This is a great place to learn diving for both novices and advanced divers. Absolutely perfect! This is the perfect place to go. Dive Locker gave us a refresher and once again we have fallen in love with diving. They were helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. They love diving. All of their gear is brand new and maintained with care. They have perfected the art of customer service. They are great shop and boat crew! Since many years, we have used their services and had great times. There is a wide range of gear available to rent or purchase. Everyone is eager and happy to help. Talk about an amazing experience.
The best time to go for this dive is when the current and visibility are at their highest. St Andrews Park's jetties are also great for snorkeling in Panama City Beach. In 1985, a Navy hovercraft 100' in length fell into the ocean. The twin aluminum pontoons rise 10' above the ocean floor in good condition and are still in good repair. Although the hovercraft looks unusual, it is unlikely that it will be a featured dive site. You can still swim laps and float up and back along the staircase.
Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association and Florida Wildlife Commission compiled a report on the effects of hurricane-force winds on reefs. The reef next to Varmar (not shown in our dive map, as it is off Mexico Beach), had the highest impact. This was because it was in 25 feet of water. 35% of the original reef materials were still in place.
Dive Locker Panama City Beach will teach you how to scuba dive and make your next trip more exciting. Dive Locker has been named the top PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors.) Training Center along the Gulf Coast. Come to Panama City Beach to experience more joy in your life. Join the Dive Locker community and become a certified Scuba Diver.
Below is a list of all inshore dive spots in Panama City Beach along with the associated bottom depths. Our threshold to dive offshore is greater than 8 miles from St Andrew's Pass. These sites require advanced certification. Nitrox certification is a good idea. These trips aren't available every day because of the distances involved.
Vulcano del Golfo was established in 1977 to honor Charles' Black Bart Bartholomew who was Navy Supervisor of Salvage Capt. Bartholomew died while diving off Panama City Beach on September 30, 1990. His feats included leading the Navy's recovery of the Space Shuttle Challenger as well as the cleanup of Exxon Valdez, an oil rig supply vessel. Its unique structure is remarkable. Divers can inspect the wheelhouse at 40 feet. The deck can be found at 66ft below the surface. There are also accesses to the cargo holdings. The ship's head, or toilet, is found outside the wreck on the sand. There is also a smiling skull. A lot of sealife visits the Warsaw Reef nearby.
A Navy minesweeper tender, measuring 184' in length, with a 33-foot beam, was destroyed to make way for a dive training site. Storms destroyed the bow and it lies on the port side. The boat rests intact and is upright, rising 20ft above the water. The Black Bart is an 180' boat that was used to create artificial reefs. It was sunk in 1993.
An Average Diver, at an Average Depth, With an Average Tank
Based on personal experience, an average open-water certified diver using a standard aluminum 80-cubic-foot tank on a 40-foot dive will be able to stay down for about 45 to 60 minutes before surfacing with a safe reserve of air still in the tank.
So just to reiterate: don't grab animals, don't hold them for photo ops, don't go for rides on dolphins or turtles, and don't force puffer fish to inflate (it can be fatal to them).