Panama City Beach has the highest number of bottlenose Dolphins in the world, white sand beaches, excellent seafood, and is a great place to dive. It is an ideal destination for weekend drives or long-term trips.
SCUBA diving offers serious excitement and we hope you have as much fun. NAUI, PADI & SSI have entry-level SCUBA training programs that can get you, family and friends into the sea. We have a wide range of high-quality brand names available to rent and purchase for your diving experience.
There are also many historic shipwrecks scattered around the area. There are many historic wrecks scattered throughout the area. These wrecks and many others in the region earned Panama City Beach the title of "Wreck Diving Capital of the South" by Skin Diver Magazine. Have you ever tried scuba diving? It's possible.
Panama City Beach's newest wreck is The El Dorado. Hurricane Michael was the storm that swept the ship ashore on October 18, 2018. The Hathaway Bridge was her constant reminder of the hurricane's destructive wrath throughout winter and spring. She started her diving career at a top site in May 2019. She is three stories tall and has an amazing amount of sea life.
If you are looking for a fun class taught by an expert in the field with high-quality gear and fully inclusive pricing, we can help. Spearfishing is basically underwater bow hunting. It is not difficult or cheap to learn and can be addictive. This is the place to go if you're looking for ethical, clean, and non-industrially produced protein. We offer spearfishing charters for highly experienced divers.
Panama City Beach is the perfect place to take a drive and dive weekend from the South. You can drive home at night, dive Sunday morning, and still be able to meet your no-fly deadline. With water temperatures between 60s and 80s in winter, visibility can be expected to range from 30'-50'.
Because of the distance involved, these trips do not run every day. To find out when the next trip is scheduled, you can check with the dive shop. You might also be able to arrange a trip together with qualified friends.
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).