You can dive Sunday morning and drive back to bed in the evening without worrying about your no fly schedule. The visibility is expected to be between 30'-50ft and the water temperature will range from 60s in winter to 80s summer. Hands are best for sharp edges on wrecks. You also need to bring gloves and a knife to cut through fishing line. More important than the absolute wave size is the wave interval in Panama City Beach's waters. Long interval waves create rollers. Short interval waves rock the boat up and make it hard for divers to see.
Our extensive inventory of quality brand-name equipment is available for customers to rent or buy for their diving adventures. Every rental equipment is professionally cleaned, inspected and returned safe to use. Before you dive, take a look at our free resources, including downloads and videos.
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.
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.
The artificial reefs that were in moderate and deep waters remained unaffected. Below is a graphic that was taken from that report. It shows how the hurricane traveled through the wrecks and reefs at Panama City Beach. Panama City Beach offers one of the most beautiful drive-and-dive weekends in the South.
Panama City Beach is the perfect spot to get your feet wet. The dive shops can help you get certified and take you to the deep blue. Dive Locker, for example, is well-equipped to help you get started with your aquatic lifestyle. They are a one-stop shop that offers dive training, equipment rental, and repair.
We hope you find the site a relaxing escape from the real world. Keep your spirits high and your hands clean. Soon enough, there will be an opportunity to travel. SCUBA diving can be an amazing experience and we are excited to share it with you.
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).