Difficulty
Unrated
Viz (last reported 18722h ago)
Max Depth
Unknown
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at St. Andrews Jetties, Panama Beach
1,260-acre coastal park; 110ft, 40ft viz, 60-80DegF; for more information, call St. Andrews State Park at (850) 233-5140<br>
<u>Park Fees:</u> Admission Fee--$5.00 per vehicle; $1.00 for the following: Pedestrians, Bicyclists, extra Passengers, Passengers in vehicles with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Permit<br>
<u>Facilities:</u> Picnic pavilions, bath-house, restrooms, beach chair rentals (in season), Park store with limited lunch food items for sale plus drinks, snacks and souvenirs. Beach on tidal pool with no waves and beach on main beach area where waves are located. Boat shuttle (fee charged) available to Shell Island (sand island) across channel from park. No facilities on Shell Island.<br>
<u>Dive Shop Concession on site:</u> Jetty Dive Shop 850-233-0197 On site air fills when compressor is working. Some rental tanks, but limited availability. Nitrox usually not available.<br>
<u>Closest offsite Dive Shop:</u> PC Dive Center at the corner of Front Beach Rd and Thomas Drive just outside the park at the first redlight.<br>
<u>Dive Rules:</u> Follow Florida State dive laws. Dive flag required for diving anywhere outside the jetty tidal pool.<br>
<u>Best time to dive:</u> At "high slack tide" Check local tide tables for time.<br>
<u>Dive Conditions:</u> strong currents can exist due to incoming/outgoing tide. Best time for lowest current and best visibility is at high slack tide. Depths to 65 feet in main channel. Beware of boat traffic above and use a dive flag as required by law. Fishermen sometimes fish on jetty rocks, so beware of line entanglement or being hooked. Best to carry a cutting tool just in case.<br>
<u>Accommodations:</u> Camping available at park or hotels/condos available outside park.
<u>Hours of Operation:</u> 8:00 AM to sunset<br>
<u>Driving Directions:</u> From Hwy 98 turn South on to Hwy 3031 (Thomas Drive) and follow it straight to Hwy 392 and turn left to enter into the gates of St. Andrews State Park. St. Andrews State Park is located approximately 3 miles east of Hwy 392.
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Todd Yarbrough
Apr 23, 2013, 12:00 AM
scuba
As a long time diver at St Andrews, I have found the conditions there to be great for divers of all skill levels. There is a 20 foot deep shelf along the north end that tapers down to around 80 feet as you head out into the gulf. This has been one of my favorite dive sites since I was first certified in 1998, and I have logged hundreds of hours underwater here. I would suggest it to anyone for the ease of entry, diversity of life and potential for adventure that exists just below the surface.
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