it after a couple dives, and others (like myself) can enjoy and appreciate every dive there for years and years. And it's a go to when the seas are snotty..

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I'm one of those that prefers to hop on charters when I drive over to SEFL for my diving weekends once a month. However, I am always happy for a dive at the bridge. Occasionally I plan a BHB dive on purpose, but typically it is a fall-back option for me. I've never had a bad dive there, even the one I did in 2-3' of viz once. That one just allowed me to practice my compass navigation skills and look at all the small stuff REALLY CLOSELY! That dive it reminded me of the rock quarries I used to dive in Indiana, except with more life and warm water LOL!

 

[soduh]

If you're still planning on flying out of Panama City the St. Andrews Jetties are a great way to get a dive in without having to book a charter. There's the kiddie pool and the beach side of the jetty that are protected from any big swells that get kicked up. Some people on here don't like the beach side of the jetty facing the gulf but I have always had great dives there, and it's where a lot of instructors take classes for early open water dives. I highly recommend it as a low cost way to get in the water.