Scuba Diving, Spearfishing and Private Custom Dive Charters to the Best Wrecks and Secret Reefs for the Best of Panama City Offshore
What to Expect on one of our charters and how we operate.
Whats the difference between Inshore and Offshore? *Inshore refers to the distance traveled from the pass,
3 - 7.5 statute miles. Meaning some trips relatively close to shore but
further down the coast may be considered offshore. Any such trip will
be clearly marketed to prevent confusion.
Common "inshore trips" include the either; 1) the USS Strength coupled with the LOS pontoon Chicasaw or bridge spans 1,2 or 12. Or 2) the Black Bart and Chickasaw, Hovercraft, Stage 2, the PCMI barge or bridge span 14. We
are happy to run to any other combination of wrecks or sites as long as
it is arranged ahead of time or only a single group is on the boat. If
you have already been to the Bart 300 times please tell us, we'd rather
take you somewhere you want to go.
The "offshore trips" are
everything else including the Accokeek, Chippewa, Putnam, Twin Tugs,
Commander, Tarpon, Mac Reef and Stage 1.
The Boat Operation
Since many of our customer have liitle experience with boat diving, what follows are some tips and procedures that may make the experience go smoother for you. Our 36' Steel Slinger has room for 46 tanks and deck storage under the bench seats for gear. There is plenty of cabin space for gear that needs to stay dry and plenty of space in our cooler for any extras you want to bring to snack on, please do not bring your own cooler.
When we arrive over the site the Divemaster will dive down with our tie in chain and line to attach us directly to the site. Once we have been tied into the site and the DM has returned and given his conditions briefing the "pool" is open. The staff will help all customers gear up at the stern of the boat and all divers will enter the water wearing all their gear, no putting fins on in the water, this is not a lake, quarry or pool. Likewise, fins are only put on on the swimplatform immediately before the dive. Once divers have oriented themselves in the water they are encouraged to descend to 15' on the line and wait for their buddy there. The tie in line is always at the front (bow) of our boat. Buddy pairs should be entering the water at roughly the same time not 5 minutes apart anyway.
Always leave the surface and return to it by the tie in line, and please make sure you note where the line is tied into on the dive site as you will want to be heading that way as your bottom time runs out or gas runs low. Ascending the wrong line to the wrong boat can be embarrassing! The old school policy was that you owed the Capt of the other boat a six pack if you got on the wrong boat's line!
Once you are back at our boat and it is your turn to climb the ladder; deflate your BCD and grab the ladder with one arm keeping it stiff and extended, the other arm will take off your fins and hand them to the staff on the swimplatform waiting to assist you, once your fins are off then and only then stand on the ladder and climb out, only once you are on the boat should you take your mask off or remove your regulator. This is sound boat policy regardless of which operation you are on and we really wish more instructors would teach this in class (hint hint). The ladder of dive boats cause far more injuries than all the sharks, jelly fish, barracudas, lightning strikes, moray eels and Chuck Norris combined, please understand and practice these procedures religiously, for your own safety and our piece of mind.
Unless you have a dive computer you should have a timing device of some sort to help you calculate your tables to insure your safety from DCS. If you don't have such a device for whatever reason please speak up so that we can arrange to time your dive for you. Don't worry about asking for help with tables or to see our tables if you need to, we understand and are happy to help. In fact please ask us to help you with anything you need assistance with as we are more than happy to help at all times.
Divemasters
We will always have a certified Divemaster on our
trips, they do not however, lead the divers as a group around the site.
Their duties consist of tying our down line to the wrecks, delivering a
dive briefing at the site and supervising the dive topside in addition
to trouble shooting gear problems and being generally helpful and
entertaining. This is a marked departure from the norm for people who
are used to diving in the Carribean where DMs lead you around and guide
you on a tour. It is our belief that all divers who posses C-cards
should be able to handle the conditions and sites without this direct
supervision or they should not have been certified. If however it has
been awhile or you would like to have a local point out some highlights
you might not see otherwise a Divemaster is an excellent idea for you.
DMs usually get $75 for what PADI calls a "Discover Local Diving"
Divemaster led trip excurrsion. If that sounds like what you want
please let us know and we will try to make sure a second Divemaster is
available for this. Since the primary divemaster has to do 2 dives per
site to tie us in and untie us, its is safer for them to have 2
divemasters split all that nitrogen. Please note it is both customary and appreciated to tip the Divemaster, just as if you would tip a waiter.
Generally Speaking
Generally speaking our charters leave the dock at 9am. Still generally speaking, inshore trips take 4 hours and offshore trips take 5. Even more generally speaking, inshore trips are an 80' table to the sand, and offshore trips are 100' tables to the sand. Some of the inshore sites are shallower, such as bridge span 1 or say stage 2. If having the option to exceed your certified depth is a problem, please let us know. Bear in mind that shipwrecks are usually 20' and more above the sand. We will not put someone in conditions beyond their certification. Panama
City is fortunate to have little current beyond the occasional wind
driven surface current that disappears past 15', our boats don't run in
foul weather or heavy seas, and the divemaster scouts the site before
anyone else splashes in, so hazardous marine life is likewise unlikely
while you are on our charter.
If you are concerned about the weather, please call us. Capt Pat has no desire to be struck by lightning either and he will not run the boat if it seems in the cards that a thunder storm will be in our future. This is Florida and the weatherman will have a little cloud with a lightning bolt and 40% of rain on the forecast for everyday from late May to October. Do not be alarmed, is just how it works here, small single cell thunder storm always build inland in the afternoon but seldom hit the beaches, leading to our dismissive phrase...."Its a land storm."
We will have plenty of refreshments and snacks available to keep everyone hydrated and comfortable. Please make use of them as dehydration is the number one cause of DCS. Part of staying hydrated is avoiding seasickness, and we recommend that you take some sort of anti-nausea pill if you are unsure of how you will react to being at sea. Ginger pills work great too, but please take whichever medicine you choose far enough in advance to have it fully in your system before you get to the boat.
Seasonal variations
Other than the weather described above Summer time has few other changes worth mentioning. The bait fish show up in massive shoals and take up residence on our artificial reefs. These shoals can be exhilarating to be inside of and sometimes alittle disorienting as visibility can drop to a foot or less. Wetsuits generally become unnecessary in late June through October. Daily air temperature is commonly around 90*F so wear sunscreen and drink lots of water. It is typical of the Summer weather pattern to be calm in the morning and windier in the afternoon as the sun heats the land faster and a sea breeze builds. This is why we schedule morning dives primarily.
Fall has fewer visitors but the larger gamefish become more abundant, a great time for spearfishing. Flounder will begin to move to the Wrecks near the pass around November in great numbers and they will remain until April or May if you know how to spot them! The weather starts to become more associated with frontal boundaries and calm afternoons and evenings make for great night dives.
Winter's North winds make heading offshore abit more troublesome, but plenty of fish move into the shallower inshore spots and due to the orientation of our coastline even blustery days can't generate large waves within 5 miles of the coast. The weather is quite predictable 5 days out.
Spring is perhaps the most challenging time of year to dive in Panama City. It is constantly windy enough to keep the seas around 3-5' and the water is still chilly despite the warming air temperatures. Staying warm between dives is the key to diving in the Spring. The full enclosures or cabins on the boats pay for themselves during this time of year and the hot water shower really helps. We typically see only die hard spearos and bubble blowers.
