Shore diving in Panama City Beach starts with the St Andrew’s Park Jetties for good reasons. It’s a short walk from the parking lot to the beach, and soon you’re in the water. The beach-side is shallow, with no boat traffic. Make sure you bring your dive flag if you cross over to the channel side. You’ll find plenty of tropical fish living in the rocks of the jetties. The visibility and current are much better during high slack tide, which is the ideal time for this dive. St Andrew’s Park jetties are also one of the best places for snorkeling in Panama City Beach.
Panama City Beach offers a safe haven for divers and snorkelers. You won't regret taking your family to PCB during your diving trip. Even if you and your partner are certified, it is possible to combine a diving trip with a romantic weekend in Panama City Beach.
St Andrew's Park's sugar sand beaches and Shell Island's snow-white sand are breathtaking. You can take dolphin cruises, and you'll find attractions like Pier Park and Shipwreck Island for land-lovers. Evenings are a great time to enjoy some of the most delicious fresh seafood. The Firefly shecrab soup is our favorite! You can enjoy golden sunsets with turquoise blue water.
Scuba Dive Panama City Beach will take you to the famous Black Bart watery shipwrecks or allow you to snorkel at St. Andrews State Park beachside. The park's incredible rocky jetties at high tide allow you to view ocean creatures like redfish and octopus up close.
Mexico Beach Artificial Reef Association and Florida Wildlife Commission compiled a report on the effects of human activity on reefs. The report found that the Varmar Reef, located near Mexico Beach, experienced the most impact as it was in 25 feet of seawater. There were only 35% remaining of the original reef materials. The artificial reefs that were in deep and moderate waters remained unscathed. Below is a graphic that was taken from that report and shows how the hurricane traveled through Panama City Beach's wrecks and reefs.
SCUBA diving offers serious excitement and we want you as much as us to have fun. Our entry-level SCUBA classes, available through NAUI/PADI & SSI allow you to get your friends, family, and loved ones into the water quickly, while still meeting your individual training needs.
Scuba Dive Panama City Beach, Florida's premier full-service Dive Center, is also an Aquatic Training Facility. The beautiful Panama City Beach location gives divers direct access to miles upon miles of white sand beaches and shipwrecks as well as freshwater springs and natural reefs. Our staff can help you prepare for anything, whether you are looking to swim with sharks or explore hidden relics below.
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.