The twin aluminum pontoons, which rise 10 feet above the ocean floor, are in good condition. Although the hovercraft is unique, it wouldn't make a great feature dive site. It's also close to the Black Bart. You can still swim laps around the structure, and glide up and down the stairs.
Panama City Beach offers scuba diving and outstanding seafood. It also has the largest population in the world of bottlenose dolphins. It's an excellent destination for a weekend getaway or a long weeklong vacation. Below is the Panama City Beach dive map. Each pin provides more information about the dive locations. This map is intended to provide information only, and not for navigation.
The Discover Scuba class is ideal for those who are just starting out on vacation and don't have the time to squeeze in all they want. This is the perfect time to learn scuba diving and embark on a new adventure. We can help you if you are passionate about scuba diving and wish to obtain a lifetime certification.
We consider diving to be a serious sport and are excited to get you started on your amazing adventure. SCUBA diving has serious fun. We want you to have as much fun as we do. NAUI, PADI & SSI offer entry-level SCUBA courses that will get you, your family, and friends into the water quickly. They also meet your specific training needs.
Grey Ghost is an extended offshore dive and takes 6-8hrs to reach. While she's only a mere 105 foot vessel, what makes this dive so spectacular is the wide variety of aquatic life. Her resting place was at the edge a natural coral reef, which has been enriched with fiberglass boats and scraps of steel. This spot is an ideal habitat for fish. Panama City Beach is home to the El Dorado, Panama City Beach's most recent wreck. Hurricane Michael destroyed the ship in October 2018.
Panama City Beach suffered a direct blow from Hurricane Michael, a hurricane of category 4. It had maximum sustained winds of 154mph and a storm surge of over 10 feet, making it the most powerful storm to ever make landfall in the Panhandle. More than 650 artificial coral reef patches were hit by hurricane-force winds.
Only 35% of original reef material was left. The artificial reefs in shallow and medium water were not affected. Below is an illustration from that report which shows the path the hurricane took through the wrecks, reefs and corals of Panama City Beach.
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).