Panhandle Prices???

[Johnoly]

.... I am also scouting for potential places that I might like to live .....

The panhandle and south florida are completely opposite for dive conditions. Costs are important to all divers.....but you haven't posted what you are " Passionate " about in diving, cuz that usually out weighs the costs.

So if you had to pick just one..................

Are you a :
* Caver
* Wrecker
* Photog
* Hunter
* Teacher
* Vacationer
* Or give us a percentage of 2 of the above.

Then you'll get some great info. In Short,,what makes you happiest and smile when you are actually 80 feet deep ??

 

[AlmightyApkallu]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I will admit completely, I am a newer diver. I have never been diving off a boat, in fact as of writing this all of my diving has been in freshwater lakes. Keeping that in mind, some of that has been as deep as 96' in temperatures as low as 54 with a 7mm wetsuit and in visibility as low as quite literally 0 and still being able to find objects using a compass and underwater navigating skills. So I'm a noobie, but have gained some really good experience so far.

I have only my brief research into prices everywhere from California to Florida. What I was probably looking at was member, club or discount pricing when it comes to those $60 two tank dives. Obviously, if I were living there permanently it would be nice to know if such deals could be had in that area. As some one pointed out earlier, they do exist in Miami and I know as a fact they exist in California. That's more or less where I'm basing my prices from. I do like how the Panhandle has some AMAZING springs to dive as well as some shore diving so I'm guessing that would help cut the costs down and maybe allow for a good boat dive once a month or so. Is Navarre and St. Andrews the only good beach/shore dives in the Panhandle?

As far as what I really love doing when I'm down there... I'm not entirely sure! I'm not hard to please, I just love being down there and exploring. Cave diving looks amazing but I doubt it is something I would do. Wreck diving looks extremely fun, photography looks fun but I don't see myself spending many thousands on it. Hunting I wouldn't do as I prefer fishing from the top. I doubt I would ever be an instructor as this is something I don't want to ruin by "Having to do it." I also want to make sure I'm not one of these "Vacationer" divers who dives a couple times a year on vacation. This is something I've grown to love, even diving in a cold dark lake out in the desert of Arizona, so I'm sure just about anything in Florida would excite me.

I like the variety the panhandle seems to have, I also like the cost of living and the "laid back" atmosphere. BUT, it seems the drawback is the visibility which looks to be not the greatest out in the open ocean. I know in SE Florida the viz is incredible, so that's a huge consideration. I'm wondering if any of you non-cave panhandle divers ever get bored diving in your neck of the woods? I know from Miami there are a ton of places you can fly to including the Caribbean, Yucatan and South America for not a lot, opening up even more variety.

I hope this helps you guys help me, haha! Thanks again for the replies.

Also, does anyone have any experience with Dive Locker out of Panama City Beach? They look like a reasonable and friendly outfit...

 

[Skeptic14]

Is Navarre and St. Andrews the only good beach/shore dives in the Panhandle?

The shore dives I know of from Pensacola to Panama City Beach (100 mile stretch).

1) St. Andrew Jetty - Panama City Beach
2) Destin Jetty
3) Ft. Pickens Jetty
4) Navarre Reef
5) Portofino Reef

St. Andrew Jetty is a great dive; time a high slack tide and the viz will be very nice and so much to see.

I haven't dove the other two jetties, but they are supposedly pretty good too, but general consensus is St. Andrew Jetty is the best.

The Navarre and Portofino Reefs are the same concrete pod artificial structures in 10-15' of water. While they aren't deep and won't have quite the marine life of the jetties it's still an enjoyable dive. It's the most consistent place for finding octopus and turtles from my experience.

But for the very best dives you do have to get on a boat.

BUT, it seems the drawback is the visibility which looks to be not the greatest out in the open ocean. I know in SE Florida the viz is incredible, so that's a huge consideration.

I got certified in springs with 50-100' of visibility and then flew off to the caribbean and then hawaii before I really started regularly diving locally. It is a little disappointing to go from 100' of visibility in beautiful blue water, to < 20' on a bad day here BUT on good days at the sites at least 5 miles out 50' of visibility is not uncommon.

A couple "rules" for deciding if I go or not that seem so far to have worked well for this area:

- West winds bad east/south winds good (exception is the beach dives, north wind is best)
- Before June Grass the water is beautiful Apr-May
- After about Mid Aug if the June grass is dissipating it is good again
- Sept-Dec the water is usually beautiful, unless red tide late in year etc

The visibility here even on a great day of 50' wont be the same as SE fl, water isn't as blue here I think, but it just makes you appreciate vacations that much more

Also, does anyone have any experience with Dive Locker out of Panama City Beach? They look like a reasonable and friendly outfit...

Dove with them once, very friendly crew, had a nice time.

 

[sportxlh]

Skeptic: thanks for a listing of the beach dives. While SE FL diving has bluer water and is generally better diving, I've been pleasantly surprised at how nice gulf diving can be. I've only done a bit more than a dozen dives in the gulf but have reliably seen goliath grouper, sharks and batfish. It's fun diving

 

[Johnoly]

.... I'm guessing that would help cut the costs down and maybe allow for a good boat dive once a month or so....

Whether panhandle or south fla, once you get established and dive on some of the charter boats, you will meet and connect with other divers who have similar profiles to your diving. Many of those divers either own boats or are close friends with boat owners. Often they are looking for a " 4th" person to help with gas and boat cleaning. Some of those dives can be very economical and high quality.

It sounds like you'll get a 'taste' of the different locations on your upcoming vacation and that will help focus where you feel the most comfortable. Have a fun trip.

 

[AlmightyApkallu]

Thanks for the replies, folks! What is the June Grass? I'm guessing it's like an algae bloom sort of thing that decreases viz? How bad is it, when does it usually start and end? Also, we could definitely be year round divers in the Panhandle. As long as the temp is 60+ we would be perfectly fine, just need to invest in a 7m, 5m and 3m depending on the season. Is the viz better in the winter time? Also, what exactly is the red tide?

Also, can anyone recommend a good wreck to dive for a novice/newbie to the area? I'm looking at the USS Strength the Miss Louise and maybe the Black Bart, they all seem like good dives for the novice. Will any of these Dive Shops/Charters require an AOW for these dives or will our OWD suffice?

 

[MaxE]

Prices for trips out of Pensacola are all dependant on the distance. Closer dives are less expensive and shallower, the visibility uasually is not as good. The further out you go the deeper you get and the visibility uasually improves. Pensacola is my "local" dive area (still a 3hr drive). I like the wreck diving and have been happy with all the boats I have been on, some I like better than others. Have also made it to Panama City twice and only have been out with Divers Den, they were more than fine. I do wish we had natural reef options. If it was me I would probably choose the S Florida option as water temps tend to be warmer longer and the ocean diving more diverse. Now if your into caves it would be the opposite. The two parts of the state are also very different culturally. Panhandle is Deep South, the further south you go the more "North" you get.

 

[Skeptic14]

Thanks for the replies, folks! What is the June Grass? I'm guessing it's like an algae bloom sort of thing that decreases viz? How bad is it, when does it usually start and end? Also, we could definitely be year round divers in the Panhandle. As long as the temp is 60+ we would be perfectly fine, just need to invest in a 7m, 5m and 3m depending on the season. Is the viz better in the winter time? Also, what exactly is the red tide?

Yep, june grass is what we call the green algae bloom in these waters during warm months. It typically doesn't start really getting heavy till late June early July but that depends on the year and if we had a long spring or short spring. It messes with the shore/jetty dives the most I think because it will accumulate near shore but in general I've found that from late June to late August is the most particulate in the water especially related to this algae.

If you plan to dive year round a 7mm will probably work, some of the year round divers our our local dive group wear dry suits but I guess that depends on the person. From my experience diving and beach going our water looks the best in the fall into spring, the warmer months bring in the algae etc.

Red tide is also due to an algae bloom, a few specific types will really mess with the water color/visibility and effect the oxygen in the water killing fish etc. We had a nasty one fall of 2015 and from Sept-July of this year the water just wasn't good especially for shore dives. This fall was great though and last weekend from the beach the water still looks beautiful.

Also, can anyone recommend a good wreck to dive for a novice/newbie to the area? I'm looking at the USS Strength the Miss Louise and maybe the Black Bart, they all seem like good dives for the novice. Will any of these Dive Shops/Charters require an AOW for these dives or will our OWD suffice?

I've done the Black Bart with Dive Locker with only open water. It's pretty nice, I think bottom is about 80' but it's got good structure so you can stay shallower if you like. The pilot house roof is at about 50' and sometimes a nice loggerhead hangs out there. I hear the Strength is really good but I haven't done it. The Miss Louise is only in about 50' of water and used for training. Vis won't be as good there because it's very close to shore, 1/2 mile? Probably not quite as good as the other two you mentioned.

 

[AlmightyApkallu]

Thanks for the info, Skeptic. I saw a video of the Black Bart, it looks very intact and well... Like a sunken ship and not just a pile of metal. I really like that, so I'll probably do that for my wreck dive. I'll probably start with a dive at Morrison Springs to get us freshed up in an easy environment (even though we dive at least once a month to keep our skills up, doesn't hurt to start off in a easy location!) I'll then probably do the Black Bart the next day and if time permits maybe a dive at the St. Andrews Jetties, would I really need a guide there or could I hoof it on my own at that point? The next most difficult thing is finding a half decent motel/hotel on a budget! Then I get to figure out the whole Miami thing...

 

[CajunDiva]

Prices in the Keys can be as low as $80 per two tank trip INCLUDING a guide at Rainbow Reef Dive Center:

Scuba Diving Prices | Rainbow Reef Dive Center | Key Largo, Florida Keys

This is inclusive of tanks/weights/bottled water/cookies/guide

That's the price for 1 or 2 days of diving. If you dive 3 or 4 days with them, the price drops to $70 per two tank trip. For 5 or 6 days, the price drops to $65 per two tank trip, etc...

We love diving in the Keys...they saw a great white on the Duane yesterday!