Imagine diving to the depths of sunken ships, pirate's treasure and other underwater wonderlands. Scuba Diver Panama City Beach invites you to sign up for a class and enjoy the exciting new adventure of scubadiving on your next cruise or vacation!
Members of the Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association and Florida Wildlife Commission generated a report assessing the impact to the reefs. They discovered that the reef adjacent to the Varmar (not shown on our dive map because it’s off Mexico Beach) experienced the most impact since it was in 25' of water, with only 35% of the reef material remaining in the original reef patch. However, the artificial reefs in moderate and deep water remained undisturbed. Below is a graphic from that report showing the path of the hurricane through the reefs and wrecks of Panama City Beach.
She is a three-story vessel, with incredible amounts of marine life already living there. As of our last visit, you could still spot the "Happy Holidays", unidentified townsfolk on her deck for all cars passing by the bridge.
Our threshold for off-shore diving is 8 miles from St Andrew's Pass. These locations require advanced certification. Nitrox certification would be a good idea. Because of the distance involved, these trips do not run every day. To find out when the next trip will be running, you can check with the dive shop. You might also want to plan a trip together with qualified friends.
St. Andrews State Park offers the best beach diving along the Emerald Coast. The channel side of the west jetties has a depth of 70 feet. In spots, the rocks also attract and keep a variety of sea creatures, such as octopus and red snapper. The best part about diving is when you catch an incoming tide.
A Navy minesweeper tender weighing 184 feet and with a 33-foot beam, it was built in 1987 for use as a training ground for divers. Storms damaged the bow and it was thrown off to the port side. Rest of the boat was intact and can be seen standing upright, 20' above the ground.
Do you want to try something new? In just 3 days, you can get your Open Water Scuba Diving Certificate. Your certification is valid for life. You won't have to worry about scheduling because classes are small. If you have been certified but have not dived in a while, we offer refreshers. We will put you on the schedule if you give us a call.
Never hold your breath
As every good entry-level dive student knows, this is the most important rule of scuba. And for good reason — breath holding underwater can result in serious injury and even death. In accordance with Boyle's law, the air in a diver's lungs expands during ascent and contracts during descent.
As you become a qualified scuba diver, you learn the basics of an essential scuba system. A cylinder, weights, an exposure suit, regulators, BCD gauge and timing device, mask and fins are the bare essentials.