Panama City Beach was directly affected by Hurricane Michael in October 2018, a category 4 hurricane. With winds up to 154 mph, and storm surges of more than 10 feet, this storm was the strongest ever to strike the Panhandle. More than 650 artificial coral reefs were subject to hurricane-force winds.
Panama City Beach offers an abundance of excellent dive sites for both beginners and experienced divers. Within miles of the World’s Most Beautiful Beaches there are over 50 artificial reefs to explore, including ships, barges, bridge spans, and hundreds of natural limestone reefs, ranging in depths of 18 feet to 110 feet.
Seas around Panama City Beach depend more on the wave interval than the absolute size. Long interval waves create rollers, while short interval waves make the boat rock up and down and divers are hard to spot in the water.
Panama City Beach offers more than diving. It also has outstanding seafood and the largest number of bottlenose dolphins anywhere in the world. This beautiful spot is perfect for a weekend getaway or a long-term trip. Below is our Panama City Beach dive map. You can find more information on the individual pins by clicking on them. This map, while we do our best to ensure accuracy, is only for informational purposes and not for navigation.
St. Andrews State Park is home to some of the most beautiful beach dives on the Emerald Coast. The channel side, on the west jetty, has depths of 70 feet. The rocks at St. Andrews State park attract and hold many sea life species, including octopus red snapper redfish grouper and other tropical fish. It is possible to get the best diving conditions if you are able to spot an incoming tide.
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. This storm was the strongest to ever make landfall in the Panhandle. Over 650 artificial islands were affected by hurricane-force winds.
This place is great for first divers and offers a good selection. Their staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. Both beginners and experienced divers will find great classes.
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.