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.
The site's structure is extraordinary. Divers are able to explore the wheelhouse 40 feet down. The deck is located at approximately 66' below sea level and contains accesses to cargo holds. The ship's toilet (head) rests on the sand outside the wreck. It has a smiley skull. The Warsaw Reef, which is nearby, has plenty of marine life.
Do you know PCB is the Wreck Capital of the South? Our interactive map for scuba diving Panama City Beach contains almost 150 dive locations with over 50 wrecks sunk as artificial reefs and eight feature dive sites you have to try! We’ll give scuba lovers everywhere the low down on why they have to blow bubbles on the Florida Panhandle.
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. In May 2019, she began her career at a top dive site.
Looking for something different? Get your Open Water Scuba Diving Certificate in 3 Days. Your certification is valid for your whole life. The classes are small enough that you will not face any scheduling difficulties. We offer refreshers for anyone who is already certified but has not done so in a while. Give us the call to be added to our schedule.
In October of 2018, Panama City Beach took a direct hit from Hurricane Michael, a category 4 storm. With maximum sustained winds 154 mph and over 10 ft storm surge, it was the strongest storm on record to make landfall in the Panhandle. Over 650 artificial reef patches experienced hurricane-force winds.
Scuba Dive Panama City Beach can take you to famous watery shipwrecks, including Black Bart, or for beachside snorkeling at St. Andrews State Park. At high tide, the park's remarkable rocky jetties allow you to see ocean creatures up close, such as octopus and redfish.
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.