Pensacola/Gulf Shores questions?

[24%]

Hi Chum! iratewithhat:
The last week of October and first week of November, Siren and I will have some time to kill, and as luck will have it we will be within a few hours of Pensacola/Gulf Shores, so why not go diving?

I haven’t done any diving in the Pensacola area since I was in my 20s, so I don’t know much about the current diving in the area. I know several of you do a lot of diving in Florida, including last year’s East Bound and Down road trip.

We obviously want to do the O, and Lulu. What other dives should we try to do? And what charters/shops do you like using? We would also be very interested in doing shore dives, any advice there?

Any ideas on water temps that late in the year?

Finally, if we wanted to spend a day diving springs, where would you recommend?

I think we are leaning toward staying at Bella Terra RV Resort in Gulf Shores, AL.

Thanks,
Douglas

 

[ReefHound]

Nearest two springs are Vortex and Morrison, both about 2 hours from Gulf Shores near Ponce de Leon. Vortex is a private scuba park with full service dive shop, air fills, shelters, tables, and even cabins. About $20 admission. Morrison is a county park with the only diver amenities a gear up table or two and a walkway to a floating dock. Free. They are about 15 minutes apart so you could go to Vortex to get tanks or fills. Both have same clarity of water. I prefer Morrison, aside from being free it's a lot more natural and less crowded with divers.

In addition to the 'O and Lulu, other nice wrecks are the YTD Navy tenders, Pete's Tide, Tex Barge, and also the Russian Freighter is but a pile of rubble but abundant fish life. Ops are six of one and half dozen of the other. The one we used in Gulf Shores was fine, don't recall the name. For the 'O I like the H2O Below booked by MBT Divers. Bigger boat but more likely to make it out.

Shore dive spots are Pickens jetties, Portofino snorkel reef, and Navarre snorkel reef. Pickens is in a national park, $15/car for the week, parking within 100 feet of easy walkin entry point, showers and restrooms, depths to 50', typical 10-20' viz, and tide-dependent. The snorkel reefs are artificial structures off the beach about 100 yards in 15-20', surf-dependent, parking within 100 feet or so of entry. Navarre has showers and restrooms, located in Navarre about 30 miles east of Pcola. Portofino is at the east end of the Pensacola Beach strip.

St. Andrews jetties in Panama City is the best shore dive site and has excellent facilities, but is two hours past Pcola, just in case you make it that far.

For all the beach dives and Morrison Springs a dive flag is required by Florida law. You can tie it off to something and stay nearby rather than drag it around.

Not sure about temps, I've been there mid October and had 75d and around Thanksgiving and had 60d. The springs are a constant 68d.

 

[Sushi Boy]

I really liked Gary's Gulf Divers out of Orange Beach, AL who we used on the EB&D trip for the Oriskany dives. It's a smaller boat, but very comfortable and Gary's a great captain.

He suggested that one of his favorite sites is the Navy Tug.

Have a great time! Can't wait to hear about it.

 

[24%]

Thanks for the great info.

... For the 'O I like the H2O Below booked by MBT Divers. Bigger boat but more likely to make it out.

Shore dive spots are Pickens jetties, Portofino snorkel reef, and Navarre snorkel reef. Pickens is in a national park, $15/car for the week, parking within 100 feet of easy walkin entry point, showers and restrooms, depths to 50', typical 10-20' viz, and tide-dependent. The snorkel reefs are artificial structures off the beach about 100 yards in 15-20', surf-dependent, parking within 100 feet or so of entry. Navarre has showers and restrooms, located in Navarre about 30 miles east of Pcola. Portofino is at the east end of the Pensacola Beach strip.


For all the beach dives and Morrison Springs a dive flag is required by Florida law. You can tie it off to something and stay nearby rather than drag it around.

Have you dove the Whiskey Wreck?

I really liked Gary's Gulf Divers out of Orange Beach, AL who we used on the EB&D trip for the Oriskany dives. It's a smaller boat, but very comfortable and Gary's a great captain.

He suggested that one of his favorite sites is the Navy Tug.

Have a great time! Can't wait to hear about it.

I would certainly consider using Gary but on his website he lists requirements for diving the 'O(without a guide). I actually wouldn't meet those requirements as I don't have two logged dives over 80' in the last year. We will likely get those dives in during our first couple of days in FL/AL but if it doesn't happen, I'm not really enthused about paying for, much less diving with some DM. I'm not knocking him, it's his boat his rules.

Does the Navy Tug have another name? Only place I'm finding a reference to that dive in on Gary's website.

 

[ReefHound]

I think that would be the YTD Navy tenders. See here for some info on dive sites:
http://www.divespots.com/scuba-diving-spots/florida/pensacola/spots/
or
http://www.mbtdivers.com/dive_sites.html

Haven't dived the Whiskey in many years. I haven't heard of any locals diving it anymore and last I heard a couple years ago was that it had been covered in sand to where there wasn't much to see. In it's heyday it was about 100 yards offshore from Bahama Bob's in about 15' of water with about 5' of deteriorated relief. Was always more popular with the locals as a good spot for spearfishing.

Talk to Gary. He's a reasonable person and I doubt his intent is to require former instructors to hire a DM but to make sure some once-every-five-years vacation diver doesn't bite off more than he can chew.